Over the past two years, the popularity of social media sensation Buff Egan has expanded at an insane rate. Now it’s time we asked, should Buff be given the recognition he deserves?

If you are without access to a Snapchat account, you may be unaware, but on June 10, Kilkenny and Wexford was not the only major hurling game to take place.

Those of us fortunate enough to follow Buff, however, were rewarded with minute by minute updates on three of hurling’s lower tier finals.

A further point of note on this is that Buff would have most likely loved to witness his hero Davy Fitz take down Kilkenny. Nevertheless, the Clare supporter decided the correct action was to award hurling’s unsung heroes with national attention.

The above is just one example of Buff’s coverage of the small ball but over the past two nights, Egan was found at both minor semi-finals played in Munster.

Unfortunately, this excellent competition is not televised but those following ‘hurlingbanter’ on Snapchat were not only kept up to date with the scorelines, they were also well aware as to which players were doing ‘untold’ damage.

Without Buff, many would have been completely unaware that these games were even taking place. As we now know, both games turned out to be thrillers.

Buff & his snapchats – he really does deserve recognition for coverage 👏🏼 But what I really wanna know – HOW does he battery last so long?😂 — Lauren Guilfoyle (@LaurenGuilfoyle) June 29, 2017

Two nights in a row @buff_egan provides an outstanding account of a game completely ignored by those capable of providing live coverage 👏🏻👏🏻 — Sean Cremin (@SeanCreminPA) June 29, 2017

Just Home from Thurles at 2:10am and having a Relaxing Cup Tea 👌👌👌 pic.twitter.com/yHfFdCBmvu — Buff Egan (@buff_egan) June 30, 2017

Over the coming weekend, Buff Egan will attempt to attend three fixtures with two qualifiers and the Leinster Final on the schedule for the hurling fanatic.

Now, take into account that Buff has already attended two minor semi-finals since Wednesday evening. This clearly leads to a phenomenal expense with tickets and petrol alone for five games in a week surely amounting to a very significant sum.

Hail hail to @buff_egan doing UNTOLD on the minor game updates. 2 claps and a Ric Flair #woooooo #snapking — Paddy Stapleton (@pasaint) June 29, 2017

https://twitter.com/henrymartin1/status/880552156398592000

Buff’s stories provide those abroad with perhaps their only access to these games. A younger brother, son or nephew of someone overseas was most likely participating in this week’s minor championship. Buff Egan’s live updates on the game may have been their sole source of information as to how these games were going.

However, despite his unwavering and passionate coverage, Buff neither receives nor does he even ask for any financial reward for his efforts.

The fact of the matter is this – Buff now plays an invaluable role in the GAA community and the attention that he brings to the game at home and abroad cannot be overstated.

There may come a sad day where he might decide to pack it all in, leaving many of us without any source for updates on the games that Buff enthusiastically reports on. All we can hope is that the Clare supporter’s love of the game never dies.

For now, however, it’s time for all of us to revel in the era of Buff and for the entire community to acknowledge the brilliant service that he provides… Hail Hail.

Kevin Daly, Pundit Arena

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While you’re here, listen to this week’s episode of The 16th Man where we were joined by Richie Hogan and Dick Clerkin

https://soundcloud.com/punditarenagaa/richie-hogan-dick-clerkin-dara-ocinneide-join-us-this-week-to-talk-all-things-gaa

Read More About: Buff Egan, christy ring cup, GAA, Hurling, hurling news, Munster Minor hurling