James Nesbitt says he ‘hopes everyone understands that hurling is the heartbeat of a nation’ as the All-Ireland final is played out between Cork and Clare in Croke Park today.
The Co Antrim actor is part of the BBC’s celeb punditry team in Dublin, alongside Irish comedians Dara Ó Briain and David O’Doherty, and Derry Girls star, Siobhan McSweeney.
Speaking to presenter Connor Phillips ahead of the game, Nesbitt said: “I only came to my first one [hurling match] two years ago. I met Neil McManus [player for the Antrim hurling team] and he invited me down to a semi-final between Galway and Limerick a couple of years ago.
“I come from Broughshane from a slightly different background.
“It wasn’t part of my culture, but I just thought: ‘what a sport, what a game’.
“And it struck me that particularly people from my background in the North, have missed out on this, and I really hope now that everyone who is watching at home, and everyone who is watching across the water, really understands that this is the very heartbeat of a nation.
“It’s astonishing and it’s the heartbeat of everyone. I can’t wait.”
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The 59-year-old also joked that on his route down to the match, he missed the Dublin turn-off driving from Belfast – for the fourth time in a row.
This is the first time that the hurling All-Ireland final has been shown on the national BBC Two channel.
It is also the first All-Ireland final in the sport without Limerick for the first time since 2019, as Clare and Cork go head-to-head in an all-Munster clash.
The two teams last met in 2013, when Clare came out victorious in the replay after the initial showdown ended in a draw.
That was Clare’s last Liam MacCarthy win, while Cork have been waiting since 2005 to be crowned All-Ireland champions.
At half-time, it was all level between the sides – the first time there has been a draw in a hurling final at-half-time, for at least 20 years.
Nesbitt noted how well the fans were mixed in together in the stadium, adding: “That’s not to say there isn’t the most sensational sense of competition, but I’ve been to San Siro, I’ve been to the Nou Camp, I’ve been to Old Trafford, but the atmosphere is incredible.”
“Everyone is integrated, but there’s fierce competition. There’s no let-up at all.”