KILDARE’S David Qualter is delighted to keep the famous family name going in the Liam MacCarthy Cup.
Qualter blasted 13 points in the county’s breakthrough Joe McDonagh Cup final win over Laois on Sunday.
The Lilywhites’ reward is a golden ticket back to the Leinster SHC in 2026 having not featured there since 2004.
There is a more immediate Liam MacCarthy Cup fixture this Saturday with Kildare hosting Dublin in an All-Ireland preliminary quarter-final.
Qualter’s grandfather PJ is a Galway legend having scored goals in the 1975 National League and All-Ireland finals. He played alongside Joe McDonagh in both of those deciders.
And the Maynooth forward’s uncle Séamus Qualter is a former Westmeath senior manager who also guided Ireland’s shinty/hurling team.
David’s dad Paul hurled for Turloughmore too and the Galway club sent a best wishes message ahead of Sunday’s ten-point defeat of Laois.
Qualter smiled: “My dad is Turloughmore and growing up I would always imagine myself playing with Galway when I was out on the green playing hurling with the lads.
“That’s what we’re trying to be for the young Kildare hurlers, a team to look up to. Young hurlers are looking out now at Cian Boran, James Burke.
“We just need to give them a platform to look at what they can be.
“Now we’re in the Leinster Championship ourselves and we’ll be facing Galway. It’s unreal, I can’t believe it.”
Kildare will have another opportunity to promote hurling in the county this weekend when the Dubs visit the redeveloped Cedral St Conleth’s Park.
Qualter predicted: “We’ll get a big crowd.”
But it is a fixture few anticipated, particularly when Kildare started the McDonagh Cup campaign with a loss to Kerry.
Free-taker Qualter said: “We were in a dark place. Especially after losing to Down in the league final.
“I don’t know if I’ve been in a worse room in my life, never mind a dressing room, after that loss to Kerry.
“But we had a chat about it and said a few realities there on the Tuesday night after that and we’ve just come such a long way since then.
“Between us in the dressing room, the panel and the management, we knew we were going to come back.”
