Mostly Hurling:Now that the championship season is over it will be time for some of the teams to consider their holiday destinations. The All-Ireland finalists receive a substantial sum of money and a car to raffle from the Central Council to help with their fundraising. This should result in them having a six-figure sum in the coffers without much trouble.

Over the past four years the Cork hurling squads visited Fermoy and Carrigtwohill on cold, wet nights. They saw action in Thurles and Croke Park on warm, dry days. They also woke up on four different continents during those years. The holiday became a great source of debate once we were qualified for the finals. We used to have the players fill out an evaluation sheet on the way back home on the train after the semi-final. The choice of holiday destination was one of the questions asked. No agreement was reached before the final so after the defeat to Kilkenny in 2003 it was decision time.

The team had gone to Thailand after the 1999 All-Ireland victory. This was a fantastic success so there were calls for a reunion in Bangkok. South East Asia offers great value for money. You can live it up for a fraction of the money it would cost here. It was the first time in Asia for most of the party so the stark difference in lifestyle of the people of the hill tribes around Chiang Mai in northern Thailand and the affluence on the Rochestown Road was striking.

I had been to Vietnam and Cambodia during the year. I knew they could have more of the same in terms of luxury and value for money in Vietnam. But also there was the added bonus of visiting a country rich in history and heritage with a beautiful, innocent, hard-working population. After much debate Vietnam was chosen with a few days in Bangkok on the way back.

Ho Chi Minh City was the base for the first few days. The number of bikes and the noise were striking. So were the war museums to what the Vietnamese call the American War. The museums are a fitting testimony to a brave and resilient people. A visit to the Cu Chi tunnels gave some idea as to how ingenious this race of people is. The life on the Yangtze River was also an eye-opener. The rest of the time was spent in the opulence of China Beach, which is situated near the border with North Vietnam. One night in Bangkok makes a grown man humble the song lyrics go and on the way home I'm sure it did.

All-Ireland 2004 had to be reached before there was talk of the next foreign sojourn. Canvassing didn't disqualify when it came to making a decision on the next destination. New Zealand was the unanimous choice!

That year, as champions, we had framed photographs to hawk around the county so there were a few more euros in the coffers.

So it was to be Kuala Lumpur for a few days, then on to the North Island. We met the Irish community there and played a game against a North Island Irish hurling team. Then it was south to Christchurch and on by road to Queenstown, the outdoor pursuits capital of New Zealand. This was heaven for these thrill-seekers, the bungee jumping being the highlight for many. There was something for everybody on this holiday in a country that I'd highly recommend.

So it was on to championship 2005 and a place in the final again. South Africa always got a few votes in previous years. That year it topped the poll. Even senior selector Fred Sheedy, who hadn't gone on the previous two holidays, agreed to go. Fred had spent some time in the Congo with the Irish Army in the 1960s. He thought he might meet some old flames in Cape Town. His present flame, Peg, travelled with him to ensure his safety.

The players had organised a very successful corporate lunch so there was enough money in the kitty to allow us to bring players' and managements' children with us. We visited Cape Town first and indeed welcomed in the New Year there and, of course, Robben Island was on the itinerary where Nelson Mandela had wasted 27 years of his life. Then it was on to a safari in Mabula Game Reserve. The decadence of Sun City was next. When a pianist playing a grand piano accompanies breakfast you know you're in the lap of luxury.

One of the highlights for many of the party was a visit to an Aids hospice run by a special Cork priest, Fr Ken Cooney. It focused the minds fairly quickly. We were reminded of how fortunate we all are.

At the end of a wonderful holiday we left Cape Town with the worry that Brian Corcoran mightn't be available to play in 2006 because of family and work commitments. But our fears were unfounded with Brian playing his usual huge part in the season.

I headed for Singapore for the All Stars tour as the rest headed back home to the rain.

Talk of three in a row was in the air for much of 2006. Well we reached the All-Ireland final again but we had to be content with two in a row. But we would have enough money to again organise a decent holiday. San Francisco and Mexico were the chosen destinations. There's a very strong Cork association in 'Frisco so we were delighted to be going there. The All Star tours of the 1970s and '80s nearly all visited San Fran but that doesn't happen any longer.

That loyal Cork fan, Kathleen Manning from Newmarket, has rarely missed an All-Ireland final when Cork are involved even though she is a resident of the City by the Bay for over 40 years. She and her group went to an awful lot of trouble to organise a dinner for us at short notice at a very busy time of the year.

I was glad to visit this beautiful city, which I called home for a year in the mid-1980s (a bit of a midlife crisis in my 30s). We did all the usual touristy things and, of course, visited the island of Alcatraz, which was home to some of the most notorious criminals during the middle period of the last century.

Some of the party then went to Las Vegas, others went to Disney in LA while the rest stayed in 'Frisco until it was time to go to Mexico and the lap of luxury again for the sun and beach part of the holiday. Coco Bongos nightclub was the highlight they tell me. I was assured that this was the latest extension to the Mayan Empire.

Kilkenny and Kerry have the big money again this year. No doubt they'll travel well.

I had the honour of playing on the Tyrone football team in New York with the late Mick Holden as well as playing against him in the All-Ireland football semi-final in 1983. He was one nice man off the field and tough as nails on. Suíochán i measc na bhflaitheas dó.