Tony Kelly's symphony of brilliance lights up a magical day

It was all we wanted and more.

It's Tuesday night as I write this piece. The Clare hurlers will most likely be in Ballyea, home of the legend and their captain Tony Kelly, to really start soaking it all in.

The day of the game, and even the Monday, will have been complete mayhem where they were pulled and dragged everywhere they went. Clare wouldn't have had a minute to themselves as a group.

But they should today as many will return to work and the real world. As players, they will get to enjoy it, to have a few drinks and a bit of time to themselves to reflect on this very special time for themselves and for Clare hurling.

Up to 1995 Clare had only won one All-Ireland hurling title. In the last 29 years they have added four more. These are times that Clare people would have only dreamed of 30 years ago and now they are living this dream and the expectation is, with the talent coming up behind these lads, that these moments should become more regular.

Of course that’s not always how sport works. These things are not given away, they are hard-earned and you get what you take not what you deserve. But that’s another story for another day and one the Clare public won’t be too hung up on this week anyway.

On the other side the Cork lads, I hope, got to go away to some quie part of the county and have their day together as a group, to share a few stories, have a bit of craic and just unwind after it all before they go at it in the club championships soon.

That first night back at training will be tough and it’s often here where you need one of your best buddies to nail you with a good slag, get a big roar of laughing and tear into the thing rather than tip-toeing around the obvious hurt of it all. Once you're back then it’s all