No limits on march of these young Rebels

The whistle blast that signalled freedom for a generation?

When yesterday’s Munster hurling final ended, the supporters in red and white — the majority of those in the 45,558 attendance — streamed onto the Semple Stadium turf, mobbing the Cork hurlers who had just seen Clare off for a first Munster title since 2014.

The significant facts of the game will probably soon be lost in myth — Conor McGrath’s cracking goal, which hinted at a grandstand finale; Mark Coleman’s sweetly struck sideline point just when Cork needed it, emphatic as an exclamation point; and Damien Cahalane’s lung-bursting drive from his own square to the other half with time almost up.