Paddy
Kirwan has trained several teams in Galway and Tipperary but nothing compares
to the satisfaction which he derives from the success his native Ballyskenach
have enjoyed over the past two years.
In his own words two years ago Ballyskenach seemed to be going nowhere now they are just one hour away from Senior Hurling.
"It would give me great pleasure if we could win the Intermediate title. Even if Ballyskenach never made progress at Senior level it would be great for the players to sample what it is like.
Anything I have asked the lads to do, they did it. In the semi-final I asked them not to panic against Birr and told them to take their points in the second-half which they did. The heads never dropped throughout.
Last year we went ahead early in all the Junior games but this year Ballyskenach came from behind which shows we can win both ways. Ballyskenach have a closely knit team. Everyone is very committed and they all take great pride in the jersey.
Our teamwork is our biggest strength. Everyone hurls for one another. They are a great bunch of lads to be with. Beating St Rynagh’s with fourteen men was the turning point this year.”
Ballyskenach’s Manager over the past two years admitted it was 'nice' to beat Birr in the semi-final. Paddy Kirwan lives with Birr and has played with and trained their Senior Hurling teams. In 1991 he sent a sixty-five between the posts to earn Birr their first Sean Robbins trophy in 20 years.
Ironically Paddy Kirwan steered Birr to victory over a Ballyskenach and a Ballyskenach/Shinrone comhination in two Offaly U-21 Hurling finals.
Paddy Kirwan admitted he didn't think they would defeat Birr because he thought the town side would have too much experience for them. He was very impressed by the way Killeigh/Raheen defeated St. Rynagh's with a powerful second-half display and stressed they beat the latter easier than they did.
“Killeigh/Raheen have a young team and they play a similar type of game by moving the ball fast. It is a great achievement for them to get to an Intermediate final and I suppose at the beginning of the year no one expected either team to reach the final.
Killeigh/Raheen won the Offalv U-21 Hurling 'B' title recently and clearly Percy Clendennen has made a huge difference to them.”
Paddy Kirwan is modest enough to play down his own role in Ballyskenach's success but he has made a significant contribution as Manager. He is a strict disciplinarian and a hard task master but he is highlv respected by the players.
Ballyskenach captain John Dooley said Paddy Kirwan has given a great commitment to his job as Manager. “He knows everyone and all the team have pulled togeteher as a result. He has fostered great team spirit and the morale in the camp is very high.”
What encourages Paddy Kirwan a great deal is that the present team is so young. Ten of the present team are under 22. He recalled when Ballyskenach won the Intermediate title in 1979 they had a lot of old players on the team which hampered their chances of making an impact at Senior level.
He believes the standard of hurling has levelled off at underage level and noted some of the traditional teams like Birr and St Rynagh's weren't dominating to the same extent as they used to. Paddy Kirwan is reluctant to make predictions after Offaly lost the All-Ireland SHC final.
“I will he asking the players to do the simple things well and I will stress it is just another game. It will take a 15 man effort to win next Sunday.
A County final is different from any other game. It is very hard to predict because a player you have worried about could have a stormer and vice versa. If Ballyskenach hurl to the best of their ability it will take a good team to defeat them.” he concluded.