Kilbrittain's Philip Wall motivated by sibling bonds
Pictured is AIB ambassador Philip Wall (Cill Briotáin) ahead of the AIB GAA Hurling All-Ireland Junior Club Championship Final between Easkey and Cill Briotáin. A historic club championship season, defined by thrilling encounters and unprecedented journeys, culminates in eagerly anticipated AIB GAA Hurling Intermediate and Junior club finals taking centre stage on Saturday January 10th.
By John Harrington
It’s been a busy few months of club action for the Wall twins, Philip and Kate.
Last weekend Kate was a key player for the St. Finbarr’s team that narrowly lost the AIB All-Ireland Senior Camogie Final replay to Athenry.
On Saturday, Philip will captain the Kilbrittain hurlers when they face Easkey of Sligo in the AIB All-Ireland Junior Club Hurling Final.
Two All-Ireland Finals in as many weekends is a pretty remarkable achievement by the Cork siblings.
“It’s been incredibly special, us being twins and us both being number 11 was a nice little added perk to it,” says Philip.
“But yeah, it's been incredibly busy, even just pucking around at home, the two of us. She's back home now, she was living in the city, she just moved back home just last month or so, so we've been back together like the good old days.
“Yeah, it was very cool, I suppose it was very unique. We didn't really have much time to dwell on it because it was game on game on game. We've been playing very second week since the county final.”
Kate Wall of St Finbarr’s in action against Tarron Kilkenny of Athenry during the AIB All-Ireland Camogie Senior Club Championship final match between Athenry of Galway and St Finbarr's of Cork at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile.
The Walls are a high-achieving family. Philip and Kate’s older brother is Jamie Wall who was a very talented hurler and footballer himself with club and county until an abscess on his spine left him paralysed from the waist down.
He has since made a name for himself as a very successful coach at club and third level colleges level.
Another sibling, Ellen, is currently making her mark in academia rather than sport.
The four Wall siblings are a tight bunch, and countless hours spent playing together pushed Philip and Kate to become the very talented sportspeople that they are.
“Yeah, definitely,” says Wall. “Though I think Kate's kind of succeeded a bit more than me now, I won't be taking the limelight from her!
“Yeah, we used to hurl together a lot, and obviously with Jamie as well.
“My other sister, Ellen, maybe doesn't excel as much in sport because she's really into academics. She's doing her Postdoc in Harvard, and did her PhD in Cambridge. But Kate plays for Cork so that's kind of what many people care more about!
“We're all very close, the four of us, and me and Kate definitely would be driving each other on. I suppose maybe in the last few years in particular, seeing Kate force herself back onto the Cork team has bee really inspirational.
“This year especially, she's had an incredible year this year on a personal note and seeing her do that would spur you on and also you'd be incredibly proud.”
MICL manager Jamie Wall alongside MICL coach Pádraic Collins, right, during the Electric Ireland Higher Education GAA Fitzgibbon Cup quarter-final match between MICL and TUS Mid West at MICL Grounds in Limerick. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile.
Philip has never had to look any further than his brother Jamie for a very positive male role model.
The bravery with which he has dealt with the adversity life has thrown his way made a real mark on his younger brother, who has also benefited from Jamie’s coaching acumen at club level and with Mary Immaculate College.
“I suppose it was incredibly formative,” says Wall. “I mean it happened when I was 14. So all teenage boys, all teenagers in general are very impressionable as it is I suppose, so you want to link to good role models, not just Jamie.
“So, yeah, it was very kind of formative like you said. I suppose in terms of GAA, Jamie's been extremely involved in my GAA career between Kilbrittain and then when I went to Mary I where I had him for four years.
“With the club he's been so instrumental to the success that we've had this year
“It's kind of hard to put into words to be honest how much himself and Aidan O'Donoghue and John Considine and obviously Joe Ryan, our manager this year, have done. So yeah hugely inspirational.
“It's good to have positive role models and he certainly is one of them.”
The Kilbrittain senior hurling team.
Wall has been able to lean on both Jamie and his sister Kate for some practical advice about what to expect from playing in Croke Park for the first time.
“Kate was just saying it's just a regular pitch but it's pretty easy to say that when you've been there like six times, do you know what I mean?!
“But yeah it is helpful, even just practical things in terms of asking what boots to wear is obviously a help or what the dressing-rooms are like.
“Being able to ask those practical questions that not everyone has the comfort to ask is brilliant.”
Kilbrittain have been made warm favourites by the bookies to beat Easkey on Saturday, but Wall isn’t buying into the lazy analysis that a Cork club should be too good for a Sligo club in an All-Ireland hurling final.
“I think that's nonsense to be honest,” he says. “We've obviously heard that, but I mean these lads have won four Connachts in a row, six Sligos in a row, they've been in Croke Park before.
“It would be incredibly foolish for anyone in Kilbritain to be thinking about Cork versus Sligo because it's not Cork versus Sligo, it's Kilbrittain versus Easkey.
“We will absolutely not be taking them for granted. We're looking forward to it but we know the task at hand.”
