The future of the 89-year-old inter-provincial championships is being called into question again after less than 100 spectators attended this afternoon's hurling semi-final between Leinster and Connacht in Nenagh.

McDonagh Park was eerily quiet as Leinster prevailed by two points to set up a final date with the winners of tomorrow's semi-final between Munster and Ulster. Not even the presence of some of the country's finest hurlers could attract a crowd much bigger than what you'd see at a junior 'B' club game.

Several attempts have been made to revive the ailing championships - which weren't played last year due to bad weather - but to no avail. At its height, the inter-pros - formerly known as the Railway Cup - attracted crowds of over 40,000 to Croke Park on St. Patrick's Day. The record attendance at the finals was in 1954 when 49,023 saw Leinster win both the hurling and football competitions.

Sadly, public (and GAA top brass) interest has dwindled to such an extent that there was nearly as many players as spectators in Nenagh today.

Tweet

Most Read Stories