Flynn would have been a team-mate of the Mahonys’ father Mick, on the last Ballygunner team to claim the three-in-a-row in the 1960s. “My father was on the last team to do it and he would always be onto us about it the last few years,” said Philip Mahony. “It’s brilliant, it’s unbelievable.”

Then there was exacting revenge for the 2013 final loss to Passage. “I don’t know if we’ll ever get over that, the way we lost. It was brilliant to win three years in a row and the manner we won in. It’s just brilliant. It’s an unbelievable feeling. We had ourselves to blame that day. We went too defensive. We just drew them onto us and they deserved their victory that day but we made a pact after that that we would keep attacking the leads and I think this win was an example of that. We didn’t panic, we drove on in the second half and we didn’t stop.”

Passage manager Peter Queally suggested Ballygunner are peerless in the county but Mahony insists they’ve had to fight for what they’ve earned. “There has been nothing easy the last three years. If you go back through it, our backs have been to the wall plenty of times. Three years ago in the semi-final against Dungarvan, people thought we were beaten but we came back and won it and beat Mount Sion in the final. Last year was the same.”

Now attention moves to Semple Stadium on Sunday, where Ballygunner face Tipperary champions Thurles Sarsfields.

“We’re probably a little bit more experienced now than we have been,” agrees Mahony.

“We’re playing Thurles next week and they’re probably one of the best, if not the best, team in the country. They have a lot of momentum coming in from Tipp winning the All-Ireland and they have two weeks’ break, which is big, but we just have to regroup now and drive it on for next week in Thurles.”