What should be a bustling weekend at UPMC Nowlan Park with the championship hurdy gurdy and all that comes with a clash of the hurling heavyweights Kilkenny and Wexford is instead serene and calm.
You could almost hear the grass grow. The Kilkenny venue, like so many more nationwide, now reflects the new realities of the Irish summer.
Instead of thousands of GAA supporters savouring big match day, the car park is now a Covid-19 test centre. The army overseeing things on one side of the ground instead of the hats, flags and headbands brigade.
But for the head groundsman, John Coogan, there is no let up. "Business as usual, it's a strange time for myself and Kevin (McGarry) who works with me here on the ground," Mr Coogan says. "Since the