Rod Stewart concert sends Cork footballers to Páirc Uí Rinn

It was, by all accounts, a good show, complete with a tribute to Liam Miller, Rod Stewart playing 24 songs and performing for more than two hours at Páirc Uí Chaoimh last Saturday night.

Only for the Cork senior football team, it means their Munster semi-final against Limerick on Saturday evening is set for Páirc Uí Rinn. In the immediate aftermath of the Stewart concert, the pitch at Páirc Uí Chaoimh underwent some scheduled resurfacing, which ruled it out of action for this weekend.

Should Cork progress past Limerick, who upset Tipperary in their quarter-final, the Munster final will be fixed for Páirc Uí Chaoimh, against either Kerry or Clare. Cork football manager Ronan McCarthy was also hesitant to make a big deal out of the matter, beyond stating his preference for Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

“I wanted to play in Páirc Uí Chaoimh,” said McCarthy, who goes into Saturday’s game having seen Cork relegated to division three of the league. “Obviously, if we get over the semi-final, we are going to be playing the final in Páirc Uí Chaoimh. They are only small advantages, but if they are there, you take them.

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“I would like us to play in Páirc Uí Chaoimh as much as we can, but the game being fixed for Páirc Uí Rinn wasn’t something I was losing sleep over either. I made my feelings known to the county board, where my preference was to play it. They sought my opinion, but I don’t think the pitch will be ready in time for our game.

“But if that was such a huge deal for us, that it was going to affect how we played in a Munster final, if we get there, then we are in trouble. We just accept it and move on.”