Mulcahy was part of the Cork side that went back-to-back in 2004 and 2005 in the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship.

However, Mulcahy missed much of Cork’s triumphant 2004 campaign after being involved in a car accident.

The 46-year-old also won four Munster titles, as well as one National Hurling League title and was an All-Star in 2005.

At club level, he is an All-Ireland medallist with Newtownshandrum and also has three Munster medals and five county titles to his name – four senior and one intermediate.

His coaching experience includes work with his club as well as the Cork Institute of Technology hurlers.

All-Ireland winning Cork minor manager Noel Furlong will join him in Kingston’s backroom for 2022 – both men will join the backroom as selectors and coaches.

Diarmuid O’Sullivan will stay on as a selector and coach and Donal O’Grady will continue on in his role in coaching and analysis for the side.

Stephen Casey will join as a strength and conditioning coach for the 2021 All-Ireland SHC finalists.

Gary Keegan, who is currently involved with Irish Rugby, will return to the Cork senior hurling setup as a performance coach.

Keegan has previously worked alongside the Dublin senior footballers and Irish boxers and was part of Kingston’s backroom in his first stint as Cork manager.

Keegan also worked under former Cork boss John Meyler, who is the father of former Ireland international David Meyler.

The announcement of the new personnel that are set to be ratified by the county board on Tuesday night also includes a thank you to now-former selector and coach Ger Cunningham who has stepped down.

The former Dublin senior hurling manager follows Clare native Christy O’Connor, who left the setup last week.

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Kingston, who departed the Cork side following a defeat by the Déise in 2017, believes there will be a very different feeling for players this season when running out in crowd-less stadiums.

“There is no doubt the players feed off the crowd” says Kingston. “When playing for your county, part of it is running on to the pitch in either Thurles, Croke Park, Páirc Uí Chaoimh, or wherever it is. We have to look and see where we are at the moment.”

Despite the lack of crowds at games, the bank official is fully aware of the special position senior inter-county players are in with their championship going ahead.

“We are part of a special group here because we are now playing. That’s something I said to the lads. We are honoured to be able to represent our county in the time that we have. We see the minors and U20s have been cancelled – we are all sorry to see that happening. I think for the group, not just in Cork, but throughout the country, we have to not only embrace that change, but adapt to it.”

As Cork have not played a competitive game in almost eight months, the Rebels begin this campaign not knowing where they really stand.

“Up to recently we didn’t know if we would be playing. It (the Championship) will be different. We really don’t know how different it will be until next Saturday but at the same time, we have to embrace that change and be the best that we can be.”

The disrupted training schedule of the past few months has meant that training and preparation is different this year.

“During that time there were intermittent preps because guys were on their own for a bit,” admits Kingston. “They got back into the clubs and then they came back to us. Preparation is different. The logistics around playing are different.”

When asking about this weekend’s opponents, Waterford, the Corkman states his focus is on his team.

“My focus when preparing for a game like this is always on ourselves. Obviously, you have an eye on the opposition in terms of what they have done in the past, or in the last game. The focus has to be on ourselves. There is no other way of doing it. The Championship goes on, evolves and we are part of that. Then, we’ll be able to look at teams as to how they partake in their games. Starting out, the first game, it’s really focussing on ourselves.”

Despite the uncertainty surrounding sports this year, Kingston wasn’t always certain the All Ireland Championship would go ahead in 2020.

“Did I always think we’d get this far? Some days I did, some days I didn’t. There was apprehension, but thankfully there was more hope than anything else. You always have it at the back of your mind. The lads and ourselves were preparing on the basis that it would go ahead at some stage.

“It was a challenge yes. It was a challenge for us, a challenge for the players, a challenge for every county. There were times of course when anybody wasn’t sure. It was something you are not in control of. We’re all on the bus and we want to stay on the bus. No one of us was driving it, so therefore we weren’t really in control of our destiny.”

With a reduced season ahead, the Fountainstown man says:

“We’re absolutely thrilled that it (the Championship) is happening. No one wants to lose a year of their playing career. No one want to lose of forfeit a year of the Championship. It’s a special season, no matter what happens – it’s a special season.”

