Paddy Deegan and O'Loughlin Gaels eying more honours after Kilkenny title

“I suppose when you win Kilkenny it’s one of the toughest championships that’s there,” said Deegan.

GAEL FORCE: O'Loughlin Gaels Manager Brian Hogan celebrates after the game with Paddy Deegan. Pic Credit ©INPHO/Ben Brady

The county championship is king at this time of year but some results reverberate more than others beyond the nearest border. Ballyhale Shamrocks’s loss to O’Loughlin Gaels on Sunday will have registered far and wide.

The south Kilkenny club went into the weekend as reigning county, Leinster and All-Ireland champions. They had won the lot three times in the last four campaigns, their only blot in that time a one-point loss to Ballygunner at the last fence in 2021.