PAUDIE Murray calls it ‘working within the uncomfortable zone’. It’s sink-or-swim territory, when you step outside your comfort zone to challenge yourself.

That’s exactly what Randal Óg’s Seán Daly did when he transferred to St Finbarr’s ahead of this season.

Daly, an All-Ireland U20 hurling winner in 2023, was playing at junior B level with Randals – he still plays football with his home club – but wanted to test himself at the top tier of hurling in Cork.

He made the decision to join the Barrs.

‘It was a brave decision, there’s no question about it. I’ve been there, I know exactly what he went through,’ says Barrs manager Paudie Murray, who walked a similar path before.

A footballer with Dohenys, he played hurling with his home club Cloughduv before swapping West Cork for the city when he joined the Barrs’ hurling set-up in 2002, along with his brother Kevin.

‘It is a daunting situation to come to a club like ours. 

‘Manners would be put on you fairly quickly within our club, in that every corner you look at there is some former great.

‘There is an expectation of a player delivering, and even including myself as a part of the management team to deliver. It’s probably that the brave survive.’

‘I call it working within the uncomfortable zone, in that the only way you’re going to learn is being put in and being in a pressurising situation. It’s either sink or swim, and that’s what attracted Seán to the club, probably ourselves as well, and the job.’

Seán Daly has impressed for St Finbarr's this season.

Daly has earned his spot in the Barrs defence, starting in all five of their premier senior championship games on the way to this Sunday’s all-city final against Glen Rovers at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh (4pm).

Apart from coming off temporarily in the Barrs win against Bride Rovers, he has played every other minute of their campaign. Up against Midleton, Newcestown, Imokilly and Kanturk, Daly looked at home on the big stage – vindication of his decision to transfer.

‘Sean settled in very quickly, and is well-liked within the set-up,’ Murray adds. 

‘His general play brings great energy to our team. He has played extremely well to date, very positive going forward with the ball. He’s had a great year, and it’s turned out well for him.’

Daly is one of a number of West Cork links to the Barrs set-up. It’s why this paper reached out to Murray for a chat ahead of the all-city hurling decider. There’s Murray himself and his brother Kevin who’s the coach. Their cousin, Niall Collins from Dunmanway, is involved too, on video analysis.

‘The three of us have been involved together in management teams for maybe ten, 11 years. Niall probably more. Look, we’re a well-oiled machine at this stage,’ says the former Cork senior camogie manager.

‘Niall and myself look more at the tactical match-ups, and Kevin implements all that in training. Niall’s busy time is two weeks out from the game, then we normally sit down at the weekend, try to put things together and come up with some sort of a plan between us for the playing game.’

The trio worked together with the Cork senior camogie team when Paudie was manager and led the Rebels to four All-Ireland titles. They trust each other.

‘The fact that Kevin and myself are brothers probably helps in one way, in that we don’t have to be nice to each other,’ Murray quips, a nod to the lack of filters.

‘We’ve very aligned in our philosophy in the way we want to play the game. Niall Collins would be aligned as well. That’s the key with any management team, in that our thoughts really have to be totally in line, rather than getting a mix of different management teams. I’m not convinced about that one.

‘When it comes to the style of play and the way we want to set up, we’d be very much in line. I don’t get involved in coaching with Kevin, I trust him. I trust Niall from a video analysis point of view. We try not to cross over then.’

The West Cork interest doesn’t end there. Step forward the three Cahalane brothers, Damien, Conor and Jack. Down this side of the county, they are three of Castlehaven’s top footballers. Up in the city, they are Barrs hurlers. Both clubs and sets of supporters acknowledge the edge they bring.

‘The three of them within the dressing room carry ferocious weight,’ Murray says.

‘The way I always look at a player is I ask myself the question: would you go to war with this guy? Certainly, you would have them three out in front all day long. That’s the type of people they are within our team.

‘Just look at the bloodline there,’ he adds, a nod to the Cahalanes’ dad, Niall, a fine and ferocious footballer with Cork and the Haven.

Damien Cahalane in action for Cork.

Wait, there’s more of West Cork’s role in the Barrs’ return to a first county senior final since 2022.

On September 6th, the city men had to point their cars west as they took on Newcestown in a group game in Enniskeane. Both teams needed a result – the Barrs to qualify for the knockout stage, Newcestown to avoid a relegation play-off. This was a test for Murray’s men who were without star men Brian Hayes and

Jack Cahalane. They got the result they needed, a 1-18 to 0-21 draw. That was an important moment in their season.

‘When I saw the draw on day one, even though the game was then fixed for Bandon, I was looking forward to it. Going into Enniskeane, I probably got more excited about it, to be honest, for a number of reasons,’ Murray says.

‘One, I think it’s really good to bring a top hurling game like that into the heart of West Cork. They’re talking about changing rules in hurling and all that. For me, it’s more exposure. I know the people around St Mary’s, Mathúnas, Plunkett’s, Dohenys, all these people are doing their level best to promote the game. Well, there’s nothing better than bringing a game like that down there.

‘I knew that if we could come away with a result that day, it would help us along the way. We have a lot of young players, and from a management point of view it gives you a clear indication of the type of player you have, their mentality.

‘There was no doubt about their hurling ability, but it’s to go into a pressurised environment like that.

‘I know walking towards the pitch from the Ballineen side that day, and it was raining. Sometimes you don’t like to see the rain, but I was smiling to myself, because if we could get out of that with a result, we’d have a good team after it.’

So, while there’s no West Cork team in action at Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Sunday, there will be plenty of interest locally.