SO, how does a Cork hurler become the special guest at Goleen football’s dinner dance in Bantry?
Shane Kingston has an All-Ireland senior hurling semi-final to look forward to this Saturday, but recently he spent an evening with the Goleen footballers who celebrated their success in 2024.
It turns out they have a lot in common: both the Goleen footballers and Cork hurlers love to win!
The Cork hurler joins the dots from his roots in Douglas to the Mizen peninsula.
‘It’s a long story!’ the Douglas man explained on the Star Sport Podcast.
‘I went down to Goleen over the winter with my girlfriend. We were just walking around and I went into a pub. We had a drink and bumped into that group and ended up staying with them for the night! That’s how it came about and they invited me down a couple of weeks ago.
‘I would (come down to West Cork again), definitely,’ he confirmed.
Cork hurler Shane Kingston presented Goleen captain Paurraig Reidy with his county medal at the club's recent celebrations.
Back to hurling business, winning the Munster senior hurling title has added a pep to the step of Cork’s hurlers. This is a team that also won the Division 1 league title in April. Winning has become a welcome habit.
Pat Ryan’s side will be going in as favourites against Dublin in Saturday's All-Ireland semi-final in Croke Park (5pm), but they are wary of the Dubs, especially after the capital ambushed Limerick in the last round.
‘We’re feeling good. Obviously, it’s a big game. After winning the Munster final, we put the heads down and trained hard over,’ said eir hurling ambassador Kingston who was on hand as eir announced a major milestone in its network transformation – Ireland’s No.1 5G Network Availability award for the fifth year in a row.
‘Anytime you go to Croke Park, it’s knockout hurling. That’s the reason you train. That’s the reason you’re in October, November, December, running in the mud and the rain. You’re aiming to be in this position and thankfully we’re in it. It’s obviously a privilege to be there.’
Dublin’s stunning 2-24 to 0-28 win over Limerick sent shock-waves across the hurling championship, even more so given that they were down to 14 men for the majority of the contest. Most people were amazed by the result, but the Cork players weren’t as much given that Dublin tested them to the end in last year’s quarter-final that the Rebels won by 0-26 to 0-21.
‘For me personally, probably not,’ Kingston answered when asked if he thought Dublin’s win over Limerick was a shock.
‘I just remember last year in the quarter-final in Thurles when we were all on the 13 or 21-yard line trying to prevent a goal. We were only three or four points up coming down the stretch. We knew what Dublin were about that day and we saw it again against Limerick.
‘We weren’t surprised in the slightest. Any time you go down to 14, it’s going to be a tough game to win but they just worked hard and their attitude was spot on. They got rewarded for it then.’
With two trophies already in the bag, Cork would love a third. The big one: the Liam MacCarthy. What the Munster triumph did for the Lee-siders was give them confidence that they can get through a big championship game – that’s an important feeling to have.
‘I was involved in ‘17 and ‘18 when we won back-to-back in Munster and you nearly think it’s going to be a regular occurrence, winning Munster or getting a bit of silverware. As the career goes on, you learn that things don’t always pan out that way,’ Kingston said.
‘It was sweet to win another one and we cherished it on the day. It was brilliant for the group. We had our one or two days off and we grouped together on the Monday night, and got focused on the semi-final then straight away.
‘Winning silverware any year is brilliant but winning the league and Munster is great because none of us had a league medal. A large chunk of the group didn’t have a Munster medal either. That’s going to build a bit of confidence in them that they got two medals,’ the forward added.
The Cork support will, no doubt, be in full voice come throw-in time this Saturday evening. Every championship game the Rebels have played so far this year has been a sell-out.
‘Most of the time when people are talking, they mention our fans which is brilliant and it’s a credit to them. The group and the management does appreciate it and we understand the effort that people make to go to all these games,’ Kingston acknowledged.
‘Initially, when you run out and hear the roar with a sea of red around the stadium, it gives you that bit of goosebumps anyway. As you go through the warm-up and get into the game then, you change your focus then on the ball and how you can perform to the best of your ability.’
eir has reached a major milestone in its network transformation, Ireland's No.1 5G Network Availability award for the fifth year in a row. As the first operator to launch 5G at Croke Park in 2020, eir continues to enhance the matchday experience for fans and players alike. Known as the fastest field sport in the world, hurling is a fitting match for eir’s ultra-fast fibre and 5G networks – now bringing faster speeds, stronger connections, and better coverage to communities across Ireland.
