Rebels set for the road less travelled

FOR decades, it’s been an integral part of All-Ireland winning weekends for Cork’s hurlers and footballers – the rail ritual that began at Kent Station on a Saturday afternoon and, more often than not, concluded with the Liam MacCarthy Cup and Sam Maguire trophies returning to the train station on Monday evening.

However, if Conor Counihan’s footballers clinch the county’s seventh All-Ireland football title next Sunday, they’ll bring home Sam via the country’s expanded motorway network, and not the traditional train route taking in Mallow and Charleville.

With journey time from Cork to Dublin now shorter by road than by rail, the Cork senior and minor All-Ireland finalists have decided to take a luxury coach to the capital – and will return on Monday by the same method, it has been confirmed.

And though the hoped-for victory parade may no longer linger around the famed Paddy Barry’s corner, homecoming celebrations will be no less riotous if the county ends a 20-year wait for football success against Down at Croke Park.

Explained Cork GAA spokesperson Ger Lane: “The footballers have been travelling to all their (League) games this season by road. With the improvement in the road network, it makes for a far more straight-forward departure to arrival at our Dublin destination,” he explained.

The Cork minor team, which faces favourites Tyrone in the final, will also travel up and down by road this year for the first time.

Cronin’s Coaches will lay on a plush 49-seater coach for the Cork players with all possible mod cons provided, as per instructions from team management.

The teams will still travel up on Saturday afternoon, with the footballers staying at a secret Co Dublin location this time around.

However, they will return to their traditional Dublin base at the Burlington Hotel for the post-match banquet on Sunday evening.