Madam, - Joseph Shortall of Donnycarney rightly points out that Kilkenny have set standards which other hurling counties must emulate (June 24th). He compares the present Kilkenny hurling team to the great Brazil and Dutch soccer teams of the recent past.
However, while soccer is expanding across the globe, there are large areas in Ireland where hurling is not played.
The game survives thanks to the Trojan efforts of dedicated, unpaid enthusiasts in both the strong and the weak hurling counties.
The new graded format for the adult hurling championship is surely a step in the right direction, with weaker hurling counties now competing for the Christy Ring and Nicky Rackard trophies, leaving the stronger counties to contest the Liam McCarthy Cup.
Like the Irish language and traditional music, hurling is a unique part of our heritage and needs to be nurtured and treated with care if it is not to decline in the coming years. - Yours, etc,
BILLY FINN, Ballyshannon, Co Donegal.