Eamonn O'Shea: 'GAA needs to give players more representative opportunities like Railway Cup'

Eamon O'Shea used to coach Tippperary. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

Eamon O’Shea believes there should be more time in the GAA calendar for representative competitions such as the Railway Cup.

The former Tipperary coach and manager takes charge of Ireland in Saturday evening’s Hurling-Shinty international against Scotland in SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

There are also plans in place for a one-off interprovincial weekend in Thurles at the end of next month to road-test the experimental hurling rules.

O’Shea would like to see the Railway Cup returned on a permanent basis and believes too much of the season has been condensed. “This (shinty game) is an opportunity for people across the various championships to come together," he said. "It really is something else to do that.

“I was involved with Liam Sheedy in the Railway Cup (in the early 2010s) with the MacCarthy players, bringing people together from different counties. We’re competitive and rightly so but there’s something about the game that should take it beyond competitiveness. 

"It’s played differently and it’s played with different intensity and in front of different crowds.” O’Shea continued: “In the same way as I lamented the end of the old interpros, it’s very difficult now to have time for all these things because time is so condensed now in the GAA. 

"The GAA has done a brilliant thing at condensing time. I'd like an expanded time to give opportunities like this (shinty game) for players.” 

O’Shea knows the annual game with Scotland is a niche event but has reminded his players that people will be following it. Ireland have won the last three clashes (2023-25) whereas Scotland won four-in-a-row between 2016 and ’19.

“I said to the players, ‘You’re representing an identity, you’re representing a culture and you’re playing against a culture and an identity’. And that’s always a massive thing to achieve for a player or a management group.

“It doesn’t matter if there are 10,000, 20,000 or 80,000 (in attendance). I said to the players, ‘There mightn’t be 80,000 in the ground but I bet you people will check on the result.’”