Kerry are Munster champions for the 80^th time after hammering Cork by 3-18 to 2-4 at sweltering Pairc Ui Chaoimh.

The brilliant Paul Geaney (2-5) outscored the entire home side on his own as Éamonn Fitzmaurice's excellent team won a sixth successive provincial crown in front of 27.764 spectators and sealed their place in the Super 8s.

Cork are still in the championship - they go into the Round Four Qualifier draw - but they will surely be scarred by a heaviest defeat to their fiercest rivals in 80 years.

The rampant holders led by double scores at the break, 1-11 to 2-1, after the game had got off to an unbelievable start. (At least it was competitive for ten minutes!)

Jamie O'Sullivan opened the scoring with a Cork goal and Mark Collins added the losers' second three-pointer as they led by 2-1 to 1-2 after ten exhilarating minutes, Stephen O'Brien with the first Kerry major in between.

Kerry captain Shane Murphy lifts the Munster SFC trophy. ©INPHO/Bryan Keane.

But the Kingdom then took complete control with a run of nine unanswered points: James O'Donoghue and Kevin Crowley had them level by the 15^th minute and Sean O'Shea kicked them ahead before O'Donoghue (free), Geaney, Paul Murphy, O'Shea (two frees) and Geaney again - his third score coming from distance - put the visitors in charge.

With Kerry flying, Ruairi Deane lucklessly black-carded and having gone some 25 minutes without a score, the Leesiders were in clear trouble at the break.

It was done and dusted when Geaney struck a delightful Kerry goal at the start of the second half. Luke Connolly's free had the Rebels back on the scoreboard again but O'Donoghue, Geaney and wing back Gavin White propelled the Kingdom 13 ahead with less than 15 minutes to play, 2-15 to 2-2.

It got worse for Ronan McCarthy's charges when O'Shea's '45' sailed over the bar. Geaney cancelled out half-time substitute Peter Kelleher's point then claimed his second goal when tapping to the net from close range in the 69^th minute to round off a very impressive personal display.

It was over long before Collins and Barry John Keane traded the last two scores of a disappointingly one-sided contest.

Kerry - S Murphy; J Foley, P Crowley, B O Beaglaoich; P Murphy (0-2), T Morley, G White (0-1); D Moran, J Barry; M Burns, S O'Shea (0-4, 2'45, 1f), S O'Brien (1-0); D Clifford (0-2), P Geaney (2-5), J O'Donoghue (0-3, 1f). Subs: K McCarthy for S O'Brien (BC), D O'Sullivan for M Burns, M Griffin for J Foley, K Donaghy for D Clifford, B J Keane (0-1) for J O'Donoghue, K Young for T Morley.

Cork - M White; K Crowley, J O'Sullivan (1-0), S Ryan; S Cronin, K Flahive, T Clancy; A Walsh, I Maguire; K O'Driscoll, S White, R Deane; J O'Rourke, M Collins (1-1), L Connolly (0-2, 1f). Subs: J Loughrey for S Ryan (BC), P Kerrigan for R Deane (BC), P Kelliher (0-1) for J O'Rourke, B Hurley for K O'Driscoll, B O'Driscoll for S Cronin, C O'Neill for A Walsh.

Referee - C Branagan.

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