John Callinan on the 1977 Munster final: The GAA officials held at gunpoint were not the only ones feeling cheated

Still only 22 years of age, but five years into his senior county career, John Callinan suffered the heartbreak of finding the great Cork team of the 70s an unbreachable wall in Munster. Here, in his best-selling memoir just published, 'To Play, To Live' he remembers those Sundays when Clare reached out for greatness

John Callinan pictured in Ennis. Picture: Eamon Ward

We had every reason to be confident. Since the start of the 1975-76 season, we’d played 24 games between league and championship and lost only four of them.

We felt we were the most consistent team in Ireland and would win that Munster championship.