All-Ireland hurling final: Ukrainian children to bring Liam MacCarthy Cup on to field

Ukrainian children will carry the Liam MacCarthy Cup on to the pitch in advance of Sunday’s All-Ireland senior hurling final.

The cup will also be placed on its plinth in the Hogan Stand by the children.

The gesture, by the GAA, will be an acknowledgment of the work being done to support these refugees by clubs and communities.

It will be one of the earliest All-Ireland hurling finals ever staged in the calendar year and also one of the hottest, with temperatures at pitchside expected to be 25 degrees for the throw-in at 3.30pm.

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The teams will have an additional water carrier in operation on match day.

The GAA will also mark the 175th anniversary of the birth of Michael Cusack who was a driving force behind the formation of the organisation in 1884.

Limerick, the defending champions, are seeking their first senior three-in-a-row.

Kilkenny are seeking a first All-Ireland senior title since 2015. The last time they were without Liam MacCarthy for this long was between their victories of 1983 and 1992.

After the impact of Covid-19 in recent years, Sunday’s attendance will be the largest at an All-Ireland senior final since 2019. Last year’s final had a Covid-19 capacity of 40,000.