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Is deacair a chreidiúint nár bhuaigh Corcaigh, ceann de na foirne is rathúla sa spórt, Craobh na hÉireann ó 2005. Sin tréimhse an-fhada don chontae seo gan Corn Mhic Cárthaigh a bhuachan.

Beidh Kieran Kingston ag cur tús lena dara tréimhe mar bhainisteoir ar fhoireann cois Laoi gan Eoin Cadogan, Darragh Fitzgibbon ná Robbie O’Flynn ar fáil dó.

Rinneadh obráid ar dhroim Cadogan le déanaí, agus cé go bhfuil feabhas tagtha air, ní bheidh sé réidh do chluiche an deiridh seachtaine seo.

D’imir fear na Dúglaise, ceithre bliana is tríocha, mar lántosaí i gcluiche ceathrú ceannais iomána na hÉireann anuraidh. Chaill na Reibiliúnaigh an cluiche úd i gcoinne Chill Chainnigh.

Ní bheidh Darragh Fitzgibbon, fear óg trí bliana is fiche d’aois, ag imirt in aghaidh Phort Láirge ach an oiread. Rug sé ar ghradam Sárimreoirí Iománaíochta na Bliana 2018, ach tá fadhb aige le teannán ioscaide faoi láthair.

Caillfidh an tosaí Robbie O’Flynn amach Dé Sathairn toisc é bheith ar fionraí.

Tugadh cárta dearg dó sa chluiche sraithe Allianz in aghaidh na Gaillimhe i mí an Mhárta seo caite.

D’admhaigh Kieran Kingston go bhfuil an cosantóir Colm Spillane ar ais i mbun traenála agus go bhfuil seans ann go nglacfaidh sé páirt éigin sa chluiche tráthnóna Dé Sathairn.

Glaodh fir na Carraige Duibhe Daniel Meaney, Tadhg Deasy agus Alan Connolly isteach i scuad Chorcaí tar éis a n-éachtaí i gcraobh Chorcaí le déanaí.

Craobh difriúil i mbliana

Agus é ag caint leis na meáin ag tús na seachtaine, dúirt Kingston go mbeidh dúshláin eile rompu an séasúr seo.

“Is é an rud is tábhachtaí ná na himreoirí a choimeád aclaí agus an coróinvíreas a sheachaint” dar le Kingston. “Caithfimid iad a choimeád lena chéile mar phainéal chomh fada agus is féidir linn.”

Tá bainisteoir Chorcaí ag súil go mór le dul go Durlas ag an deireadh seachtaine.

Dar leis an gcléireach bainc:

“Ní raibh mise ná na himreoirí i nDurlas riamh nuair nach raibh an pháirc cosúil le faiche ghailf. Feicfimid an rud céanna Dé Sathairn.”

Chuir Kieran Kingston deireadh lena chéad tréimhse mar bhainisteoir Chorcaí nuair a chaill a fhoireann i gcoinne na Déise i 2017.

Má chliseann orthu an deireadh seachtaine seo, tá seans ann go mbeidh ar na Corcaígh aghaidh a thabhairt ar Luimneach, ar Thiobraid Árann nó ar An Clár, ceann de na foirne ar an taobh eile den tarraingt sa chúige. Nó b’fhéidir go mbeidh siad ag dul chun coimhlinte i gcoinne na Gaillimhe nó Loch Garman.

Is cuma cé acu fhoireann a bheidh os a gcomhair amach beidh dúshlán ollmhór roimh Chorcaigh corn a bhuachan i mbliana. Tá muintir Chorcaí ag súil le fada le Craobh Iomána na hÉireann eile a thabhairt leo. Feicfimid conas mar atá cúrsaí ag an bhfoireann Dé Sathairn. Seans go mbeidh tuairim níos fearr againn ansin faoi fhéidearthachtaí na foirne seo.

Beidh Corcaigh agus Port Láirge beo ar Sky Sports Mix, leis an gcluiche at tosú ag 3.30.

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