By Aidan Grennan

September 1988 witnessed something that doesn’t happen often in Gaelic games – the retention of both All-Ireland senior crowns: Galway in hurling and Meath in football. It had most recently happened in 1977.
In the ’88 hurling final, Galway defeated Tipperary, 1-15 to 0-14, in the September 4th showdown. The introduction of ‘super-sub’ Noel Lane proved crucial. For losers Tipperary, Nicky English scored 0-6. English was championship top-scorer on 1-22, one point ahead of Offaly’s Mark Corrigan, on 2-18. Galway had beaten Offaly 3-18 to 3-11, in the semi-final. Tipp had seen off the challenge of Antrim, 3-15 to 2-10, in the second semi-final.

Tipperary’s own Louise Morrissey sang Slievenamon during the interval of the All-Ireland final.

The National Hurling League champions were Tipperary, who defeated Offaly, 3-15 to 2-9, in Croke Park. Pat O’ Neill was winning captain. The National Football League champions were Meath, who defeated Dublin in a replay: 2-13 to 0-11.

In the All-Ireland Club hurling final Midleton defeated Athenry on St Patrick’s Day, 3-8 to 0-9. In the semi-finals, Midleton had beaten Ruairí Óg, Antrim, while Athenry had beaten Rathnure from Wexford.
It was in 1988 that the great Kerry star Maurice Fitzgerald made his senior championship debut. In that year’s Munster final he scored 0-10, but the Kingdom lost to Cork by a point: 1-14 to 0-16. Fitzgerald won his first All-Star award late that year, at just 19. He remains one of the youngest-ever winners plus winning an All-Star without playing championship fare in Croke Park.

In the All-Ireland semi-finals, Meath defeated Mayo, 0-16 to 2-5 and Cork defeated Monaghan, 1-14 to 0-6. The 1988 All-Ireland senior football final provided a first drawn decider since Offaly and Kerry, 16 years earlier. In the drawn match Meath scored 0-12 and Cork 1-9. The late Teddy McCarthy got Cork’s goal.

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