They’ve been lost and neglected and kicked around more times than a stray dog and last year proved both the proverbial and literal washout.
Why then would anybody care anymore about the GAA’s Interprovincial Series?
“It’s a championship that can trace its roots back to the original Railway Shield competitions, which were held first as far back as 1905,” says GAA president Aogán Ó Fearghail, speaking in Croke Park to confirm details of this year’s games just over a week before they take place.
History is one thing; antiquated is something else.
Indeed there is good reason to believe the Interprovincial Series has long since passed its sell-by date and yet Croke Park hasn’t given up just yet.
The hurling and football semi-finals will be played on Saturday week, December 10th, as a double header, with the finals staged the following day.
In football, Leinster will face holders Connacht, with Munster facing Ulster at Parnell Park (that final also taking place there the next day); in hurling, Munster will meet Ulster and reigning champions Leinster will face Connacht in a double bill in Nenagh; with the following day’s final fixed for Semple Stadium.
Last year’s semi-finals and final in both football and hurling, set for weekend of December 5th/6th, were postponed due to the washout that was Storm Desmond. They were due to be refixed for the following January but instead they never took place.
Permanent date
Part of the problem in sustaining interest in the competition is finding a permanent date.
Since losing the St Patrick’s Day date after 1984, the Interprovincials have been shunted to different dates in the year on 15 occasions; and more than once every two years given that four times (1990, 2010, 2011 and 2015) they just didn’t take place at all, whether by accident or design.
February, March, April, October, November and December have all been tried as calendar windows since 1985 without a fixed date emerging.
In 2003 the hurling final was played in Rome, with some subsequent finals taken abroad too, but that hasn’t helped much either.
Also, over the past 25 years or so, the other provinces have struggled to cope with Ulster’s unity of purpose in this competition (which has seen the northern province claim more than half the titles on offer).
Seán Kelly, the former Meath footballer and selector and back in charge of the Leinster football team for 2016, also told this newspaper there is still merit in the competition although it must also find its proper place in the GAA calendar, while also suggesting the competition could be played on the same weekend the All Stars are presented to help ensure more marquee players are available.
Ó Fearghail however still sees the merit in the competition: “They are special and unique,” he adds. “There has always been an attraction to the sight of the best players in a province playing with instead of against each other.
“Not every intercounty player will be fortunate to win an All-Ireland medal or be recognised with an All-Star award. But the inter-provincial competitions have a rich heritage of acknowledging outstanding talents from every corner of Ireland via the provincial teams.”
2016 Interprovincial Series managers:
Football: Ger O'Sullivan (Cork) Munster, John Tobin (Galway) Connacht, Pete McGrath (Down) Ulster, Seán Kelly (Meath) Leinster.
Hurling: Anthony Daly (Clare) Munster, Micheál Donoghue (Galway) Connacht, Terence McNaughton (Antrim), Ciarán Hetherton (Dublin) Leinster).
