Fanning the flames

One was a full-back, the other a goalkeeper. Diarmuid O’Flynn brought Fan Larkin of Kilkenny and Cork’s Martin Coleman together.

EACH OF them is part of hurling history: Phil “Fan” Larkin is the middleman in three generations of Larkins to have won All-Ireland medals (his father Paddy won four, Fan won five — one of those as a sub — and his son, Philly, won three).

Martin Coleman was goalkeeper on the Cork team to do the last three-in-a-row, 1976-8 (his son, also Martin, is looking to complete his own three-in-a-row tomorrow as sub-keeper for Cork).