It's depressing to see pubs closed in Cork city — Tompkins

The Cork legend also says this year's championship will be surreal without crowds

Former Cork footballer Larry Tompkins at his pub on Lavitt's quay, Cork Picture: Eddie O'Hare

Cork football legend Larry Tompkins says it’s “depressing” to see so many public houses closed in the city.

The two-time All-Ireland winner’s pub on Lavitt’s Quay is open four days a week from Thursday to Sunday but so many other publicans have been forced to keep their doors shut due to Covid-19 restrictions.

He believes allowing pubs to reopen would help regulate social activities. “I’m in the heart of Cork city here and there’s lots of great pubs here,” he told the GPA’s The Players’ Voice podcast. “Most of them are well (run); they’ve done a lot of work to their pubs and premises to get open.

“It’s just frustrating because I can’t understand that we hear and we know of all these house parties that are going on and different things; surely if the pubs were open people would have more places to go and business people they do things right like and for the small few that maybe get things wrong, I think they should be penalised.

“But I think overall, when you look at the heart of Ireland it is the country areas and it’s soul-destroying to see so many places closed. Just look at Cork city like, it can be depressing walking around it and seeing so many places closed.”

A Championship without crowds will be surreal for Tompkins when they made his GAA experiences all the greater. 

“The crowd, they’re so important because in the lead-up to the game they get the adrenaline going. The excitement before a Munster final, the thrill of that weekend and the meeting of people, you know, it gets the blood rising. When you arrive in Killarney or Páirc Uí Chaoimh or whatever, it was just a magic occasion. You feed off the crowd, they give you such a buzz and excitement.”

Jack O’Shea believes it will be difficult for players to prepare for major games without spectators when they have been nurtured to play in front of them. 

“When you’re young your ambition is to play for your county because on television you see the All-Irelands that went before you and the great games that went before you and you said, ‘I want to get to that occasion’ and the crowd of course are a huge part of it.

“Back in our time it was great because you actually went into the game with the crowd, you didn’t go in separately, you didn’t go in on buses and all that, you actually walked in with the supporters and the spectators and that was uplifting.

“I’ve always said that there are 30 players that can walk behind the Artane Boys Band on All-Ireland Final day and to be one of that 30 is so unique and so privileged so you use the crowd in that. I loved playing in Croke Park, I loved walking behind the band. It was one of the things I looked forward to and I used the crowd to motivate me and I used them to inspire me.

“Of course, they (crowds) are a huge part of it. It’s very difficult for county players to put in a big effort and know there are going to be no supporters there because that’s part of our life, that’s part of our upbringing. So, I think crowds are very, very essential and it’s important that a player can use the crowd and use that motivation to motivate yourself.”

Larry Tompkins and Jack O’Shea were speaking on the GPA’s podcast The Players’ Voice, which is out today on Soundcloud, Spotify and Apple Podcasts, ahead of what was scheduled to be All-Ireland football final weekend.