An ode to the Cork hurling final: The best day of the year

In Glen Rovers and Midleton, we have two powerhouses of Cork hurling 60 minutes away from paradise at the Cork Colosseum

The Sean Óg Murphy Cup will be presented to the winners of Sunday's Co-Op Superstores Cork Premier SHC final between Glen Rovers and Midleton at Páirc Uí Chaoimh. Picture: Jim Coughlan

There really is nothing like it. The occasion, the setting, the drama, the history. County hurling final day, down the Páirc. The importance of the game supersedes the importance of the venue, obviously. Glen Rovers don’t mind that their last two victories came in Páirc Uí Rinn, just as St Finbarr’s and Blackrock’s victories down the Mardyke in 1974 and 1975 count the same as any one of their titles won in the old Athletic Grounds.

Páirc Uí Chaoimh is home, however, and its environs must be among the prettiest in the country. Fitzgerald Stadium springs to mind but the panoramic beauty of the MacGillycuddy Reeks swallows the stadium whereas the beauty of Ballintemple is spread out more evenly.