An Fear Rua would have thought fairies were the last things anyone would associate with the Clare hurlers... You'd only have to look at the likes of Colin Lynch flaking at poor Tony Browne in last year's Munster Final or the cut of Garda Ollie Baker hurtling towards a quaking half back line to know that any such association of ideas was preposterous.

Yet there are some in Clare itself who would seek to make such a connection. A County Clare teacher, storyteller and folklorist (sure, how can they tell the difference in the Banner County? ), named Eddie Linehan, has been successful in deflecting Clare County Council from uprooting a fairy thorn bush to make way for an IR£100 million by-pass. The fairy bush or 'sceach' is located at Latoon, two miles from Newmarket on Fergus. According to Eddie, the bush is a marker in a fairy path and is a congregating point for Kerry fairies on their way to do battle with the Connacht fairies. (And all along, we thought it was just Gaelic football they were playing!. An Fear Rua dares anyone to call Páidí Ó Sé a 'Kerry Fairy' and see how fast they'd have to run to get away from him... )

According to Eddie, the Kerry fairies used to re-group under the bush to consult on what might be their best battle tactics. However, after their performance against Cork in this year's Munster Final, it would take more than a forest of Coillte-planted fairy bushes to help the current Kerry team. Maybe a few shkelps of a blackthorn would be more in their line, thinks An Fear Rua.

Wouldn't you think the councillors and officials of Clare County Council would be more careful than to antagonise the fairies. I mean, the county spent eighty four years escaping from the curse of Biddy Early, so wouldn't they be the foolish men and women to be bringing a new curse on themselves as they face into a new millennium?

An Fear Rua thinks that maybe one of the worse curses that could be laid upon any unsuspecting individual or company would be 'May you become a sponsor of a major GAA competition… ' Certainly, such thoughts must be going through the minds of the fancy dan marketing buckos of Church and General Insurance after the National Football League Final at Porky Keev. Church and General have been generous in their support for football. They deserve better than the 'facilities' laid on last Sunday. Porky Keev is a lousy venue, showing it's age, and it is a quintessential monument to the values - or rather, the absence of values - of the Cork GAA. The ultimate commentary on the day was when a number of 'meeja' representatives crafting their finely-honed words were locked in by County Board officials, then were almost set upon by alsatian guard dogs and had to be rescued by an embarrassed County Board official.

Next time, maybe the 'allers' - as they're called in parts of West Dublin - should be set on those who plan and execute games at this overrated venue...