Munster finals at the Páirc featuring Cork are the exception rather than the rule

My first Munster final experience was 1990, three days short of my sixth birthday.

Cork were given little chance as they went to Semple Stadium to take on the All-Ireland champions Tipperary but, helped by 2-7 from play by Mark Foley, the Rebels claimed a first provincial title in four years.

Despite having led Tipp to the promised land the previous autumn, having won three Munsters on the trot before that, home manager Babs Keating was having his expertise loudly questioned by sections of the home support by the end.

A year later and Keating would have the last laugh – after a drawn final against Cork at Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Tipp produced a stirring fightback to win the replay in Thurles and then won the Liam MacCarthy Cup for the second time in three seasons.

It was the fourth time in five years that the traditional ‘old firm’counties had met in the Munster final: I was largely unaware of the mythos of 1987 in Killarney and the largely forgotten 1988 decider in Limerick but, to my mind, it was simply a case of Cork and Tipp meeting every year to decide who would represent the province in Croke Park.

Of course, a more democratic decade was in the offing and between 1991 and 2005, 2000 was the only Cork-Tipp Munster final. Then, while 2005 was followed by another in 2006 – both won by Cork – we are still waiting for the 35th decider between the counties that head the roll of honour.

RIVALS

After Cork and Tipp, the next most common pairing is Cork and Limerick, with this Sunday’s encounter the 23rd instance (Limerick-Tipp is third on 17). With Cork having beaten Tipperary in the 1992 Munster semi-final, it was Limerick who provided the opposition for Fr Michael O’Brien’s side in the final – Páirc Uí Chaoimh once again the venue.

While the scales may have dropped from my eyes in terms of counties other than Cork and Tipp being allowed in the showpiece occasion, it seemed a safe bet that the Rebels would enjoy home advantage for it on a fairly regular basis. And yet, the tally of two Munster finals involving Cork at the Páirc in 1991 and 1992 equals that of the entirety of the time since.

The 2014 win over Limerick was the only other example of that since beating Tipp in 2005 and this Sunday will be the first time that the new stadium will host the occasion with a full capacity – Limerick beat Tipp there in 2021, with attendance capped at 7,000 due to Covid-19.

In total, there were just 11 Munster finals featuring Cork at the site where the old Athletic Grounds and the old Páirc Uí Chaoimh stood – nine wins and a pair of draws.

The 1943 victory against Waterford the only instance of the opposition being a county rather than Limerick or Tipp and that was the last time Cork competbothed in a final they were hosting until Limerick visited the then-new Páirc Uí Chaoimh in 1976.

BANKER

Owing to the fact that a rota of the Páirc, Thurles and Limerick is now in place for finals involving Clare and Waterford – and the home-and-away arrangements with Limerick and Tipp both leaving Cork due a home match – seven of the 10 possible match-ups for this year’s decider pointed to the game taking place by the Lee. The exceptions were Cork v Clare, Cork v Waterford (either of which would have taken place in Limerick) and Tipperary v Limerick (Thurles).

A meeting of Cork and Limerick was the value bet based on league form and it remains the case that the Shannonsiders’ opening league loss to Waterford was the only instance of either county losing to anyone else so far this year.

Aside from the unbeaten record at home in Munster finals, Cork bring a 12-game run without defeat at home in league or championship into Sunday, though it is worth noting that the only game in that sequence that they failed to win was the drawn league clash against Limerick in 2025.

Given that the Treatymen have Aaron Gillane back compared to the round-robin game, while Cork are without captain Darragh Fitzgibbon, one could argue that the balance is tipped in their favour.

We started with 1990 though and finishing with it may invoke an omen. 

That remains the last time Cork won a Munster final with a stand-in captain – on that occasion, Kieran McGuckin stood in due to Tomás Mulcahy’s injury. He wore number seven and so does Mark Coleman, who will lead the team on Sunday in Fitzgibbon’s absence.