Battle of little villages will be titanic tussle

THE St Patrick’s Day All-Ireland club senior championships this year threw four big towns together, Athenry and James Stephens (city-based in Kilkenny) in the hurling, Ballina Stephenites and Portlaoise in football.

The junior decider this Monday in Portlaoise is a battle of the little villages, Finuge of Kerry against Stewartstown, with the latter claiming to be one of the smallest clubs in Tyrone. “I don’t care how small they say they are,” says Finuge manager Maurice Leahy.

“Finuge is smaller. One pub and a statue, to the great poet Seán McCarthy, that’s all there is, that and the football club.” Technically, Maurice is correct, but there is a little addendum.