If there is a more passionate ambassador for the ancient game of hurling than Neil McManus, no one has yet met him.

At the Ulster Club Hurling Championship launch on Monday night at The Dub, the Cushendall captain spoke movingly about Saturday’s fundraising match for Gaza at Corrigan Park; how his respect for Slaughtneil’s pitchers is absolute; the desire to see more teams compete in the provincial series and the sense of pride that grows within him every time he wears the Ruairi Og jersey.

If a competition ever falters, call McManus.

Not that the Ulster series ever disappoints; he just needs a few more clubs to raise the bar and make it even better, according to the former Antrim ace.

Cushendall, Slaughtneil, Portaferry, Dunloy, Ballycran, Loughgiel and Ballygalget are just some of the best players who have brought Ulster to life over the last decade or more.

Anything to do with hurling, McManus understands. He gains heritage, a sense of time and place. Every chance the 36-year-old gets, he will wax lyrical about the greatest game on God’s earth.

In terms of participation, Munster and Leinster are in a good position – and McManus wants Connacht and Ulster to follow.

“Connacht and Ulster – half the country doesn’t have the success of hurling – and we have this sport which is just magical.

“We should share it with every child, it should be part of everyday life here, it’s poetry in motion, it’s second to none and the envy of every country because people come from all over the world to see our landscapes and the people who live there island, and then they see howling and they are absolutely blown away.

“We need to do a lot better for the Irish people with this game because it spoils us.”

McManus is greatly encouraged by the energy of GAA President Jarlath Burns, who has helped build and expand the small ball game.

And, clearly, RTE chose well in screening Saturday’s Ulster semi-final between Cushendall and Slaughtneil at the BOX-IT Athletic Grounds, with Gerard McGrattan’s Portaferry side awaiting the winners.

“We want – we need – more clubs meeting this standard,” McManus said.

“Ulster hurling is so underrated and undervalued because the football is so strong and that’s the truth. And it’s also underinvested.

“We need to change that. There is work underway on this, but it has only really begun under the tutelage of Jarlath Burns and there is a long way to go.

Despite the budding rivalry between Ruairi Ogs and Robert Emmets over the past decade, the Derry men are yet to record a victory against them.

Cushendall needed a replay in 2014 and an extension a year later to defeat Slaughtneil in three epic contests.

Most recently, Brian Delargy’s Cushendall denied them in last season’s provincial decider. Despite their flawless record, McManus couldn’t be more complimentary of his opponents on Saturday.

“You could almost pick any of our games with Slaughtneil as an absolute epic over the last decade. I would say we’re pretty similar: pretty athletic, physically strong and brilliant throwers – and that’s why the games are so good because you know no one is going for a practical eight or nine point win.

“It just doesn’t happen in games between us. You will fight for every line ball, every puck takedown and every possession won…That’s why people will enjoy the game because there will be a purity.

“I think the Ulster Club Championship is brilliant, it puts on some incredible matches. Last year’s Portaferry semi-final match was mentioned, but I thought the final (against Slaughtneil) was a brilliant match too.

“Even some of the games we didn’t play in were great.”

Respect for Slaughtneil’s hurlers also extends far beyond Ulster’s borders.

Under Michael McShane, they came close in the All-Ireland series, notably against Na Piarsaigh (2018) and Ballyhale Shamrocks (2020).

“I was at Richie Hogan’s book launch last week and we were doing a Q&A and having a bit of madness with Tommy Walsh, Paul Murphy and Richie and the amount of people that were there. were pressing after and who mentioned Slaughtneil because there was a big Ballyhale contingent there – Henry Shefflin, TJ Reid – and they were talking about Slaughtneil because of the epic game they played with them in Newry.

“I think anyone who has ever played against one of the Ulster teams speaks highly of the clubs they come up against. I know where the best teams in Ulster are – they would rival any other team in the country. We just need more operations at this level.

While Slaughtneil, under new boss Paul McCormack this season, won their 12th consecutive county championship title, Cushendall had to fight to the end to reclaim the Volunteers’ Cup against North Antrim rivals, Dunloy, in dangerous conditions in Ballycastle just a month ago.

McManus added: “By participating in these matches you gain momentum, you get learnings and experiences that you can’t get anywhere else and it really helps your preparation the next day because it only gets more difficult.

“And you have to use that performance that you just gave to try to gain a few more percent, to fix a few more things. That’s how it works.

“I think our club has always prided itself on hard work and tenacity for a long, long time – which is what our community represents. Very rural, coastal, (with) climatic climate. I would be very proud of the people who came before us because they had tougher times than us.

“We’re just doing our best to add to that very, very strong legacy.”