Peter Cleere hits back for Cats over ‘War of Independence’ jibe

A former Kilkenny hurler and Fianna Fáil councillor has slammed Donal O’Grady’s War of Independence-inspired 2004 All- Ireland final dressing room speech as “crazy” and “off-the-wall”.

In tomorrow night’s Laochra Gael programme on TG4, Dónal Óg Cusack reveals the then Cork manager cajoled his players prior to facing Kilkenny by contrasting the counties’ efforts in Ireland’s fight for freedom between 1919 and ’21.

“I always remember the speech that Donal gave us before the game. It might surprise you: he highlighted or contrasted the difference in terms of the contribution that Cork had given during the War of Independence compared to Kilkenny’s.