‘Piper’ and ‘Bomber’ will scale any heights for tickets

Two die-hard rebel fans are prepared to go to great heights to get their hands on All-Ireland hurling final tickets.

As the scramble for tickets intensifies, Pa ‘The Piper’ Hurley and Tom ‘The Bomber’ Roche, said they are prepared to climb to the top of the city’s landmark Shandon steeple and belt out a version of ‘The Banks’ if it means they get tickets for Sunday’s clash with Clare.

“We’ve tried all the usual sources — with no luck,” Pa, an ex-soldier, said. “We’re desperate for tickets now and we’re crawling to everyone now at this stage.

“All we need is two tickets for Hill 16. We’ll do anything. I’d even climb to the top of Shandon and play ‘The Banks’ at this stage if it meant I’d get a ticket.”

But Pa said even if they don’t get tickets, they still plan to travel to Dublin on Saturday to lead the Rebel Army in song from the Clonliffe Bar, up Jones’s Road to Hill 16.

Win, lose, or draw, they will be back at Cork’s Kent Railway station on Monday evening for the Cork team’s homecoming.

The UN veteran, who served three tours of duty in the Congo and three in Cyprus, has decked out his house in Silversprings with hundreds of red and white flags.

His plea came as the new rebel anthem, ‘Do the Jimmy Barry Murphy’, by Cork rapper Garry ‘GMC’ McCarthy, went viral following the release of its music video over the weekend.

The rap, which features a funked-up sample of the riff from the smash 1996 hit ‘Return of the Mack’ by Mark Morrison, got its first play on RedFM just over three weeks ago.

It promises: “When we get our hands on Liam MacCarthy, it’s back to Cork for a non-stop party.”

Meanwhile, Cork City Council is making final arrangements for the team’s homecoming on Grand Parade and South Mall on Monday evening.

It is hoped the event will be livestreamed to the world on the council’s website.

However, former lord mayor Cllr John Buttimer said city officials have dropped the ball in showing their support for the Cork squad.

He called on them to do more to dress City Hall, the city’s main civic building, in red and white.