'If there’s power in prayers, they should do it no bother': North Cathedral decked out ahead of All-Ireland final

The Cork senior hurlers may not quite be able to say God is on their side, but if the parishioners of the North Cathedral have anything to do with it, they may well be able to claim the Almighty for the subs’ bench on Sunday.

The Cathedral of St Mary and St Anne has been decked out in red and white flags all week, in anticipation of the Cork team’s match against Clare in Sunday’s All-Ireland hurling final, and parishioners have been keen to show their support too.

Kathleen Murray told The Echo that there is a great buzz around the parish, and the senior team’s progress has given everyone a real boost.

“It’s some achievement to get to the final, and we’re all really proud of them,” she says.

“We’re all praying for them, so hopefully we’ll do it on Sunday.” 

Mick Batt reckons the Rebels have a good chance of a win, and he intends to be watching.

“I think they’ll do it. I don’t know where I’ll end up watching the match on Sunday, but there could be a pint involved alright,” he says.

Some parishioners are away for their holidays in sunnier climes, he adds, but the word has come back that they’ll be watching by the pool in their red and white togs. Not that heat is an issue in Shandon at the moment, he says.

“’Tis roasting inside the cathedral with all the candles lit, we don’t need any central heating for the Irish summer the amount of candles we’ve lit for the Cork team,” he says.

“If there’s power in prayers, they should do it no bother.” 

Fr John O’Donovan is administrator of the cathedral with the past nine years, but he said he has been in the northside a lot longer, and he is a big hurling fan.

“As you know, Glen Rovers is in our parish, and I can’t forget the ladies either, so it’s very important that we show support to both clubs, and Glen Rovers have three guys on the Cork team, which is a huge achievement.

Fr O’Donovan said the priests in the Cork Cathedral family of parishes always like to show their support for local teams whenever they can.

“Fr Kevin, Fr Jilson, Fr Shinu, Fr Marius, and Fr Seán are all big supporters of the Cork team,” he said.

“This is a great occasion for Cork, so naturally enough, we decided to put out the Cork flags in support of the hurling team, especially on this great occasion of reaching the hurling final.” 

Asked if he intends to put in a word with the man upstairs before Sunday, Fr O’Donovan responds with a laugh.

“I suppose like most priests in Cork, we will be saying a few extra prayers on Sunday alright,” he says.

Asked whether the Dublin-born Bishop Fintan Gavin will be showing his support on Sunday, Fr John replies: “Well, he has to wear red, doesn’t he?”