Old friends are best...

DIARMUID O’FLYNN (DO’F): “Francis, you actually recorded a series of firsts in your career?”

FRANCIS LOUGHNANE (FL:): “In 1964 I captained Tipperary to win the U21 championship, that was the first year it was played. In 1971, with Roscrea, I was on the first team to win the All-Ireland club championship and that same year I was on the first All-Star team. I actually won three All-Irelands in 1971 – the club, the inter-county with Tipperary, and the inter-firm with Roscrea Foods. By right I shouldn’t have been playing in that one, I was only pushed into the factory to get on the team. Do you know something, all the competitions that are played at club and at inter-county level – underage division and counties, provincial and club All-Irelands, Oireachtas, National League, Railway Cup, All-Irelands, All-Stars – I’ve won them all, bar one; I never won an All-Ireland minor medal. We were beaten by two points in the final of ‘62 by Kilkenny.”

DO’F: And yourself, Mossie, you’re almost the exact opposite?