Dunny hails interpros as legends line up for battle

TAKE a look back over the teams that have won inter-provincial hurling honours, whether in their old guise as the Railway Cup or in the current format sponsored by Clare businessman Martin Donnelly — patron saint of unsung causes — and they’re all there, every legendary name in hurling.

Mackey, Meagher, the Doyles, Smyth, Ring, Rackard, the names resonate down the decades; now look through the teams selected by Leinster and Munster for today’s semi-final in Fermoy, and there stands James McGarry, Brian Hogan, Tommy Walsh, James Ryall, Derek Lyng, Michael Rice, Richie Power, Willie O’Dwyer, Eddie Brennan and Aidan Fogarty of Kilkenny, all recent winners of All-Ireland senior medals.

Look at Munster and there you have Waterford’s Eoin Murphy, Michael ‘Brick’ Walsh, Eoin Kelly and John Mullane, all ready for action, playing alongside Brian Murray, Donal O’Grady, Mike Fitzgerald and Seán O’Connor from the Limerick team which beat them in the All-Ireland semi-final. Offaly have David Franks and Kevin Brady included in the Leinster team, All-Star nominee James Young of Laois is there, while Westmeath’s progress is recognised through the inclusion of Darren McCormack among the subs. Included for Munster are the more renowned John Gardiner and Seán Óg Ó hAilpín of Cork, alongside hurlers of high repute from Clare and Tipperary, and were it not for the fact that the championships are still not resolved in most counties, there would be even more big names on display.