Sean Og O hAilpin has insisted that he meant no disrespect to Antrim when admitting earlier this week that he thought they were out of the championship.

Speaking yesterday, O hAilpin said he was so consumed with Cork's campaign that he just assumed Sunday's All-Ireland quarter-final opponents had already been knocked out.

"If you spoke to me about earlier round games I couldn't tell you who played who. I don't give a damn. I am just worried about Cork and how Cork progress in the championship," he said at an Ulster Bank promotion.

"I actually didn't realise Antrim were still in it and that was probably Sean Og in a bubble of himself, just worried about Cork games."

And he insisted that the Saffrons' shock victory over Dublin last weekend has the Rebels on red alert.

"An unbelievable blessing in disguise for Cork," he added. "We rate Dublin. Any time we played Dublin they'd give us a fistful, if not beat us. So, by Antrim beating Dublin, that sends alarm bells."

O hAilpin admits Antrim manager Dinny Cahill riled Cork six years ago with his outspoken remarks about them and Brian Corcoran and Niall McCarthy in particular. The result was a 2-26 to 0-10 hammering for the Glensmen.

"I haven't spoken to him about the comments back in 2004, but if he was genuinely honest I would have said - 'look Dinny, if that's what you thought, fair enough'. But what disturbed us more than anything was that he had a go at Corcoran.

"That completely changed the mindset in the lead-up to the Antrim game. And I think the game was over after 20 seconds. That is being honest with you. That is my recollection.

"If that is what he generally felt then fair enough, I have been quoted on stuff and people have been quoted on stuff and people have misused it and generally I have been honest. But he was still wrong on Corcoran!" Tweet

Most Read Stories