As it was foretold, today sees the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final at Croke Park in Dublin. Unfortunately the weather isn’t great: there’s been quite a lot of rain already today, and the forecast is for more. It’s also extremely humid (93%).
I will however be watching on TV from the comfort of my living room. For those of you in the UK, there is live coverage on BBC2 from 3pm.
This year’s final is between Cork and Tipperary and takes place this afternoon, Sunday 20th July, with the throw-in at 3.30pm. Cork are strong favourites, with bookies quoting odds of 3-1 on (or even shorter). That’s not surprising because they put seven goals past Dublin in their semi-final a couple of weeks ago.
I’ll update this post with the final score (for the files) when it’s all over.
HALF-TIME: Cork 1-16 Tipperary 0-13. A breathless first half with Tipperary playing with just one man up the field and packing the defence to avoid conceding goals, which they did until the very end of the first half when Shane Barrett scored the first. Tipperary actually had the sliotar in the net earlier on, but the goal was disallowed for a square ball: an attacking player cannot be inside the small rectangle (also known as the “6-yard box”) before the ball enters it. Very noticeable that Croke Park is a sea of red – clearly Cork supporters did better at getting tickets!
FULL-TIME: Cork 1-18 Tipperary 3-27. What an amazing turnaround, and a superb second-half performance from Tipperary! Cork completely disintegrated after half-time, scoring only two points in the half to Tipperary’s 23, including three goals (one of them a penalty that also resulted in Cork going down to 14 men). Nothing went right for Cork, who hit the woodwork 4 times even and even missed a penalty, but by then the game was already lost.
Tippperary are the 2025 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Champions!
Just a quick note, primarily for those of you not in Ireland, to point out that this weekend sees the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final at Croke Park. There’s always a fantastic atmosphere for this event and I’m looking forward to it enormously. It’s every bit as big as the FA Cup Final used to be when I was a kid.
This year’s final is between Cork and Tipperary and takes place on Sunday 20th July, with the throw-in at 3.30pm.
For those of you in the UK, there is live coverage on BBC2 from 3pm.
This is a big weekend for fans of hurling, as we have reached the semi-final stage of the All Ireland Senior Hurling Championship. Yesterday Cork trounced Dublin by 7-26 to 2-21. I’ve never seen such a high scoring game at the top level, nor a margin as large as 20 points (a goal is worth 3 points)! Though not expected by many to progress, Dublin had deservedly beaten Limerick in the quarter-finals but they were never in the game yesterday.
The other semi-final takes place this afternoon at 4pm, and is between Kilkenny and Tipperary. Which of these will meet Cork in the Final? We’ll soon find out!
Update: it was another high scoring match, finishing Kilkenny 0-30 to Tipperary’s 4-20, so Tipperary won by 2 points (with a goal in the last minute). The All Ireland Final will therefore be between Cork and Tipperary.
Both semi-finals are held at Croke Park, as is the final. Many supporters come through Maynooth on their way to these matches, as we’re on the train line that goes into Dublin Connolly via Drumcondra (the nearest station to Croke Park). There is an arrangement by which supporters can park their cars at the GAA ground in Maynooth and take the train, as there is no chance of parking near Croke Park.
Yesterday evening I needed to do a quick trip to the shops and ran into a crowd of returning Cork supporters who had just arrived by train. Most fans were in very good humour (unsurprisingly) but a few were very much the worse for drink: one young lad had passed out on the footpath and concerned pedestrians called an ambulance; over the road at the bus terminus Gardaí were dealing with a drunk and aggressive person; and in Supervalu a hopelessly inebriated bloke staggered into the off-licence part to get more booze but ended up falling over and dropping the cans he had picked up, with one bursting and making a mess all over the floor.
Anyway, none of this is to do with the intended subject of this post. Cork’s victory yesterday reminded me of a little bit of hurling information that I found interesting, concerning the way to hold the hurley. Having been brought up on a different bat-and-ball game (cricket), I was surprised to learn that in hurling you are supposed to hold the bat the wrong way round! What I mean by that is that in cricket the batter holds the bat with the dominant hand at the bottom of the handle near the blade and the other hand at the top. For illustration, here’s a forward defensive shot played by a right-hander:
For illustration, on the left, there’s a forward defensive shot played by a right-hander. You can see the left hand at the top of the handle and the right hand near the bottom. Shots like this are played predominatly with the bat moving in a vertical plane, guided by the left hand with the right hand guiding the direction. A hook or pull shot is played with the same grip but swinging the bat across the body from right to left with more bottom hand.
When I was at school I tried batting left-handed in the nets. It was quite interesting. I found I could play defensive shots equally well that way as with my usual right-handed stance, but I couldn’t play attacking shots very well at all.
