A WEEKEND of great joy for Kerry and great joy tinged with sadness for Kilkenny was brought to a fitting conclusion in Dublin yesterday with the presentation of the NIB personality of the month awards.

Only a month after Laune Rangers had taken the All Ireland club football championship back to Killorglin and a day after the local intermediate, School had kept the ball rolling by winning a first All Ireland colleges' title for the town, Billy O Se, the scorer of a cracking goal in the club final against Carlow's Eire Og and captain of Kerry, this year, was named personality of the month for March.

On Sunday, St Kieran's of Kilkenny won their 13th All Ireland colleges' hurling title and the Croke Cup was presented to captain David Carroll whose father Ted, former County Board secretary and All Ireland winner, had passed away so sadly and prematurely at Christmas.

Also at the awards lunch yesterday, Kilkenny's peerless Angela Downey received a presentation to mark her retirement from camogie after last year's championship.

A remarkable career, in tandem with her twin sister Ann, yielded 12 All Ireland medals and countless other awards. Asked whether she might be tempted out of retirement - as has happened her before - she referred to comments made at a recent function to mark her achievements. Some Cork rivals had said that she wouldn't have the neck to re emerge from retirement after such a major bash in her," honour.

At the other end of the spectrum, Billy O Se's career is only in its infancy. He was still celebrating the local school's success and making the comparison between the colleges' final and the club equivalent both decided by impressive goalscoring.

"Yesterday (Sunday) was really the icing on the cake. It was very similar to the All Ireland final, watching the two of them. Goals are a big thing in Killorglin, we seem to have a happy knack of getting them. We'll never have a year like this again."

As the countdown to the senior championship continues, Kerry are digesting the lessons of last month's National Football League quarter final defeat by likely Munster final opponents Cork.

"Someone put it well: `it was a good loss'," says O Se. "We learned a lot. People were quite happy with the way we played. We weren't afraid of Cork for a change and went out and played our own game. And we nearly took it from them. The fact that Cork had a lot of their championship team out gave us a fair indication of how close we are to them.

"Admittedly, we're not as good as Cork yet but I think once we get a settled side, which were working on at the moment - there's a few more injuries to clear up - when they come through, we'll get a side together and I think we'll have a good chance in the championship."

Among the injuries still clearing up are ones to very important players. Maurice Fitzgerald has suffered a great deal from injuries in recent years and had no sooner made a comeback after Christmas than he damaged his knee playing a league match against Tyrone. Midfielder Seamus Moynihan is a more recent concern.

"Maurice Fitzgerald has come through very well," says O Se, "but Seamus (Moynihan) has trouble with a hamstring injury. He pulled it in the league final between UCD and UCC last week. He's after doing an awful lot of damage to it, we're told. If he's out, we're in trouble big time. In my view, he's the best player in Kerry at the moment.

"It was the first time in four years Kerry did well at midfield against, Cork. He's (Moynihan) bringing Dara (O Se, his midfield partner) along nicely. They have a good relationship at midfield and we can build on that.

Finally, O Se says that the captaincy of his county is not proving too much of a strain.

"Not really. Paidi's very good, though, and you'd get a bit of a buzz when you're in training, running around and he'd burst out in English and Irish: `Billy, up to the front and lead your men out'. Which sounds fierce heroic altogether. He really makes you feel the pride that is there when you are captain. In fact, he puts that feeling upon you and takes the pressure away because you feel more responsible and less conscious of playing. I'm enjoying it anyway.