Paul Rouse: The 40 things I'll miss on All-Ireland Hurling final day

Like all great sporting occasions, All-Ireland hurling final day carries a social and cultural significance that passes far beyond the playing field, the two teams, the result

FINAL FEVER: Little beats the thrill of winding through the crowds down the North Circular Road, past the smell of frying onions and the people with signs looking for tickets for the All-Ireland final. Picture: Barry Cregg/Sportsfile

Sun, 13 Dec, 2020 - 07:00

Paul Rouse

Paul Rouse is an historian, author, broadcaster… and former Offaly football boss. He specialises in sport and Irish culture.

There’s no day in Dublin quite like the Sunday of the All-Ireland hurling final. It is, of course, a day centred on a match, but it is not defined by that match.

Like all great sporting occasions, it carries a social and cultural significance that passes far beyond the playing field, the two teams, the result. This year, Covid has stripped away almost all of the things that have grown around the match, all the personal experiences that shape the meaning of sport.