It’s the same arrangement in baseball (or rounders, as we call it on this side of the Atlantic). The batter will hold the bat with their weaker hand nearer the end of the handle, i.e. towards the thin end.
On the other hand (!), a hurler holds the hurley the other way round. On the right you can see a hurler at the ready position, with his right hand at the top of the handle and the left hand near the blade. When striking the sliotar (ball), the hands are moved closer together. Holding the end of the hurley in the dominant hand means that more strength can be applied when reaching away from the body with one hand, something that isn’t really done in cricket. The typical long-range strike of the sliotar is rather like a hook shot in cricket, except it’s played the opposite way across the body.
Here’s a video:
This seems very unnatural if you have been brought up to use the opposite basic grip, which explains why so many struggled even to hit the sliotar at the practice at the EAS Social Dinner in Cork a couple of weeks ago. In Ireland, however, kids learn to play hurling when they’re still in kindergarten so this is instilled at a very early age.
I’m on an early-morning train from Cork to Dublin, missing the final day of EAS 2025. I’d like to thank the organisers and all the contributors for an extremely successful meeting. I’m looking forward to EAS 2026, which will be held in Lausanne (Switzerland).
Yesterday was another busy day, during which I attended – among other things – sessions on gravitational lensing and a plenary talk by Andy Fabian. The latter event reminded me that in my final year as an undergraduate I took a “Minor Option” on High-Energy Astrophysics lectured by Andy Fabian. That was 40 years ago…
After the scientific programme for the day was over, participants were bussed to Páirc Ui Chaoimh, Cork’s main GAA Stadium, for the conference dinner. Some of the participants had the chance to try their hands at hurling before the food.
After the food, there was traditional Irish music, with the audience joining in the singing and dancing. A good time was had by all.
Incidentally, Cork play Dublin next weekend in the semi-finals of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship. To the surprise of many, Dublin knocked out Limerick in the quarter-finals. The other semi-final is between Kilkenny and Tipperary. Those people who attempted to put hurley to sliotar last night will be even more amazed at the level skill on display in those games.
No prizes for guessing what I’ll be watching this afternoon. Today’s the day of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final at Croke Park, between Clare and Cork. The weather isn’t too bad; it’s overcast and a bit cool but there’s no rain forecast and it’s not windy. I’m hoping for a good match.
Clare (An Clár) versus Cork (Corcaigh) is not the final I would have predicted before the semi-finals. I thought Limerick and Kilkenny would be the finalists but that just goes to show how little I know. Cork are favourites with the bookies, by the way (4/7 on Cork, 11/8 against Clare) despite the fact that Clare of won the last two encounters between these teams.
If you’ve never been in Ireland for this occasion you won’t realize what a huge event it is. The atmosphere on this very special day is very much like it used to be in England for the FA Cup Final when I was a kid and the build-up just as long, with constant references on both radio and TV. Maynooth is on the railway line going through Croke Park so we see a lot of supporters in their team colours heading to the match. County Clare (which is in the West of Ireland, straddled by Limerick to the South and Galway to the North) is a bit closer to us than County Cork, which perhaps accounts for the preponderance of blue and gold over red and white.
You can watch the whole game live on BBC2 if you’re in the UK. Throw-in is at 3.30pm.
Update: The attendance is 82,300.
Update: HT score Clare 1-12 Cork 1-12. It’s been a much more open game than I expected. Cork started out the stronger team, finding lots of space in the Clare half and shooting very accurately. Robert Downey scored a memorable goal at which point it looked like Cork might overrun Clare, but that didn’t happen and as the half drew to a close Clare became more confident. It’s all square and poised for an exciting second half.
Update: FT score Clare 3-21 Cork 1-27. What an epic game this is! All square on points after Clare conceded a silly free in the dying seconds to allow Cork to equalize. We go to extra time!
Update: Final Score Clare 3-29 Cork 1-34. Drama to the last second, a long free from the Cork goalie lands in the area but Robbie O’Flynn’s shot to tie the game goes agonizingly wide. Clare are the All-Ireland Champions by one-point. What a breathtaking match. Hats off to both teams for serving up a classic! I wouldn’t have complained if it had gone to a replay though…
Here is a clip of Clare’s amazing 3rd goal, scored by Tony Kelly…
Just a quick post to mention that this weekend saw the semi-finals of this year’s All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship at Croke Park.
Yesterday, after playing very poorly against Kilkenny in the first half, Clare staged an epic comeback to create an exciting finish, eventually to win by two points (0-24 to 2-16).
