Kilkenny have pulled out of the Walsh Cup as a mark of respect to Johnny Ryan, father of current All-Ireland winning captain Lester, who died in a farmyard accident on Wednesday morning.
Johnny Ryan, who was in his early 60s, died after a tractor rolled back on him. His son Lester was at the farm at the time, which is near Bennettsbridge.
Johnny Ryan captained the over-40s Kilkenny side to All-Ireland glory a number of years ago and was well-known in Kilkenny hurling circles. He won a Kilkenny county title in 1986 with Clara.
The Cats were scheduled to play against NUI Galway on Friday and meet Carlow on Sunday. Carlow will now play NUI Galway in a play-off in Fenagh on Friday at 7pm.
Kilkenny will open the 2015 National League against Cork on 14 February at Pairc Uí Rinn.
Lester Ryan led Kilkenny to their 35th All-Ireland title last September, with the Cats defeating Tipperary in a classic replay at Croke Park. It was Lester's third title as a player and afterwards he made headlines by revealing that his captain's speech - which was entirely in Irish - was learned phonetically.
Irish Farmers' Association President Eddie Downey expressed his condolences to the Ryan family on behalf the farming community,
"This is a very difficult time for family, neighbours and friends of Johnny Ryan," Downey said.
He added that the IFA would re-double its efforts to promote the importance of farm safety and he encouraged all farm families to adopt the highest level of vigilance in the day-to-day operations on their farms.
