Walking to the Gaelic Grounds last Sunday was another turn in the cycle, another championship campaign had begun.

Making the drive down to home that morning, my mind’s eye was cast back to previous campaigns, the highs and lows that invariably exist when you support your county. I recalled that day in Killarney when Gerry McInerney struck a late goal to salvage a draw against a Tipp side that would be All-Ireland champions within two years. I remembered a wet day in 1993 when Anthony Daly dragged his men to a Munster Final with a virtuoso display against Cork. And, of course, those halcyon days of ’95 and ’97 were not far from my mind.

As we made our way to the stadium, it was impossible not to glimpse back to the same fixture last year, when the two sides met in the Munster Final. On that occasion the surrounds of the Gaelic Grounds were awash with people, a mini All Ireland Final day as anticipation cracked and fizzled in the air. On Sunday the scene was more muted, with only the die-hards journeying to Limerick.

Why that is I don’t know – there are only a few days a year when you are asked to support your county and the venue was close enough to both Clare and Tipperary to make the journey comfortable. It has to be said that the Clare fans were more culpable of this apathy as they were clearly outnumbered in the attendance of 20,000. True, the side had endured a nasty league campaign, encountering relegation – but as we all know, there is a world of difference between league and championship.

Yet I recall a similar apathy in 1995, when, following two Munster Final defeats in the preceding years Clare supporters seemed to have given up the ghost and abandoned the side in their thousands on that historic day in Thurles against Limerick. Look at footage of that day and you will see space aplenty on the Killinan end – thankfully I was there, but many of my county men were not.

To say that last Sunday began badly for Clare would be an understatement of mammoth proportions – they were almost knocked to the canvass by the ferocity of Tipperary’s whirlwind beginning. It seemed as if the Premier County has an extra man at times, and with Clare’s bizarre propensity to allow John O’Brien roam around midfield, Philip Brennan’s puckouts were being devoured.

Yet, we Clare people come with a reservoir of hope inside us (we had little else to sustain us down through the years). Even when the side were eleven points down, there was still the feeling that an ‘oul goal might bring us back into it. And so it transpired, as Diarmuid McMahon battled his way through before finding a space between Brendan Cummins’ post and hurleys. We were happier at half time.

The second half saw the Clare men resume with plenty of fire in their bellies, and the timber began to swing and flow with greater purpose. Points were going over from all angles, and men such as Markham and Donnellan began to believe in themselves once again. Slowly the deficit began to be eroded, and even when Tipp garnered their third goal the Banner refused to be lowered.

The final phase of the contest saw Clare outscore Tipperary 10-3, and it could have been closer if Colin Ryan’s last second free had not been superbly saved by Brendan Cummins.

For those of use who came to support the Saffron and Blue it was a day of mixed emotions - disappointment at the defeat but pleasure at the way the side had shown such guts to fight back. Even the draw from hell, pitting Mike McNamara’s charges against neighbours Galway, has failed to dampen spirits.

A packed Ennis (with perhaps a tightened pitch?) will see the home side surely take it to the Tribesmen, who gave the Cats the fright of their lives in Tullamore. The one issue that will be on every Clare person’s lips will be “How do we stop Joe?” – the triumvirate of McNamara, Baker and Cunningham are surely already ensconced in deep contemplation. Perhaps the only system is to double mark him, or use a sweeper – whatever, it will be fascinating to see what unfolds on the 11th.

And so the show rumbles on, with the Leinster and Munster Finals to come, before the qualifier system coughs up two participants for the quarter-finals. There has been much to savour and discuss so far (and we aren’t even in July yet) and surely there are further twists and turns to come before we reach the first Sunday in September.

Now is the chance for hurling to show its true character, to grab the nation’s attention for the next few months and dazzle with its array of skills and scores. The Lions tour will be concluding on Saturday week, and the soccer season is now entering some form of hibernation, so hurling will have the stage to itself. All the counties are still standing – the possibilities are endless.

Will Offaly put it up to Cork? Can Limerick come back from their reversal to Waterford? Will Joe Canning be halted by a Clare side baying for blood? And what of Tipperary – will they continue to frustrate and delight their supporters in equal measure?

Then there is the animal that is Kilkenny – the side going for four in a row, seeking to stamp their place in history. Just how do they keep going, and who will eventually bring their run to an end?

So much to look forward to – a feast to erase any talk of a recession. It’s just a shame that so many supporters thought otherwise last Sunday at a half empty Gaelic Grounds.

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