Today’s semi-final was even better, with Cork pulling out all the stops against Limerick in the second half in a match that was played at an extraordinary tempo even by the standards of hurling. Cork ran out deserved winners by 1-28 to 0-29. Once again, only two points separated the sides.
Limerick were bidding to win their 5th All-Ireland championship in a row, but they have to settle for four, as the final in two weeks’ time will be between Cork and Clare.
I was intrigued to see this graphic accompanying an article about hurling. Notice that the left hand side shows the field equations of Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity and some expressions to do with quantum mechanics. Hurling is indeed an extraordinary – and extraordinarily fast – sport but is the article implying that classical physics is inadequate to describe it? Perhaps it is implying that through hurling we will at last arrive at a Theory of Everything?
Today’s the day! It’s the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final at Croke Park, between Kilkenny and Limerick (reigning champions). The weather isn’t as bad as forecast, but it’s still a bit wet. I’m hoping for a cracking match. The atmosphere in Ireland on this very special day is very much like it used to be for the FA Cup Final when I was a kid. Maynooth is closer to Kilkenny than Limerick but I saw more green shirts than black-and-amber in town this morning. I hope it’s a cracking match between two fierce rivals. In fact it’s a repeat of last year’s final.
Anyway, we’ve just had the throw-in. Updates later!
Half Time: Kilkenny 1-09 Limerick 0-09
It’s not a disappointment so far, in front of a crowd of 82,300. In the words of commentator Marty Morrissey “It’s a right old battle”. Kilkenny, giving it everything in a frantic, bruising match, are deservedly leading by 3 courtesy of a goal by Eoin Cody in the 10th minute. But Limerick are a strong, physical side can they get back into the game? Can Kilkenny keep up the intensity?
Full Time: Kilkenny 2-15 Limerick 0-30
So, after a dominant second-half display, Limerick win it comfortably, by 9 points. Kilkenny just couldn’t keep up the pressure on in the middle third of the pitch, allowing Limerick to rack up a big score with points from long range. For Kilkenny it was like a boxer fighting an opponent with a much longer reach. The longer the game went on the stronger Limerick got, and the more Kilkenny’s brave challenge faded.
That’s four in a row for Limerick, deserved Champions yet again!
No time for a proper post today, but I do have a gap in between meetings to share this wonderful picture of a little lad absorbed by the action at Croke Park during last weekend’s All-Ireland Hurling Semi-Final between Kilkenny and Clare (won by Kilkenny by 1-25 to 1-22, after a strong fightback by Clare). It’s a superb composition, with the little boy seemingly on his own but united with the others by their joint fascination with the game.
The All-Ireland Final (between Limerick and Kilkenny) is on Sunday 23rd July at 3.30pm. Whoever the kid is he might well be there; you can tell from the yellow and black stripes of his replica kit that he’s a Kilkenny supporter…
I made it back to Maynooth from Cardiff last night after a relatively uneventful journey, although sitting next to a hen party on a RyanAir flight en route to Dublin wasn’t exactly the most peaceful experience and I was quite tired when I got home.
Among the many things that have changed over the last few years is how much quieter Cardiff Airport is. When I arrived there at about 6pm yesterday there were only two flights on the departure screen. One of them (a KLM flight to Amsterdam) was then cancelled, so all the intending passengers had to leave the departure lounge and collect their checked luggage. My flight was on time, however, and was very full.
In a previous pre-pandemic existence I spent half my time in Cardiff and half in Maynooth so had to cross the Irish Sea twice a week. The airline I used in those days, FlyBe, went bust just before the pandemic. RyanAir has taken the Cardiff-Dublin route, deploying a Boeing which is much bigger than the Embraer used by FlyBe, but there is only one flight a day. The other routes previously operated by FlyBe from Cardiff (e.g. to Edinburgh) no longer exist. Bristol is relatively easy to get to from Cardiff so I suppose people go that way nowadays if they have to fly.
A consequence of the small number of flights from Cardiff Airport is that the shuttle bus to Cardiff City Centre no longer runs. That was the method I used to get to and from the airport in my previous existence when I had to cross the Irish Sea twice a week. That no longer being available, I travelled to the airport by train and bus transfer. It’s a lot less convenient than the old bus, and a bit more expensive, but went off without any hitches.
Anyway, it’s nice to be home. I plan to spend the day chilling and watching the hurling semi-final between Limerick and Galway. UPDATE: Defending Champions Limerick beat Galway by 2-24 to 1-18 and thus get to the final yet again. The other semi-final, between Clare and Kilkenny, is tomorrow.
P.S. I forgot to mention that the good folk of Cardiff gave me a mug advertising CHART – Cardiff Hub for Astrophysics Research and Technology – which is new since my day.
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In the Dark 