Cork captain Martin O’Doherty: 'When we won... it makes up for all the pain along the way'

Four decades in California are audible in Martin O’Doherty’s voice. So is the desire to see a clubman do well on the big stage

Cork captain Martin O’Doherty receiving the Liam MacCarthy Cup after their 1-17 to 3-8 win over in the 1977 All-Ireland final. Image via irishphotoarchive.

At the Cork-Kilkenny All-Ireland final recently, one spectator in particular put down an anxious hour watching one of the Cork defenders.

They’re not related by blood, but they share something else. Robert Downey’s performance at full-back for Cork resonated deeply with the spectator because in the 1970s he was the Glen Rovers man manning the square for Cork.