'I won’t talk to her now for the week' - Tierney jokes about links to Kerry and the Cliffords 

'They were in school together, yeah. I have the phone taken off her for the week, don’t worry,' Tierney said.

CLOSE TO HOME: Matthew Tierney of Galway celebrates after the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Semi-Final. Pic: Daire Brennan/Sportsfile

The Galway-Kerry connections run deeper than the relationships formed and forged during Pádraic Joyce’s Sigerson Cup winning days in IT Tralee, Cian O’Neill’s three years as Kingdom coach, and his counterpart Paddy Tally’s 2018 season up west.

Matthew Tierney’s mother, Marie, is a native of Castleisland. No big deal, says you, but that’s before throwing in the add on that she went to school with David and Paudie Clifford’s mother, Eileen.

The pair were likely in Carlow back in February when a Tierney-captained NUIG overcame a Clifford-led UL in the Sigerson Cup decider.

Sunday, so, offers another chance for a school reunion.

“I won’t talk to her now for the week,” joked Matthew when the subject of his mother’s Kerry blood was raised.

“They were in school together, yeah. I have the phone taken off her for the week, don’t worry.”