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Guinness, an official sponsor of the 2008 GAA All-Ireland Hurling Championship, is bringing hurling off the pitch and into specially built 3D perspex cubes this summer with a new 3-a-side hurling game, Guinness Hurling Cubed. And from today until Saturday, Kilkenny Castle will host Guinness Hurling Cubed for three nights. Endorsed by Kilkenny legend and last year’s All-Ireland winning captain, Henry Shefflin, he’s urging the Kilkenny people to enter a team into the event and to check out the new innovative 3-a-side hurling game. Kilkenny hurlers Tommy Walsh and JJ Delaney have also backed the game and will attend the city final on Saturday, August 2. Played with 21” hurleys and a soft touch sliotar, the game is a fast paced and exciting derivative of the real thing, which was developed by Guinness, with expert guidance from former Cork Manager, Donal O’Grady. Teams of three players compete for either three minutes, or until three goals are scored – in a blitz format – over the course of the night. The nightly winners will battle it out in the Kilkenny City Final on Saturday, with the four semi-finalists winning a trip to Dublin on the eve of the GAA All-Ireland Hurling final for the grand finale of Guinness Hurling Cubed.

SHC 2008 GAA results

These are busy times for Richie Hogan in his Kilkenny jersey – with a Leinster under-21 title already this year and progression to the senior inter-county ranks, where he will be involved in the Cats’ panel to take on Cork in the All-Ireland senior semi-final this weekend at Croke Park.

Kilkenny the three in a row hurling team dominate this year's Vodafone GAA All Stars list, with a total 14 nominations.

Kilkenny intermediates’ great victory over Dublin after extra time last Saturday afternoon means once again it's a clean sweep of provincial titles. This achievement in itself would satisfy most hurling counties, but in Kilkenny the players are only too aware that their greatness is judged on their ability to land All-Ireland titles. Pressure it may be but that's the reality you face when you pull on the famous black and amber shirt. This Sunday, both the seniors and minors head to Croker hoping they can get the job done which would give them a tilt at All-Ireland glory.

A friend of mine from Ardmore in Waterford had badgered me to try and get a ticket or two for the past few weeks for the All-Ireland hurling final.

Justin McCarthy would have had a wry smile on his face last Sunday afternoon. As you all know he resigned from his post as the county team’s hurling manager a number of months ago after a “heave” from his own players. It had become apparent, in the wake of a heavy defeat to Clare in the Munster championship, that some of the players were unhappy with McCarthy. Much was made of Dan Shanahan storming off the field that day and refusing to shake Justin’s hand when substituted. As in that game big Dan was totally anonymous last Sunday, barely touching the ball, until he was rescued from the action or, should that be non-action! I wasn’t too enamoured with the Waterford players at the time as I felt it was another example of player power being exerted, something that has become quite common this year. Remember it was McCarthy who took Waterford to three Munster titles and also to the brink of All-Ireland glory. It wasn’t his fault the players choked when so near the finishing line. They had the perfect excuse last year. The system militated against them, they said, as they had played three consecutive Sundays in a row. The manager is always the easy scapegoat after failures and these players must have felt the need to apportion blame to someone. Justin is obviously a proud man. He walked before it got ugly and, other than issuing a brief statement at the time, he kept his powder dry. I am not sure if he went along to Croke Park last Sunday, but as the game unfolded he would have felt fully justified in having walked from the job when the players had the audacity to question his methods after seven relatively successful years in charge.

The Galway Senior Hurling Championship hots up this weekend with four quarter-finals down for decision.

Monday night’s special county convention to determine Galway’s acceptance of participating in the Leinster Hurling Championships is set to be a lengthy meeting.

Kilkenny may have written themselves into the history books this year by becoming the first team to complete the clean sweep, but the men who were involved in creating history found themselves going back to grassroots last weekend as the local championships commenced. Some of the media recently complained that we didn't know how to celebrate winning and that our homecoming party was very lethargic. I'd say to hell with the begrudgers, the players know we think the world of them and also respect the fact that time moves on. The county men who soldiered so well together, also respect that while they were away on county duty, club men they grew up with have been plugging away in preparation for last weekend. There is no doubt that special bonds are formed during the intercounty season, however, once you go back and put on the club colours - friendship rightly goes out the window as teams go in search of success in their respective championships.