The Red Army of Munster is on the march again. Wales is facing imminent invasion and occupation, and the Principality hasn’t a clue what is about to hit it!.Abbeyfeale Town is festooned with flags and bunting, and the main topic of conversation in every bar and shebeen is whether the mighty Men of Munster can win their second Heineken Cup in three years. And the fans are travelling in their thousands, in numerous diverse and different directions, but all with the same destination in mind - the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

A bus threatens to leave from Jack O’Rourke’s at 2am on Friday morning (following a generous and prolonged drinking-up time) to take seven brave and innocent souls to Wales by various long and circuitous routes which have been carefully worked out on a navigational route-planner manufactured in Hong Kong. Bets are now being laid on where they might eventually end up, with Newport Pagnell being among the favourites.

Some fans are flying from Farranfore to Bristol and taking a bus to Cardiff, returning the same evening. Others are taking the more traditional and scenic route from Dun Laoghaire to Hollyhead on Stenna Line. Some of them don’t even have a match ticket but believe that it is often better to travel hopefully, than to arrive. Blind faith is a wonderful thing, and Munster fans have it in spades!

There are a few tickets still being offered on e-bay at the usual exorbitant prices, but the general feeling seems to be that there will be plenty of tickets to go around, and they can be bought at close to face value. The touts have caught a cold on this one!

I phoned Paddy Power yesterday and asked him what he thought. He quoted me 4/6 Munster and 11/10 Toulouse. I asked him how much he was prepared to take on Munster.

“How much do you want?” was the ominous reply. When bookmakers seem eager to lay a particular price, it is time to beware. It might be better to sit this one out and watch it on Sky Sports.

Incidentally, rumour has it that the local GAA club are opening for the game on Saturday and will be dispensing beer at around €3 per pint during the course of the game which can be watched on a large screen. The rugby club remains closed. Changed times indeed.

Munster undoubtedly start as warm favourites. It does not suit them. The usual excuses are being trotted out about Toulouse. They are poor travellers. They are decimated with injuries. There is dissention in the camp. Their supporters won’t turn up. The hunger isn’t there.

Yea right. Toulouse will fight tooth and nail on Saturday. They will be well-coached, have an expert game plan, and play all out to win. Munster are handicapped by the favourites tag and the great feeling of expectation being heaped on them by the thousands of travelling fans. They will need to be at their very best - and probably even better than that, to overcome a highly talented and experienced French XV.

That said, Munster have real strength in depth, with the likes of O’Connell, O’Callaghan, Flannery and Leamy up front, and Mafi, Tipoki and O’Gara at the back. The two centres are playing out of their skin and, if O’Gara can perform to his usual high standard then, hopefully, we will be celebrating another famous Munster win on Saturday evening. (see pic of fans in ALBUM/SPORTS section)

More next week.

COME ON MUNSTER!

*And a note to the good people of Wales who might come across a group of seven Irish guys travelling in a converted Pope mobile and looking somewhat lost and bewildered. Could you please send them back in the general direction of Ireland, but via John O’Groats if at all possible! Thank you.

WEST CHAMPIONS!

Well done to Fr Casey’s Intermediate football team who defeated Glin 0-10 to 0-8 in the West final on Sunday. They are captained by Maurice O’Connor from Knocknasna and trained by Buggy Fitz. (see pics in ALBUM/SPORTS section)

SILAGE

The recent spell of fine weather has seen many local farmers commence silage operations. Farmers are about two weeks behind schedule at present due to a very wet month of March. However, the continued good weather should allow them to make up the lost time. Road users are urged to watch out for heavy machinery entering and leaving meadows and farmyards.

REUNION:

Abbeyfeale District Association London will be holding our Annual Reunion Dance on Saturday 18^th October 2008, in St Augustine Social Club.

PILGRIMAGE;

The first pilgrimage of the summer to Lough Derg takes place from Saturday 31^st May to Monday 2^nd June. Contact Peg Murphy on 068-31232.

ICA:

The Abbeyfeale branch of the ICA held their AGM at St Ita’s Hall recently where Rita Horgan was elected president.

GAA;

St Ita’s College, Abbeyfeale defeated St Clement’s College, Limerick by 2-12 to 1-12 in the county colleges U/16 B football championship final.

Limerick play Tipperary on Sunday in the first round of the Munster Football Championship

RUGBY;

Declan Woulfe is the newly elected president of Abbeyfeale RFC. Many members are travelling to Cardiff this weekend to cheer on Munster in the Heineken European Cup Final.