It's greatly encouraging to see that the Railway Cup competition being made a priority by the GAA again — and ear-marked for what I consider to be a sensible slot in the fixtures calendar.

Naturally, most people thought the competition was dead in the water but the authorities have now given the green light for the series to go ahead in the Spring.

Ulster will play Connacht at a Connacht venue in the semi-final in late February while Munster and Leinster will meet in the other semi-final.

I understand that a robust marketing drive is to be launched to promote the competition and perhaps rekindle the level of interest which it once enjoyed.

Ulster are the current holders of the trophy and have 31 titles in all while Leinster have taken delivery of the trophy 30 times.

I know that Ulster players relish the opportunity to play in the competition. It may have its detractors just as the much-maligned International Rules has yet the commitment of the vast majority of players remains absolute.

When the Railway Cup competition — I much prefer this title to the inter-pro series — was last staged in 2009, it was accommodated in November and this certainly did nothing to help its image, hemmed in as it was at the end of a busy year.

The final was staged in London and although this was maybe a pleasant weekend away for the players, the powers-that-be are sensibly going to stage next year’s decider in this country at a venue to be decided when the finalists are known.

Competitions like the Railway Cup and International Rules are regarded in some quarters as being unnecessary appendages to the fixtures calendar but I believe that these and other tournaments can be accommodated with sensible planning in advance.

Players still take a great pride in representing their province or country and I don’t think that this should be overlooked.

Indeed many veteran performers such as Steven McDonnell (Armagh), Benny Coulter (Down, pictured), Leighton Glynn (Wicklow), Padraig Joyce (Galway), Alan O’Connor (Cork) and John Doyle (Kildare) invariably make themselves available for such competitions if they are injury-free.

This, I believe, serves as an incentive to younger players to strive to gain recognition at provincial or international level and that can surely only help the standard of play overall.