Denis Walsh: Famous image remains a powerful reminder of Cork hurling’s lost empire

There is a photograph of Jimmy Barry-Murphy and Christy Ring from the summer of 1978 that is evocative and magnetic still. It was taken at a Cork training session in Páirc Uí Chaoimh before the Munster hurling final and published in the Cork Examiner on July 26th, four days before the match.

In the black-and-white shot, Ring is dressed in a suit and tie and JBM is wearing the jersey of his club St Finbarr’s. Neither man is looking at the other. JBM is staring at the ground, with his hands on his hips, which was his default posture when the ball was nowhere near. Ring is looking up at the City End.