'New' cup comes with a history

No county team would put a price on success, but the Leinster Council reckon Sunday's provincial hurling title is worth about 25,000 - at least to the value of the trophy being presented.

After 55 years the Leinster Council were finally resigned to finding a new trophy for their provincial hurling champions - and whether it's Kilkenny or Wexford who gets their hands on the new Bob O'Keeffe Cup in Croke Park they'll instantly double its value.

With the obvious exception of the Liam McCarthy and Sam Maguire trophies, the old Bob O'Keeffe Cup had become one of the most recognisable in the country, less because of its ornate Celtic decorations, and more because of its size. No trophy in Irish sport came any bigger.

Now it's been retired to the GAA museum in Croke Park, and the new Bob O'Keeffe Cup was unveiled for the first time yesterday.

Its arrival is particularly symbolic, as it emphasises the fact that the Leinster Council has no intention of abandoning the provincial championship anytime soon, and also the fact that it's intended to mark a new era in Leinster hurling.

Liam O'Neill, chairman of the Leinster Council, described the history of both the old and new trophies. Named after the GAA president from 1935 to '38, and a member of the one and only Laois team to win the All-Ireland hurling title in 1915, the new version of the Bob O'Keeffe Cup already has a few stories to tell.

"The old trophy was really suffering from wear and tear," explained O'Neill, "and had reached the stage where we felt we just couldn't be presenting it anymore. So we finally took a decision in early May to get ourselves a new one. But we definitely didn't want a brand new trophy, which could tarnish after a few years.

"Our vice-chairman Séamus Howlin was tasked with sourcing a new one, and his search took him to a jewellers' shop in Temple Bar. The new trophy was in fact made in 1894 in London of Victorian silver, but has been idle since 1920, when it was last presented as a racing trophy.

"It's been valued now at 25,000, but that's not what we paid for it. Let's just say we did very well. But once the new trophy has been presented that price doubles."

The old trophy was bought for £700 back in 1949, obviously a lot of money at the time, and first presented in 1950. That's also where its ties with Laois ended, as they haven't won the Leinster hurling title since 1949.

As for Sunday's senior and minor finals, O'Neill was also hopeful the supporters from the three counties involved would come out in force.

There were 48,000 at the 2003 final between Wexford and Kilkenny, and surpassing that figure won't be easy.

"We're hopeful that the novelty of the Dublin-Wexford minor final will help with the crowd as well. Wexford will see this as the chance to win the double, and they do have some of the best supporters in the country. Or certainly the most hopeful, which I think is an accolade they fully deserve."