Alumni All - Ireland Hurling Final Brunch

Cillian Boggan - final year BA journalism student

Over recent years, our All - Ireland brunch events have become hugely popular in our annual calendar offering. They represent a valuable opportunity to recognise and celebrate the achievements of our DCU graduates who are representing their counties in the All - Ireland final and to provide a fun experience to university alumni, students and staff who were attending the game.

This year DCU graduates; David Blanchfield (Joint Honours), Conor Delaney (BA joint Honours), John Donnelly (Bachelor of Education), Richie Hogan (Bachelor of Education and Masters in Business Management), Billy Ryan (BA Joint Honours) and current students Adrian Mullen (BA in Accounting & Finance) & Denis Walsh (Maths & Psychology) were representing Kilkenny, as they took on a Limerick side chasing their fourth consecutive All - Ireland.

The opening address was delivered by DCU President Prof. Dáire Keogh. Dàire, joked that although in his capacity as university president he had to remain neutral, he was firmly in the Kilkenny corner given such strong DCU connections! He said that a determinant of success was culture and praised DCU Head of Gaelic Games Paul O’Brien, for implementing a culture which was both constructive and supportive.

The live pre - match panel discussion was hosted by our alumna and 98fm presenter Leanne Hanafin (BA Communications). The panel was made up by more graduates: Martin Fogarty, Kilkenny senior hurling selector 2005 - 2013, Paul Browne All - Ireland winning vice captain with Limerick in 2018 and Brian Hogan 7 time All - Ireland winner

Brian Hogan had an amazing decade long senior hurling career with Kilkenny. For perspective, Wexford are regarded as one of the country's most proud hurling counties, having won six Liam McCarthy Cups. Brian won seven. In other words, he's been there and done that. He reflected back on his experiences of playing in All - Ireland finals. The Kilkenny team would be based in the Crowne Plaza Hotel, a short drive from Croke Park. On All - Ireland final days, the hours before throw in can be an excruciating wait. The risk is that the pressure gets to you. Brian's sole focus was trying to remain calm and relaxed.

Unsurprisingly, tickets for the biggest day in hurling were completely sold out. It's one of those rare occasions when Croke Park, the fourth largest stadium in Europe is full to capacity. Many were from Kilkenny or Limerick, some were naturals. Martin Fogarty was in a unique group of supporters who had a son playing in the match. What is it like for a parent in Croke Park on All - Ireland final day? Martin admitted it wasn't the easiest of experiences, but said he would imagine it as any other game of hurling. If he really considered what was at stake for a county, with the highest of expectations and starved of success, the pressure would be too much. He was joined at the brunch by another son, Damien, himself a graduate and holder of two All Ireland Senior Hurling medals from a decade ago.

Paul Browne was open about his pre - match emotions. Limerick have asserted a level of dominance which is rare in sport and were chasing a record only achieved by Cork and Kilkenny. John Kiely and Paul Kinnerck's strategy has been transformative for the game. But Paul was nervous. The absence of Declan Hannon, Limerick's inspiring captain from the pitch, was a big loss. There was no concern there might be a lack of leadership in that Limerick group - but it meant that again Will O' Donoghue needed a big performance in a position which is unfamiliar to him, and Darragh O Donovan would need to compensate for the absence of his midfield partner.

Among those gathered in the audience were Liz and Sean Hogan, the parents of Richie. Sean was hopeful that whether Kilkenny won or lost it would go well for his son and the same for all the parents who had joined us for the brunch. He spoke about the aftermath of the 2019 All - Ireland Final, where a Richie Hogan tackle on Cathal Barrett resulted in him getting a straight red card. Perhaps Richie took defeat particularly hard because he felt a sense of responsibility. Sean described it as a hard couple of weeks and it is a reminder that our amateur players bear the burden of enormous pressure and responsibility within our communities.

The panel's match predictions were predictable. Despite the odds, it would have been treasonous for Brian and Martin to predict a Kilkenny defeat, likewise Paul with Limerick. Undoubtedly, Martin's prediction was the most colourful. He again referred to the All - Ireland famine which is ongoing in Kilkenny. He compared this year's All - Ireland Final to a finely cooked steak. Limerick have already eaten three, so their hunger for another one might be slightly less. For a period, that appeared to be true as Kilkenny returned to the dressing rooms at half time, leading by 3 points. In the end, Kilkenny were once again unable to summon the composure and class to halt the Limerick march for the Liam McCarthy, like they did in 2019. The nine point victory was not entirely reflective of the respect that the Kilkenny performance demands.

In his concluding remarks, DCU Head of Gaelic Games Paul O' Brien expressed his personal pride of the fact DCU had 5 graduates and 2 current students representing Kilkenny in the 2023 final. He is ambitious about the ability of DCU to continue to evolve and enhance the Gaelic Games experience for DCU Students. University Gaelic games are not solely about winning, nor participation. It's about creating a balance between the opportunity to develop new friendships, compete at the highest level in an environment which is flexible, workable and beneficial to young men and women forging their futures in DCU.