Enjoy the Munster hurling final while you can. Its future is uncertain

If the death throes of the provincial championships in football were apparent last weekend, the end of the provincial system in hurling can’t be far behind

FRIENDLY FIRE: Clare and Limerick players jostle each other during the Munster Championship Round 4 match in Ennis. Pic: John Sheridan/Sportsfile

The Munster hurling final is on Sunday. One of the high holidays.

If you’re in the mood for a scene-setter, consider this from Ger Loughnane’s autobiography on winning the Munster final: “We won two All-Irelands, and they were brilliant. But this was unique. People outside Clare would find it very difficult to understand just how much it mattered. This was the dream for every Clare person for decades – to beat Tipperary in a Munster Final.”