Local derbies in any sport can be notoriously difficult to predict and any time age old rivals Kerry and Cork meet on the football field, form has a habit of going out the window. It's for this reason that Paddy Hickey, Kerry native and managing director of Hickey's Pharmacies, is refusing to underestimate the challenge of Cork in the first all-Munster All-Ireland football final. Hardly a year passes when Kerry and Cork don't meet in the championship, but on September 16 history will be made when the great rivals from the south come face to face in an All-Ireland football final for the first time. As unique as it is, this year's final features two teams that couldn't be any more familiar with one another. For over 100 years, they have clashed on an almost annual basis in the Munster championship and since the introduction of the backdoor series in 2001, they have also met in three All-Ireland semi-finals, including the last two which were both won by Kerry. While Cork captured Munster titles in 2002 and last year, Kerry have generally had the upper hand in recent meetings and after wrestling back the provincial crown on July 1 last, they are favourites to lift the Sam Maguire and become the first team since none other than Cork in 1990 to put All-Ireland titles back-to-back. While acknowledging that the Kingdom are the more experienced side (they are appearing in their sixth All-Ireland final since 2000 and fourth in-a-row), Ballymacelligott native and managing director of Hickey's Pharmacies Paddy Hickey is expecting Cork to put up a ferocious battle after finally breaking their recent All-Ireland semi-final hoodoo in emphatic style last month. "There is no doubt that Kerry hold a big advantage in terms of All-Ireland final experience, but I wouldn't underestimate Cork for one minute," says Paddy, who operates 26 pharmacies nationwide, including one in Ballincollig, Co. Cork. "Cork have been out of the limelight for a few years and they are very hungry at this stage. They will not only see this as an opportunity to end their long wait for an All-Ireland title, but also to avenge their Munster final defeat to Kerry. "Last year, Kerry won the All-Ireland after losing the Munster final to Cork. Who's to say that Cork won't do the same this year? I wouldn't like to call it because these games usually take on a life of their own and form can count for very little," he adds. Two years ago, the Kingdom were within 70 minutes of winning consecutive All-Ireland titles but lost a memorable final to Tyrone. They now have the opportunity to make amends, and the prospect of being denied the two-in-a-row by their fiercest rivals doesn't bearing thinking about. Indeed, this is a game neither team wants to lose as it would represent a nightmare scenario for fans, especially those living along the county boundary. "Kerry would hate to be beaten by Cork, and vice-versa. If Cork were to win, it would immediately wipe out all the disappointments they've suffered at the hands of Kerry in recent years. This is a must-win game for both teams for so many different reasons." Paddy, who has been living in Dublin for the past 21 years, attended the recent All-Ireland semi-final between the Dubs and Kerry, and like the other 82,000 spectators in attendance, was enthralled by the thrilling action. "It was tremendous stuff, one of the best games I've seen in a long time. The atmosphere was amazing and, in fairness to Dublin, they threw everything they had at Kerry. I thought when they got back to within one point with a few minutes to go that it might end up in a draw and that we'd all have another day out, but Kerry showed great experience and composure to close out the game." Paddy hails from the North Kerry parish of Ballymacelligott, which is situated five miles east of Tralee. The parish is reputed to be one of the biggest in the country and has a long and proud tradition in both football and handball. It's a little known fact that the GAA was introduced into Kerry in the late 1880s by a Ballymacelligott man, Maurice Moynihan, who was training to be a teacher in Dublin at the time. As a result, Ballymacelligott was very much to the fore in the early days of the Association, winning four county championships in the period up to 1918. Their great rivals in this era were Laune Rangers from Killorglin, who are currently represented on the Kerry team by Mike Frank Russell. The 1918 county final was the last Ballymacelligott contested and won, and the team included five Bailey brothers. Many of that team won All-Ireland medals with Kerry in subsequent years. It is said that if the 1918 team had stayed together, it would have won many more county championships, but the Civil War was at its height in those years and, as in football, the Ballymac men played their part. Sadly, Ballymacelligott haven't reached the same heights since, but the club remains strong and its efforts at underage level have yielded many county and district board titles in recent years. The club boasts impressive playing facilities which were greatly enhanced by the development of a stand and gym in 1991. Ballymacelligott is equally well known for its exploits in handball. The handball club was founded in 1950 and enjoyed notable successes for decades with the victories of great players, including the legendary McEllistrim brothers, Murty and Roundy. The club has enjoyed something of a revival in recent times with Maria Daly's World title win in 2003 an obvious highlight. Since the opening of his first Hickey's Pharmacy in 1995, Paddy Hickey has opened a further 25 with two more due to open in Arklow and Gorey this October. Hickey's Pharmacies have a huge presence in Dublin, while they also have outlets in Cork, Dundalk, Drogheda, Maynooth, Newbridge and Navan. The Navan outlet is managed by Alan Reilly, whose younger brother Kevin was a member of the Meath team which lost the All-Ireland semi-final to Cork. Both Paddy and Alan took part in a triathlon on September 1 last and Paddy has run three marathons, Dublin twice and London once. The Dublin stores are located at O'Connell Street, Henry Street, Grafton Street, Westmorland Street, Tyrrellstown, Ongar, Finglas, Santry, Coolook, Phibsboro, Harold's Cross, Crumlin, Terenure and Tallaght. Paddy's wife Meabh, who is also a qualified pharmacist, has played an important role in the expansion of the business as well. Hickey's prides itself on being a leading Irish-owned pharmacy group. The company is committed to delivering excellent growth in turnover expanding its number of outlets and increasing presence over the coming years. Its success reflects the quality of its management and staff who possess the expertise to manage a variety of store profiles and locations, including high street, shopping centre and medical centre outlets. The company's emphasis in the years ahead will be on larger outlets with large front-of-store as well as dispensary business. Hickey's are committed to providing a quality service for their customers which can be measured by their continuous staff growth. "The success of the company todate has been down to the dedication and professionalism of its staff, and we work hard with our team to maintain this into the future," he adds. The overriding goal of Hickey's Pharmacies is to strive to offer customers what they want, and they achieve this aim by offering great choice, expert advice and a pleasant atmosphere to shop in. In conclusion, Paddy says: "We deal with a lot of GAA county boards and clubs in our various pharmacies and are very proud of this fact. Some of our outlets are also involved in sponsoring GAA teams. I'm really looking forward to the All-Ireland final, it should be a great occasion and a great advertisement for Munster football. And may the best team win." Tweet

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