Armagh and Sligo in first ever meeting

A FIRST-EVER championship meeting between Ulster champions Armagh and Sligo was the feature of the quarter-final draw for the Bank of Ireland SFC which was made in Dublin last night.

In contrast, the pairings for the other three games will be repeats of All-Ireland finals. All four games will be played next weekend.

Reigning All-Ireland champions Galway and Kerry will be meeting for the third time in three seasons, having drawn in the 2000 final before Kerry triumphed in the replay.

Cork and Mayo were in opposition in the 1989 All-Ireland final when current Galway boss John O'Mahony was Mayo manager.

More recently they met in the semi- finals of 1999 and 1993, both of which were won by Cork.

Dublin and Donegal last met 10 years ago, when Donegal won their one and only All-Ireland title under the managership of Brian McEniff.

The Games Administration Committee will announce dates and venues for the fixtures later today.

It is likely that there will be a double header in Croke Park on Sunday and possibly a similar situation could also apply on the Bank Holiday Monday afternoon.

Alternatively, two games could be played on Saturday but not in Croke Park.

And, it's probable that the pairings will be determined by the wish to maximise the attendance for each day.

The Cork/Mayo game would not be expected to draw a huge crowd, so it may be played as a curtainraiser to Dublin and Donegal.

*The hurling semi-final draw had been pre-determined as a result of the quarter-final pairings, and the fact that Tipperary could not meet Waterford at this stage, as they had already meet in the Munster Championship.

It will see Clare and Waterford renewing their rivalry after having previously met in the 1998 Munster final.

The game ended in a draw and the replay was a tempestuous affair with a player from each side being dismissed by Willie Barrett.

Clare's Colin Lynch was subsequently suspended for three months arising out of a Munster Council investigation into the game.

Tipperary and Kilkenny last clashed in the 1991 final, when Tipperary won largely as a result of a goal scored from a free by Michael Clery.

Ken Hogan and Nicky English were members of the winning team and it also included current Waterford selector Colm Bonnar.