All-Ireland final biggest TV draw of the summer

Armchair fans voted with their remote controls recently, backing hurling as the biggest TV draw of the Irish sporting summer.

According to figures releaed by Nielsen Media Research, last weekend's All-Ireland senior hurling final attracted a viewship figure of 726,000 when broadcast live on RTÉ 2.

This compares favourably with the 2004 final which drew 717,000 viewers to their television scenes.

In a notable fillip for the world's fastest field sport, the 2005 decider which saw Cork retain the Liam McCarthy Cup also beat out Ireland's recent soccer World Cup qualifier against France - Brian Kerr's boys were watched by 713,000 according to Nielsen's statistics.

GAA President Sean Kelly commented: "These figures are very pleasing.

"They are indicative of the growth in popularity of hurling, which is a great game."

The figures, based on the number of people watching games at home, do not take into account viewer potential in pubs and sports clubs.