All-Ireland club hurling semi-finals: All you need to know

SATURDAY 16 DECEMBER

AIB All-Ireland Club SHC semi-final
St Thomas' [Galway] v Ballygunner [Waterford], Laois Hire O'Moore Park, 7.30pm

SUNDAY 17 DECEMBER

AIB All-Ireland Club SHC semi-final
O'Loughlin Gaels [Kilkenny] v Ruairí Óg Cushendall [Antrim], Páirc Tailteann, 1.30pm

ONLINE
Live blog of O'Loughlin Gaels v Ruairí Óg Cushendall on RTÉ.ie and the RTÉ News app.

TV
Both semi-finals will be broadcast live on TG4, with coverage beginning at 7.15pm on Saturday and 1.25pm on Sunday.

RADIO
Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1 Extra and then on RTÉ Radio 1 will have live updates on St Thomas' v Ballygunner.

WEATHER
Saturday will be mostly cloudy, but it will be mainly dry. There'll just be a little patchy light rain or drizzle at times. A breezy day with moderate to fresh and gusty southwest winds, strong in some coastal parts. Continuing mild with highest temperatures of 11-13C.

Sunday is likely to be cloudy with the chance of some rain in Connacht and Ulster and maybe west Munster too, possibly heavy at times, but drier elsewhere with just a little patchy drizzle. Very mild again with highest temperatures of 11-13C and it will be breezy or rather windy for a time with fresh to strong south to southwest winds, decreasing a little later. For more go to met.ie.

Recent champs Ballygunner eye big prize again - ten years on and St Thomas' can also dream

The first of the semi-finals, under lights in Portlaoise, is likely to be played in ideal conditions for mid-December. It's set to be mild and dry, as the favourites meet the Galway champions.

Ballygunner are certainly masters of all they survey in the land of the Déise by winning ten county titles on the spin. On 3 December, they completed a hat-trick of Munster wins when seeing off Clare's