Munster Gaelic Athletic Association Reports 27% Increase In Attendance

Munster Gaelic Athletic Association execs "are smiling all the way to the bank" after reporting a 27% increase in the number of patrons attending this summer's provincial senior hurling championship fixtures -- "due in main to Cork's glory surge," according to Jackie Cahill of RTÉ. Attendances "jumped dramatically" from 100,868 last year over the course of four games to 127,992 in '17. The provincial body "will have banked well over" an extra €500,000 ($573,300) this year, taking an increase of 27,124 spectators into account. For a four-game championship, it is the highest cumulative figure since '08 (136,868). This year's figure represents the "highest combined total for a Munster championship" since '09, when 136,908 fans attended five games, including a semifinal replay between Limerick and Waterford. The "massive crowd" of 45,558 in Thurles on Sunday for the Clare-Cork decider beat last year's final between Tipp and Waterford at the Gaelic Grounds by 19,050 (RTÉ, 7/11).