Hearsay won’t pass for history in the story of two great sporting rivals

IN relation to Ryle Dwyer’s column dealing with the vagaries of post-match interviews, can I say that the piece in general left me a little confused (Irish Examiner, August 26).

Is he — a Kerryman — trying to tell us (all others in the quest for football championship success) that there is no one who will listen to us and nothing that can be done, no matter how ‘rowdy’ Kerry’s brand of football becomes?

And here’s the 1946 All-Ireland football semi-final as an example! As a published historian I thought Mr Dwyer might be a bit more persuasive in his argument.

He chastises Cork football manager Billy Morgan for comments made in the immediate aftermath of Cork’s defeat in this year’s All-Ireland football semi-final. He advised Morgan to keep his observations to himself and get on with it.

Ryle Dwyer then lists the injustices meted out to Kerry in the past 30 years of the football championship.

Sour grapes are sour grapes, whether hours or decades after they’ve been tasted.

Finally, in disputing Morgan’s good judgement — “as far as Kerry people are concerned” — he refers to a tale from the evening of the 1994 Munster football final.

A true story — as far as Kerry people are concerned!

But hearsay won’t pass for history.

Tom Morgan

Dún Eoin Meadows

Ballinrea Road

Carrigaline

Co Cork