Emmet Moloney writes for the 'The Irish Farmers Journal' and is a former sports columnist with 'The Kerryman'.

Highlight of the year
The All-Ireland hurling final, without a doubt. This was probably the best game of hurling played in living memory. The quality for the full 70 minutes surpassed anything I have ever witnessed. The day was just special from start to finish. And boy did we need it. The match proved just how good this Kilkenny team have been because it took a performance of the ages to beat them. In fairness, Tipp flagged that ability in the 2009 final. Of course you need luck to win the big matches and they had all they needed. It was also one of those days for Lar Corbett. The atmosphere in the stadium surged throughout. Thank God for Sky Plus, I can throw it on the odd night to spoil myself. And I’m not even from Tipp!

Lowlight of the Year
The debacle that was the end of the Louth-Meath Leinster final was appalling. Forget the mistakes made by match officials, what followed afterwards was a very poor reflection on GAA followers. Had the small minority of Louth supporters who acted so thuggishly behaved with a modicum of restraint or dignity in the aftermath of their dfeat, I feel sure there would have been a replay. Instead, the actions of a small few ensured there would be no justice for all.

There’s a lesson here and we in Clare saw it in action back in 2008 when the Munster U-21 hurling final ended in a similar debacle. Protest your perceived injustice with dignity and class, not loutish carry-on, and you will have some chance at recourse.

Disappointment of the Year
It must be the Cork hurlers on the field. They started the championship year with a classic ambush of Tipperary in Páirc Uí Chaoimh and then unravelled to the point where they capitulated against Kilkenny in the All-Ireland semi-final, having thrown away a Munster title in the drawn match. Now they are hissing at each other again over Seán Óg.

A very close second were the Limerick hurlers. But this is not the same; we cannot criticise any team out on the field giving their all – and that Limerick team did that at all times. However, we can criticise the people off the field who allowed that to happen. Take a bow, all involved – and don’t shy away from your part in the fiasco Christy Cooney and Padarig Duffy.

If a unit in the association isn’t functioning, it is your job to try to fix it. A year of championship hurling written off? Scandalous behaviour. Honourable mentions for the scheduling of matches and the admission prices for some of them.

'Don’t be fooled' moment of the year
The four All-Ireland quarter finals that provided such shocks and saw Down, Kildare, Cork and Dublin through to semi-finals gave the football championships a massive lift.

Since this clumsy qualifier apparatus was put in place, we had never seen all four provincial winners dumped at the last-eight stage. Bidding adieu to Kerry and Tyrone in particular gave a fresh look to the last four.

That was probably the high point, however, and it wasn’t too good up to that. The best team in the land probably won the All-Ireland, but they did it without really playing anything near to their capabilities. Kerry had done the same the year before. This football championship and the format on which it is based needs surgery.

Bravest display of the year
Dermot Earley Junior’s quiet dignity in lining out with the Kildare footballers on the very evening of his father’s funeral was one of those events that make the GAA what it is. His dad, a legend on and off the field, was being accorded the respect only a son can give to his father. It’s a family thing and we’ll say no more about it.

The Limerick and Louth footballers were on the cusp of provincial greatness before the Gods and Kingdom intervened. For Louth, this was new territory; for Limerick, the heartbreak was Kerry in Killarney and Cork in the Gaelic Grounds. Both teams were on the rack, both teams were there to be beaten. Both were let off the hook.

Personal favourite moment of 2010
Now and again, good things happen to good people. Stephen O’Halloran has just turned 18. Remember the name; this young man will play for the Clare senior hurlers in the coming years.

Last year, Stephen played a starring role for the Clare minors as they went all the way to a valiant All-Ireland final defeat by the hottest of favourites, Kilkenny. On the way to that final, a serious Waterford side stood in their way in the curtain raiser to the Munster senior hurling final.

I’ve known Stephen since he was born and he is a special young man – modest, unassuming and a real credit to his family. With a few minutes to go in the Munster minor final against Waterford, he hared down the sideline in front of the packed Old Stand from his wing-back position. Running out of space, time and daylight he somehow drove the ball over the bar from the sideline of the pitch. It was his first ever score for Clare in championship hurling and it put us four points clear at a crucial stage of the match. It happened right in front of us. To see what it meant to his family sitting beside me is beyond description. You really had to be there.

Why is the GAA so special? For moments like that.

Surprises of the Year
The first definitive surprise of the year was Aisake Ó hAilpín’s display against Tipperary. What a pity we never saw the same player again and are now unlikely to do so. All the Mahers for Tipperary and Lar Corbett wouldn’t have surprised any Premier hurling fans as they know their quality.

Another surprise? How about Mayo and Galway being out of the championship before the middle of July. Mayo made their exit on 26 June and Galway bowed out on 10 July.

Some people were shocked by seeing Sligo and Roscommon contest a Connacht final – a healthy happening. Roscommon’s win wasn’t the 7/2 shocker that some bookies had it at, mind you. The Rossies can always beat Sligo and vice versa. So there was no fear factor there. Let’s hope both counties stay on top in the West for some time to come.

Kildare’s resurgence had been flagged while Down’s did creep up on us all. It will be a bigger surprise if those two are back in an All-Ireland semi-final in 2011. That’s just the way of the football world. Dublin’s summer was the strangest of all but they ended the year a kick of a ball away from an All-Ireland final.

What a pity that the hurling championship didn’t provide any giant killing or look like providing one. We could do with a pixie dust on the championships in 2011 and that means a new name or an old one re-emerging. C’mon Sparrow – do your thing for Clare!

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