As Kilkenny prepare for the All-Ireland final and a meeting with old rivals and neighbours Waterford, all the talk is about whether or not the Cats can lift their third consecutive title. It is a well known fact that hurling is a religion down that way and everyone has a keen interest in how the Cats will do one the first Sunday of September. Kilkenny may be known as the Cats, but one supporter has made his name with dogs and greyhounds in particular. Paul Hennessy is one of the country's leading trainers and he is a loyal follower of the black and amber, so much so that he named his kennels after the county hurlers. Paul was only too happy to speak to the Hogan Stand about Kilkenny's chances of claiming a third consecutive title and writing themselves into the GAA history books. Many have asked the question 'is this the best Kilkenny side that we have ever seen' and while Paul admits that this a very good team, the county has produced some very special ones over the years. I remember teams that included the likes of Noel Skehan, Fan Larkin, Brian Cody, The Hendersons, Joe Hennessy, Chunky, Frank Cummins, Pat Delaney, Kieran Purcell, Mick Crotty, Cloney Brennan and Eddie Keher. Also teams that included The Fennellys, The Ryans, Dick O'Hara Paddy Pender and Billy Fitz and more recently James McGarry, The O'Connors, Pat O'Neill, Philly Larkin, Peter Barry, Andy Comerford, John Power, Charlie Carter and Dj Carey and apologies to those that I have left out!! All great teams ....... This team is without doubt a top class team, they are very skillful and have a great attitude towards the game. All the six forwards and indeed the subs that are brought in can play in any position up front and this must make it very difficult for opposition teams to cope with. They keep switching throughout a game and it works brilliantly for them." Kilkenny's quest for a third consecutive All-Ireland title has seen them win their tenth Leinster title in eleven years and once again they did it in convincing fashion, which lead to many pundits of the game stating that the provincial campaign was just not strong enough, although Paul disagrees. "I think that is unfair on the likes of Offaly and Wexford and indeed Dublin, who played very well against Cork in the championship. Kilkenny are just that bit ahead of the rest at the moment and that means the entire country in my opinion. "But you look at the performances of Offaly and Wexford in the qualifiers, Offaly defeated Limerick before losing to Waterford narrowly and Wexford pushed the Deise all the way also, with only a point separating the sides at the end. So I believe that Leinster hurling is certainly not as bad as many people suggest." Asked why Kilkenny were so good, Paul revealed that hurling was more than a passion in the county and that everyone was involved in the sport from an early age. "The first thing a child in this county holds is a hurl and you may think I'm joking, but it's not too far from the truth. There is a huge pride in hurling and when kids start school, they will be taught the basic skills of hurling by the teachers. "There is a lot of effort put into the underage development and this is where maybe Kilkenny has a head start on their rivals, although many of the counties now seem to be placing a greater emphasis on their underage structures." Behind every good team is a good manager and Paul is in no doubt that Brian Cody is one of the best ever to grace the game and stressed that his record speaks for itself. "What he has achieved during his time as manager is exceptional. He needs to be admired for what he has done. Brian has no problem trawling the net for players whether they are with a junior or senior club and he calls it as he sees it. "He has brought great passion and focus to the team. The game has become almost professional in a nice sense of the word and decisions have to be made. "However, it shows the character of the man that he gave Noel Hickey plenty of time to regain his fitness and it paid off following his performance against Cork. All the players are given a chance and Cody has a great way of getting the best out of them and ensuring that they play to their strengths. "He makes sure the players are appreciated and he has this knack of extracting ability without using force, which obviously builds confidence amongst the players." Paul played hurling for the Barrow Rangers club along with his brothers, while his father Bill was a founding member of the club and Young Irelands Club in Gowran indeed the Diamond Hayden and Paddy Grace were peers of his. However, his passion for dogs stemmed from when he was serving a farming apprenticeship in Duleek, Co Meath, which was a defining time in his life. "I was in Duleek when I decided to buy a dog and I asked a local man where would I go to buy one and he put me in touch with a man called Benny Kavanagh, who is now my father-in-law," he enthused. "When I was there I met his daughter Susan and God love her I got more interested in her than in the dogs!! We will be married twenty years this year, and it has had some effect on my life and its great that it worked out this way." Asides from meeting his future wife, Paul bought the dog, which was called Ya Yoke and it won a few races, which gave him great pleasure and increased his interest in greyhound racing. "I was bitten by the bug around then and I haven't looked back since. As the years went by I gained more and more experience and to be fair in the early days it was a lot of trial and error, but you learn from your mistakes as they say." Paul has 60 dogs in training at the moment in what is a full time job looking after dogs that have come not only from all over Ireland, but places like Scotland, England and as far as the Cayman Islands. One man that has been with him since 1984 is Michael English, who helps to train the dogs. During the intervening years, Paul has picked up almost every honour in the sport including The Irish Derby, The Scottish Derby, Ulster Derby and Puppy Derby, Easter Cups, Champions Stakes, Ledger, Oaks, Laurels, Masters, Tote Gold Cups and many more. Paul has trained dogs for many people some of which are well known in the sporting circles as the likes of former Kilkenny hurler Charlie Carter, Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn, Horse Racing supremo Aiden O'Brien and RTE Sports presenter Michael O'Muircheartaigh, Galway Ladies Football Manager Pj Fahy and Champion Jockey Kieran Fallon all have or had dogs at the Black and Amber kennels. As the Irish derby gets underway, Paul will be hoping to scoop the title again, while at the same time, he will be shouting his beloved Kilkenny on in the All-Ireland final against Waterford. Tweet

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