Slash hooks, nameless Munster trophies and London calling

The penultimate Hospital Pass of the week is something of a mixed bag, with talk of slash hooks, trophies without a name in Munster and home comforts denied to the Exiles.

In what is an unfortunate blight on our native games, the GAA is littered with tales of off and on-pitch violence and you’d do well to come across a club who hasn’t experienced either in their recent history.

Violence at all levels throughout the game is wrong, but it becomes even more of an issue when it concerns games at under-age level, as was the case in Limerick recently when an under-16 hurling game between St Patrick's GAA and Bruree had to be abandoned after players and mentors were threatened by a man armed with a slash hook.

According to a report in the Irish Independent, a young man, believed to be in his teens, allegedly struck two St. Patrick’s officials after first throwing a bottle and a stone at mentors from the club, and having initially fled the scene, associates of his returned and issued various threats to those present, forcing the game to be abandoned out of concern for the safety of everyone involved.

The incident is currently being investigated by the Gardai.

London calling... but nobody wants to listen

Those involved with London inter-county teams have a hard enough time trying to compete without the GAA making it even more difficult to at least try and exist on a level playing field.

They have to put together teams, for the most part, on a season by season basis and then have a hell of a lot of cross-channel travelling to do throughout the National League to remain competitive before the Championship.

All things considered, one would think that the GAA would make an extra effort to accommodate them wherever possible but that doesn’t seem to be the case.

Paul Coggins has had his work cut out trying to get his team a game

In the run-up to their Connacht Championship encounter with Sligo on May 26, the Exiles were hoping to play a couple of challenge games on this side of the water, but were prevented from doing so by a rule which prevents counties from going on training weeks (i.e. leaving the country) in the run-up to Championship games.

"All we tried to do was to go home and play a couple of challenge matches," London boss Paul Coggins told The Irish Post.

"At the end of the day we are the Exiles; the 32nd county and on certain issues there needs to be deviation. It's up to our clubs and our hierarchy to look at it."

In the desert Munster, there's a horse two trophies with no name

If you’re familiar with the music of a band called America you may just about understand that painfully drawn-out and obscure reference above. If you’re not, just forget that we even mentioned it and keep on reading. Maybe best forget it regardless actually.

In any case, the reference in a GAA context relates to the Munster Championship and the fact that neither of the trophies for the senior football or senior hurling championships have a name, unlike, for example, the Nestor Cup in Connacht, the Anglo-Celt in Ulster or the Delaney Cup in Leinster.

According to the Irish Examiner, some folk in Limerick sought to change that by suggesting that the hurling trophy be named in honour of the late Mick Mackey, a former Limerick hurler and former member of the Munster Council, who won three All-Ireland titles with the Treaty County in the 30s and 40s. The proposal, however, cut no dice with the current Munster Council.

"We have cups that have names on them, but they were presented by families or organisations and then named after them," Munster Council chairman Robert Frost is quoted as saying in the Irish Examiner.

“But the two trophies that we have for the senior hurling and senior football were bought and presented by the Munster Council. At the time, there were no names applied to them and we felt that it would be opening up a can of worms to change that now,” Frost added.

Robert Frost, eh?

Two trophies diverge in a Munster wood and neither have a name... actually stop right there, that’s enough obscure references for one day thank you very much.