The world stopped on September 11, 2001 and anything vaguely affiliated with the day instantly assumed a historical, ghostly value. And so it is with the Irish sport pages of that famous Tuesday, with their coverage of hurling, football and rugby.
With the Irish sports media landscape of the time, it seems the more things change, the more they stay the same. Just like this week, the Galway hurlers were trying to make sense of an All-Ireland defeat. Galway had lost to Tipp in the 2001 final. The Champions League group stages were set to begin that night with Liverpool and Arsenal in action. Gordon Strachan had been sacked in England the previous day.
The still-broadsheet Irish Independent featured a Joe Rabbitte interview by Martin Breheny where Rabbitte laid into Pat O'Connor the referee. 'The bigger you are in hurling, the less frees you will get. I couldn't believe the frees that were given against me,' Rabbitte opined. Vincent Hogan also has a column praising Tipp's win. The word septet is used in the header.
Over at Tara Street D'Olier Street, the Times were also covering the fallout to the hurling final. A hairier Keith Duggan has stories on Tipp's win and a post-match drug test for four players. Tipp supporters were photographed still celebrating outside the Palace. Something called 'The View From Up North' was still appearing regularly.
Their second page was all football coverage, including news on Gordon Strachan getting the boot at Coventry. Paddy Agnew's regular Italian football column was still running. The headlines on these stories are noticeably short.
What's interesting is how little has changed in 14 years. Arsene Wenger is still in charge at Arsenal. Galway are still losing hurling All-Ireland's. Keith Duggan, Emmet Malone, Paddy Agnew, Gerry Thornley, Martin Breheny and Vincent Hogan are still in place at their respective parishes, although with thinner hair.
