The 42 GAA Weekly

Fintan O’Toole and Declan Bogue join Ronan Early to talk about great hurling careers and the game and place that inspired Ciara Mageean.

Why is TJ Reid most respected for years he did not win All-Ireland medals? Why are others such as Joe Canning and Patrick Horgan held in perhaps more esteem than forwards with seven or eight All-Irelands to their name? Do we revere above all the else the ability to persevere and turn in pitch perfect performances in the face of consistent disappointment?

On the topic of resolute performers, Damian Cahalane will not be involved with Cork next year. Has there been a more determined and resilient player for the Rebels in recent seasons? The elder statesmen of the squad are now 29 years old. Have they many more shots to fire in this young man’s game?

Also, Ciara Mageean’s death has dominated the Irish sporting mind for the past week. How much did camogie and Portaferry shape the brilliant athlete and widely-loved person?
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Declan Bogue tells Ronan Early about the debates and discussion behind this year’s awards.

This year had 11 first-time winners and eight counties represented in the final pick. Declan, a member of the selection committee, says this year’s deliberations were the longest in recent memory, and explains the thinking behind some of the close calls.

He also tells us about award ceremonies of the past and wonders if some of the best parts of the endeavour have been lost to progress, such as hundreds of free cigarettes and trips to far flung destinations.
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Fintan O’Toole and Declan Bogue join Ronan Early as GAA Weekly returns for the winter

Declan argues that there is nothing the GAA can do to restrict the number of players taking up contracts in Australia. Irish solutions to Irish problems are offered up, while the lads posit that the life of a county player in Ireland is actually pretty good.

Also up for discussion: How games are chosen, or not chosen, for Saturday night prime time RTÉ TV slots; what is the split season like for players who have contested All-Ireland finals and then kept winning with the club; and the lengths some people will travel to play in county finals.

The lads also run the rule over the new rules on trial in hurling and offer some more radical alternatives.

Finally, with a tone of authority born of experience, they explain why Croke Park plays differently.
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Ronan Early is joined by Arthur O’Dea, author of the new book, Mackey & Ring.

Arthur details the intimidating nature of such an assignment, especially in the case of Ring, a historical figure but still very much a subject of everyday life and thoughts in Cork.

He talks about what made both men stand out as special early in their careers, and why both remain a source of fascination decades after their deaths.

Arthur also examines the quality of greatness, and why fans revere players in any sport who are willing to go to the very limit of their talent, and then keep going beyond what anybody could have thought possible in their sport.
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Emma Duffy and Fintan O’Toole join Ronan Early to chat about yesterday’s decider at Croke Park.

Has there been an overcorrection in camogie? Where a few short years ago everything seemed to be a free, and now physicality is off the scale - with sometimes dangerous consequences?

Does the officiating of head high challenges and collisions need to be more strict? And is there far too much cynical fouling when players have a sniff of goal? Is it time for a black card rule to be introduced?

How did Cork gain the impetus in the third quarter after Galway shaded the first half? And how did they let Galway get such a run on them in the closing straight, having led by six points towards the end of normal time? Was Cork’s running game counterproductive at times, especially when they profited with goals by going direct?

With these two outstanding sides having contested a third final in a row, is any other team primed to break the duopoly?

Either way, these teams have elevated the standards and appeal of the sport, judging by scoring totals, levels of athleticism reached and record crowds paying through the gates in 2026.
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