Sligo hurling certainly benefitted from Keith Raymond's decision to remain in his native county.

Raymond revealed in an in-depth interview with the Sligo Champion that the opportunity arose when he was a 15-year-old to move to his mother's native county and continue his hurling career.

However, that move never transpired and Raymond stayed with Sligo where he has become possibly their greatest ever hurler winning a Nicky Rackard Cup medal in 2008 in a long list of achievements.

"My mother is from a place in Tipperary called Killenaule, it's a big hurling parish and it's produced lots of county players over the years," said Raymond.

"All of my Mum's side are massively into hurling and were always playing it when we visited. When I was around 14 or 15 it was always playing on my mind that with my mum being from Tipperary that I could move and play hurling there.

"There was a lot of pressure on me at that age to move and try and make the Tipperary minor team, but it wasn't possible, not with having settled in school here, having friends and all of that."

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