Tuesday night in Pairc Ui Chaoimh and the Cork hurlers have stopped the traffic. Down by the marina, some civic-spirited souls have parked their cars down one side of the road and the passing traffic meets head-on in the narrow confines of the one remaining lane.

Snaking its way out from underneath the stand is an enormous queue of people, their number estimated at between one and two thousand. As they wait patiently in line, the thought occurs: They're trying to get into the training session.

In fact they're not. They're just in pursuit of the remaining tickets for tomorrow's Guinness Munster hurling semi-final in Thurles against All-Ireland champions Clare. It is, in the view of seasoned observers, the first time in years there's been such a vibe around the county's hurlers.

Manager Jimmy Barry Murphy and his selectors took the promising model of last year's side which ran Clare to four points and made extensive changes (six of tomorrow's line-up are different to last season's). Having tinkered in the pre-Christmas tournaments, Cork's management settled on a team for the National League.

It was played as often as possible with only the wing forward positions taking a while to get right. This was a gentle operation. Any severe setbacks would tax the confidence of the team heavily. But they got good results.

Often it was straining themselves with their strongest team against counties who were under-strength and not at full tilt. Two of those counties were Wexford and Tipperary, both of which have since departed the championship. Cork kept going and won the league, inflicting along the way an 11-point beating on tomorrow's opponents.

The subsequent defeat of Limerick in the Munster first round has kept the team's momentum and now the burden of proof is reversed. It's going to tax any opponents heavily to put a stop to the Cork bandwagon.

"Qualifying for the semi-finals was a bonus for a young team because they could see what it was like to be part of these occasions. The big day at Thurles was great for them and they revelled in it," says Barry Murphy. Pairc Ui Chaoimh is an appropriate venue to chronicle Barry Murphy's career in senior management. Just over two years ago in the aftermath of his first championship outing, this was his Garden of Gethsemane. A 16-point defeat by Limerick had ended Cork's unbeaten home record of over 70 years.

On his own, head in hands, in the deserted, losers' dressingroom, Barry Murphy tried to answer questions posed by a sheepish media.

He had taken the job on the back of a fine stint with the county's minors, bringing that All-Ireland home to the Lee for the first time in 10 years.

His response was characteristic. A more calculating individual might have eased his way through the ranks, taking his blue-chip minors on to under-21 and then into senior. But Barry Murphy heard the call and acted pro bono publico.

"I was - I mean this sincerely - I was thrilled to be offered it. I was honoured to be asked and I felt I could do it, that I'd something to offer Cork senior hurling. I also had wanted to do it since I'd stopped playing."

For a man with a legendary (a term used accurately) playing career behind him and the unquestioning affection of the county and beyond, the baptism of fire was painful and its aftermath wounding.

"We didn't realise how far as a senior hurling team we'd slipped back behind other counties who had just run away from us. We were naive when we took over, we didn't realise the extent of it but that game really brought it home to us. Welcome to the big league and we really weren't ready for it - both on and off the field.

"I felt some of the criticism was very personal. We were genuinely trying to do our best, the team had fallen behind. Certainly we made mistakes on the line in our belief that some of the players we were working with would still play at that level.

We didn't realise what was required to play at this level. We learned a lot but some of the criticism was very personal which I didn't like."

Tomorrow he brings his young team to Thurles to face the All-Ireland champions, Clare - both harbingers of hurling's new age and its most implacable representatives. Cork can't really lose unless beaten out the gate. The year has seen most satisfactory progress on the road to what nearly everyone believes is the team's ultimate destiny, an All-Ireland title in the near future. It doesn't have to be this year.

Yet there are criticisms. Goalkeeper Ger Cunninghan conceded two late goals against Limerick, together with an earlier effort that raised questions about his speed off the line. Cunningham's long friendship with the manager (they won All-Irelands together and are from the same club, St Finbarr's) have been cited as explanations for his continued presence on the team.

"I'm concerned that we conceded late goals," says Barry Murphy, "but in the overall context of Ger's ability I've every faith in him. There's no question of him being picked on anything to do with sentiment or club loyalty as far as I'm concerned.

"I've had a philosophy since I was coaching the Cork minor team that where players were from wouldn't influence my view and I greatly resent any suggestion that I would in any way be compromised by my friendship or playing career with Ger Cunningham.

"Ger knows the situation as well as anyone else. There are no guarantees for anybody on the team. He has been - I feel and the selectors feel - a very important factor in the overall development of our team, in defence in particular where we have a very young full-back line who haven't a lot of experience at top level."

Throughout the season the team has evolved as a unit and grown in confidence. Chief amongst the alterations has been the firming-up of the attack. Last year the forwards suffered from an insufficiency of target players to create space for the diminutive wizardry of Joe Deane and Seanie McGrath.

Clare's imposing defence made things very difficult in the championship and in the second half their central defenders Brian Lohan and Sean McMahon took control of Cork. Desperate attempts were made to move the one big player, Alan Browne, out to the 40 but no sooner did that happen than he was again needed inside. Lacking as he does the powers of bilocation, Browne became distracted. Barry Murphy says that at the end of the day, it made little difference.

"It didn't help Alan's game either by doing that, which was a bit of a problem for us and something we learned from. It isn't a good policy with a good player to be moving him in and out of positions where he was playing anyway. You're only robbing Peter to pay Paul and it didn't work for us either way."

Browne now concentrates on the full-forward line. Behind him, last year's captain Fergal McCormack has made a remarkable transformation to centre forward after a promising under-age career in defence and midfield.

Twelve months ago, his championship outing against Clare was unhappy but this season his physical presence has unsettled opposing centre backs and he has taken good scores in big matches.

Sean O'Farrell is another newcomer to the attack with a fast-growing reputation. High scores in the league final defeat of Waterford and the championship against Limerick are the evidence behind the reputation of one of the five players still eligible at under-21 level this year. Barry Murphy has had his eye on the player who played minor for him but he is wary of over-burdening him.

"He broke his ankle before Christmas and was out because of that," says the manager. "Otherwise he was very much part of our plans from last year's under-21 campaign and he won a minor three years ago so we knew quite a lot about his ability. Again he's a very young player, it's early days for him yet.

"It's all new to him and you've no guarantee going down on Sunday that Seanie will be mature enough to handle it. So far he's been brilliant but I'm very aware of pushing young players too soon because it can be a bit of a problem."

That problem is central to tomorrow's outcome. The young Cork side hasn't been beaten this year. How will they fare against the most powerful side in the country? How will the young players respond to the type of boiling championship atmosphere in which Clare have thrived?

"I'd be bitterly disappointed if we're beaten," says Barry Murphy. "I met somebody in town who's very supportive and he said to me at least people are appreciative that we can go up there now as contenders, that we're not going up there afraid that we'll be wiped out.

"I really would love to go another step on Sunday. I'd be hugely disappointed to lose, naturally, after coming this far. It's tantalisingly close but I know the team we are facing are a huge hurdle to surmount.

"If we win, we're into the playoffs which is a big incentive. You're into the knockout stages, you're into Croke Park and the big time. I'd love to be involved. I've never achieved that level as a coach and I'd love to see a Cork team in Croke Park again."