Ciarán Murphy: Whether you’re from Waterford, Donegal or anywhere else, playing intercounty is a fairly noble ambition

Sitting in the stands at Fraher Field last Saturday evening, watching Waterford host Clare in the Munster senior football semi-final, it was hard to convince oneself that you were truly at the big event of the GAA weekend.

It was the lesser of the two Munster semi-finals, which was itself the lesser of the three provincial football championships that had games last weekend, which in turn was overshadowed, at least in the run-up, by the start of the hurling championship.

I had been down in Waterford for a good portion of last week, and found myself at 5.15pm in my cousin’s house in An Rinn, brought face-to-face with the prospect of literally driving through Dungarvan at the same moment the county’s footballers would be throwing in against Clare.

My cousin’s husband was going in with his son, so I felt I couldn’t in all good conscience not go. I sat in my car at 5.30pm and was taking my seat just as the ball was be...
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