148,000 people took in Munster final on television

28 May 2022; Killian Spillane of Kerry after scoring his side's first goal past Limerick goalkeeper Donal O'Sullivan during the Munster GAA Football Senior Championship Final match between Kerry and Limerick at Fitzgerald Stadium in Killarney. Photo by Diarmuid Greene/Sportsfile

Almost a third of those watching TV on Saturday afternoon took in Kerry’s comprehensive Munster SFC final win over Limerick.

An average of 148,000 people viewed the game in Killarney shown live on RTÉ2, a share of 32%.

The average for the subsequent Leinster SFC final between Dublin and Kildare was higher at 154,000 but represented a smaller percentage of total viewers with 21%. The Champions Cup final between Leinster and La Rochelle, which started 15 minutes before the provincial decider in Croke Park, would likely have impacted that number.

Meanwhile, Munster SFC attendances are expected to be slightly up on the pre-pandemic 2019 figure. Three years ago, the five games were watched by approximately 31,000 in total while this year’s figure is in line to marginally better despite it not featuring a Kerry-Cork final.

The Ulster SFC figure will be down, however, although the 2019 total featured a semi-final replay in its 134,581 number. This year’s total should creep over the 100,000 mark but the average attendance will reflect a decrease.

Elsewhere, it is expected this year’s All-Ireland senior hurling quarter-finals will take place at FBD Semple Stadium.

Although the participants have yet to be identified, Thurles is on standby to host the games on Saturday, June 18. Cork will be involved should they beat the Joe McDonagh Cup winners the weekend after next as will Wexford if they defeat the second tier final’s runners-up.

From 2011 to 2016, FBD Semple Stadium hosted all the quarter-finals. The 2017 games were held in Páirc Uí Chaoimh which marked the opening of the reconstructed stadium. The 2018 game between Clare and Wexford was also played in Cork and the 2019 matches were staged in Croke Park.

During the pandemic seasons of 2020 and 2021, only last year’s Cork-Dublin game was played in Thurles as Tipperary were involved in both years and those fixtures had to be organised for neutral venues.