Kilkenny GAA Thread

Who’d have thought schools in Munster were breeding such a bunch of surrender monkeys?

Kierans does have a huge pull as a school but in fairness Ard Scoil Ris is probably on a similar level when you consider Shane O'Brien from Killmallock was playing for them last year and lads coming in from places like Killaloe and Sixmilebridge. Between Clare and Limerick they cast the net wide and to be fair to Cashel some going to turn them over this year.

This would explain why all ASR's Hartys have come in the last 15 years. They are probably getting some players who might have gone to St Flannan's years ago. The Harty Cup will probably trend in their direction in the long run.

Lot of newish schools in Cork too so you don't get the pooling of players in one or two schools as happened years ago. However, the kind of outliers you mention with ASR are the norm in St Kieran's.

Those on this thread who wonder annually why Kilkenny Minors don't do much "despite Kieran's winning the All Ireland" would find explanations easier if they realised that in most cases (Cashel for instance) St Kieran's are completely undermatched playing schools with players from 4/5 local parishes and not a countywide+ selection. When other county teams turn up you get a very different sense of relative strength.

It is a shame that a potentially good competition ends up like this every years. This will be St Kieran's 8th All Ireland title since St Flannan's (and other competitors) stopped boarding. Won't be long before that can be said of half their All Ireland titles.

Just to try to put a stop to some of the misinformation that is being peddled here.

7 day boarding finished in Kieran's nearly 50 years ago, and boarding finished completely 18 years ago, since when Kieran's have won 7 All Ireland titles with not a single player outside Kilkenny in the starting 15 on any of those 7 teams.

The Harty has a great aura about it, but it is a hugely overrated competition.

Finally, the idea that ASR value any of their Harty wins higher than last year's AI win, is risible.

Sorry, re. alleged misinformation - nobody claimed that St Kieran's was a boarding school nor that it has not had all-Kilkenny teams.

The point is that no other school is pulling players from 20 odd clubs way outside the normal geographical catchment area of a regular school. Where the students sleep at night is neither here nor there. They have retained the type of advantage a boarding school has in terms of extraordinary catchment of players. There is no point of debate on this really. Any examination of schools' hurling panels provides evidence.

Of course Kilkenny people would be sensitive when your core purpose is to devalue any All Irelands Kilkenny win at all grades.

Easy road to final, not based in Munster, dont have to peak till semi final etc. And now the daddy of them all, Munster championship wins are more valuable than All Irelands. That beats Banagher.

Kieran’s maintaining their tradition as a hurling stronghold has really triggered some posters.

Kierans went from 1976 to 1987 without winning an All Ireland. Since then however they’ve been on a phenomenal streak unparalleled by any other school in any sport in this country. It’s a testament to the staff who are so committed to keeping that run going.

I can’t recall anybody on this thread drawing equivalence between Kieran’s success and Kilkenny underage track record.

This is weird and completely irrelevant to the point being discussed i.e. schools' hurling. But it's also bonkers. Munster teams have won all bar two under 20/21 championships since 2008. A team coming out of Leinster has won just one Minor title since 2010. Only Galway has prevented a clean sweep by Munster Senior teams since 2015. Two of the last three All Ireland Senior finals have been all-Munster affairs. Of the five teams in the Munster Senior hurling championship only one of them has lost in the championship to Kilkenny last time they met. Munster hurling isn't as bad or as "Junior" as you think.

Ironically it's people like you who could do with being humble.

Would not take it to heart lads always a Munster head or two will show up on this forum stirring the pot. To come on and try to demean the croke cup because the harty cup competition is not as good as it's portrayed is a bit sad really. We are rightly proud of St Kieran s and they are a nursery for future Kilkenny hurlers. Lads want to go to school there and get the best coaching and training available to young lads. Good for them. Plenty of other good Kilkenny young lads going to other schools and hurling away there. You will find as soon as Leinster teams are winning the inter county grades that our Munster brethren will be on with the usual crap that Leinster teams can peak for the knockout and that Munster is so competitive that they are burned out when the knockout starts. We can't win really so just enjoy our wins at all grades I certainly do 😉 and I wouldn't be bothering arguing with those people.

So true, let's enjoy the begrudgery.

I don't think anyone can dispute the fact that Kierans have a huge advantage in terms of the area they draw from, and consequently compared to Munster schools, have a massive and talented pick to choose from.

But that would be ignoring the facts that Kierans also have an outstanding coaching setup over the years that have driven their success, and that there are plenty of large schools around the country, including Munster, who don't put in a tenth of the effort as Kierans and get nothing as a result. They earn from their efforts, and a little bit of that comes from the numbers who want to attend the school for the culture of hurling it provides. There's nothing wrong with that.

That being said, we certainly do fall short in our schools development. If you had an amalgamated schools teams made up of Ballyhale, Thomastown, Mooncoin and Abbey College (South Kilkenny), the Gaelscloil, Kilkenny Tech, Graiguenamanagh and Colasite Ris in Callan (Mid Kilkenny) and Comer and Johnstown (North Kilkenny). Designate a development officer for each area to liaise with and organize coaching/training for the schools, with training at least twice a week. Hell, you might even encourage Kilkenny College (no need to laugh) have a go have 6 teams.

You'd have similar numbers to Kierans and the CBS with them amalgamations, and a possible Kilkenny league in it's own, and to encourage the amalgamations have Junior (1st & 2nd), Intermediate (3rd & 4th) and Senior (5th & 6th) so lads would more likely get games. It might encourage lads to stay in their local schools as well if playing at a higher level was an option, and the obvious benefits to parents in that regard.

Now this would be simply a Kilkenny league, for the purposes of providing better coaching in Kilkenny schools for a greater number of students. Though if say a school like Borris, a Carlow amalgamation or Good Counsel wanted to join in, let them. Obviously if the amalgamations can compete in certain competitions, then let them on, the further they go the better, and if not then arrange the Kilkenny league as an adjacent competition so the individual schools to partake in their own competitions.

I just look at counties like Galway and Tipp, who have similar enough playing number in hurling, and multiple schools regularly competing at secondary level where we're lucky to get two if the CBS is going well. We could be doing better.

Just a thought.

Fair play to Cork hurling management this weekend, allowing all members of the hurling panel play league matches for there club.

Junior draw tonight I believe so they'll be coming soon. Dates for fixtures will just be the same as last year I imagine

Get over your jealousy and move on.