After an initial month in which there was much hand-wringing over poor attendances, the football and hurling championships are now in full swing.
The busiest weekend of the GAA championship takes place today and tomorrow. A combination of replays and the first round of the All-Ireland football qualifier series has provided a programme of 16 matches in all provinces.
Most attention this afternoon will be on championship replays in Thurles and Portlaoise. At 6.15 the hurlers of Limerick and Waterford will again meet six days after their thrilling Munster semi-final draw at Semple Stadium. Adding to the mystique of that match was the absence of RTÉ television cameras, banished by court order obtained by the local fire officer. That situation has been rectified and this evening's match and tomorrow's semi-final between Cork and Clare will be broadcast live.
Limerick yesterday named their team. Manager Dave Keane makes five changes, bringing in Stephen McDonagh, Paudie O'Dwyer, Eoin Foley, Ollie Moran and teenager Patrick Kirby, who at 17 has claims on being the youngest player to play in a Munster senior championship match. Out go Eugene Mulcahy, Brian Geary, Ciarán Carey, Barry Foley and Andrew O'Shaughnessy, the team's other teenage sensation, who is concentrating on his Leaving Cert exams.
Also on television will be the Leinster football replay between Meath and Westmeath in O'Moore Park, Portlaoise, at 7.0. Westmeath have never beaten their neighbours in a championship match but came agonisingly close last Sunday when missing a 20-metre free with the last kick of the match.
Completing today's action is the first appearance of All-Ireland champions Kilkenny, who play Dublin in the Leinster semi-final at Nowlan Park at 7.0. It's already been something of a marathon season for Dublin, who will be playing their fourth championship match of the summer. It's also the team's third successive Saturday night in Kilkenny, where they beat Laois after a replay last week.
The reason this fixture goes ahead today is that Leinster Council became jumpy about the feasibility of playing the semi-finals as a double header in Kilkenny. Growing interest amongst Wexford supporters meant the capacity of 30,000 would have been put under strain.
"We wouldn't have been in a position to offer the usual discounts for families and so on," said Leinster chairperson Nicky Brennan. "So we felt it would be better to split the semi-finals."
There will also be a provincial semi-final in Connacht, where the footballers of Mayo and Sligo meet at Markievicz Park.
The All-Ireland football qualifier series kicks into life this afternoon. Since the series was introduced two years ago it has generated some great matches. Highest profile of the fixtures is the Roscommon-Cork match in Hyde Park.
Should Cork, who were trounced by Limerick in the first defence of their Munster title last month, lose it will mean the departure of manager Larry Tompkins after seven years in charge of his adopted county.
Novelty of the round is the visit of All-Ireland champions Armagh to Walsh Park in Waterford, scene of the home county's last great football victory, the defeat of Kerry this month 46 years ago.
