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Paddy The Bread Man - Kilkenny's most ardent fan?
Paddy "The Bread Man" Coogan of Pierse Street, Kilkenny might just be Kilkenny's most ardent fan.
The 73-year-old doesn't get out much anymore but his house is a shrine to the hurlers of the county and of course to his favourite, Henry Shefflin. "Sure he makes it all happen and when I heard he was training in the park the other night I knew we'd be alright on Sunday," he said.
He is confident of a Kilkenny win on Sunday but knows that Tipperary pose a serious threat. "I Think though we have a better team on the pitch and a smarter team off it," he said referring to Brian Cody and his backroom team.
The Dicksboro GAA club man also has great time for Martin "Gorta" Comerford of rival city club, O'Loughlin Gaels who is a relation of his. "He's a great forward and I hope he'll start in the final," Paddy said.
He attended his first All Ireland final in 1957 when the county beat Waterford by a point. "That was a great day out and one I'll never forget," he said.
As he spoke, his neighbours looked on. They keep a close eye on him, in accordance with the ethos of the Butts - community first.
And it is this attitude that is behind the huge display of colour before every All Ireland senior final that Kilkenny play. And that's a point endorsed by the leader of the K Team, K1 from the deep south of the county, who are erecting bunting randomly throughout the city and county. The K Team has also been busy painting many of the border areas. K1 the leader of the vigilante force said he had to wear his glasses because otherwise he would be blinded when he entered Pierse Street. A little bit of an over-statement but if the infectious enthusiasm present in one of the oldest parts of the city is reflected in the display of the players next Sunday, Tipperary will certainly be beaten.
And another resident of the street, Ann Duggan has asked that if Kilkenny win, lose or draw that a few of the players and backroom team visit the Butts sometime during the week afterwards as a thank you to the people.
"Did you know that it's the old age pensioners who pay for all this bunting," she said. She praised John and Paul Myles of the nearby Paint Pot shop who sponsored the paint to colour the pavement black and amber.
And Kirsty Maher who won a Leinster under-14 handball title on Saturday adding to her seven-in-a-row titles is confident that Kilkenny will win and would like Jackie Tyrell especially come to the Butts after the All Ireland, And why? "Because he's's the best looking one of the players of course."And what about lovely Tommy Walsh," a neighbour adds to howls of laughter.
There were also a few cat whistles for Cllr Andrew McGuinness when female supporters asked him to take off his shirt before putting on a K Team jersey. He demurred. He praised the people of The Butts for setting the example for the rest of the city to follow. "What they do here is marvellous and it shows what can be done to support the team with a little enthusiasm and no shortage of fun," he said.
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Weather for Kilkenny
Tuesday 07 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 4 C to 8 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Light rain
Temperature: 4 C to 6 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: South
