PAT SPILLANE APPEARED on the Late Late Show last night ahead of the The Sunday Game returning to our screens on 17 May.
He talked to Ryan Tubridy about a number topics, ranging from his daughter’s emigration to Dubai to Tv3′s documentary on Arranmore fisherman Neilie Kavanagh. After a passionate discussion about rural Ireland, the topic changed to one of his other great passions – GAA.
The ultimate thing in life is to get paid for your hobby, to be a soccer player or a singer. The next best thing in life is to get paid for talking about your hobby or writing about you hobby. And I write with the Sunday World, and I’ve written every Sunday since October 1991.”
Tubridy then asked him about The Sunday Game, which Spillane has now been involved with for over two decades.
The Sunday Game is an institution, it’s a brilliant brilliant programme. This year we have arguably the greatest hurler of all time. Henry Shefflin has joined us. I think while RTÉ comes in for a lot of criticism, it’s sports coverage is unrivalled. I don’t mind saying, it’s down to the analysts. Whether it’s racing with Ted Walsh or George Hook.”
This was of course a great lead in to a question about his relationship with Joe Brolly, and Spillane didn’t pass up the opportunity to discuss the things that annoy him about Brolly.
“One of the successes of The Sunday Game is the analysts. Fellas that have been there and done that. They’ve delivered on the playing field, or off the field as a manager. They’re opinionated, stubborn, full of egos and they’re unpredictable. But Joe is a barrister and it’s very important to realize that.
If I said to Joe ‘up’, Joe has to automatically say ‘down’. If I said to Joe now ‘that’s Ryan Tubridy’, Joe would say ‘no it’s Brendan ‘O Connor’.”
He did have some nice things to say about Brolly, saying he was a marvellous and remarkable man. In particular, he highlighted the fact that Brolly had donated his kidney to a man he didn’t really know well. But it wasn’t long before he was back having a dig at his fellow pundit.
“He is a remarkable man but he would drive you bananas, absolutely bananas. One week he could be on a crusade about something and you would argue against him. The following week his crusade would be the exact opposite. He’s had more conversions on the road to Damascus than St.Paul. Sometimes I just annoy him. Just before he starts going, I’d whisper to him ‘one All-Ireland medal Joe. No-one gives a shite’.
And that bothers Joe. If there was an argument about football in a pub in Kerry and a fella with one all-Ireland medal tried to get involved, they wouldn’t even listen to him. There would be lads with three or four in there.”
https://vine.co/v/emAz2Jw0VJa
Less of the chat about the attendance and more about the great game that evolved in the most awful conditions. Hats off to the players. Tremendous commitment shown.
The pubs and hotels in Dublin must have been hoping for a Limerick win today. 35 or 40 thousand Limerick fans would have made a weekend of it in the capital for the final. The same doesn’t apply to KK as they are there nearly every year.
If 30-40k Kilkenny fans went to a game that would be about 50% of the population. So probably a 25-30% of the population is not half bad turn out!
Show me the stats to back that up or are you just another anti Kk griper?
I’m not anti KK in any way. If u read my contributions on other threads relating to today’s match u would see that. It’s just perfectly understandable … What’s rare is wonderful – in recent decades Limerick average one all Ireland appearance every 8 or 9 years. For Kilkenny it’s almost as common as Christmas.
Not even 50,000 at today’s game!!!
Wayne – u are aware that finals always attract larger attendances than finals?! People living abroad, those struggling financially etc will come for finals where it wouldn’t be realistic (or affordable) to come for semi also. Strange comment …
* finals always attract higher attendance than semis
Wow really thanks for that nugget of wisdom! 190,000 population between today’s 3 counties, and then neutrals! I was there today and I’m a Dub. Attendances down so far this summer by 50-60 thousand across all games.
GAA should be looking at free kids tickets for weaker hurling countys for days like today. Or hold today’s game in Semple instead reducing costs for fans
U were there today, congrats … it probably cost u approx €35 between ticket and getting bus/luas. Treble that amount at least, for someone travelling from Limerick or a few hundred €€ if the wife and kids were with u … Get real Wayne !
Pay attention and read what I suggested 42,000 today, would Semple not have been a better location?
Semi finals and finals always take place in Croke Park. As a Dub u should know that – Teams and their fans know that … If today’s game had been in Thurles the attendance would maybe have been bigger .. But only marginally.
& the costs to the fans attending would have been??? Lower :)
Send an email/write a letter to Peter McKenna or Sean O Neill and ask them to put the hurling semi final(s) on in Thurles and let me know how that works out for u ….
Limerick (City & County) alone has a population of over 160k, so the 3 counties together would have a lot more than 190k. Saying that I was a little disappointed with today’s attendance, 16k down on last year’s.