Kilkenny gears up to welcome hurling heroes home

First Sunday in September and Kilkenny’s hurlers win the All-Ireland. Nothing to see here, move along, as you were.

Tonight they’ll welcome their heroes home as senior champions for the 36th time, with a scarcely-credible 11 of those titles coming in the last 16 seasons under the eye of the all-conquering Brian Cody.

Yesterday the party city that is Kilkenny partied again as has become customary this time of year, the cheers ringing louder and louder from the homes and hostelries as the second half wore on and the gap between the reigning kings and the young pretenders from Galway grew wider.