Cork legend Jimmy Barry-Murphy: Painful defeats will inspire Cork to win All-Ireland
The Rebels have been superb since their final defeat to Clare last year, winning the Allianz League, Munster Hurling Championship and swatting Dublin aside in the All-Ireland Hurling Championship semi-finals.
Now comes the final step for Pat Ryan's side as a rejuvenated Tipperary outfit look to emerge from the shadows to claim an unlikely victory.
The former Cork boss Barry-Murphy does not buy into the theory that it helps to lose a final to lead to future success, but acknowledges the emotions of defeat will play a role for the players.
Speaking on Today with Claire Byrne on RTÉ Radio 1, he said: "I'm not so sure about it. You can be lucky and win one in your first year, and the game with Clare last year was an incredible occasion. For the match to go at extra-time and lose was tough for the players.
"Clare were brilliant on the day as well. You've got to acknowledge that. But I think the hunger is there for the Cork team this year.
"I think we've seen that from the start of the year. Winning the league was a huge factor for them because it meant they won a trophy at least after last year. That was, psychologically, very, very important.
"Pat Ryan has done an outstanding job in keeping the players' feet on the ground.
"He has carried himself brilliantly all season, both on and off-the-field.
"His interviews, even after the game, have been very, very grounded. He knows what is at stake and he knows what he's got to do to get the players right."
Tipperary showed their ability to rise to the big occasion when overcoming Kilkenny in a tight clash last time out.
The Premier County have undoubtedly been under the radar after failing to get out of Munster the year previously.
That can be an advantageous position to be in, with the expectation Cork are destined to come out on top given their victories so far in 2025.
Barry-Murphy admits there is no getting away from the feeling his county are the pick for many.
"There is no doubt Cork are favourites," he said.
"Tipperary have done brilliantly this year and I have to acknowledge the job Liam Cahill has done, as they had a very, very disappointing year last year, something he said himself.
"Huge credit to Tipp to come to where they are now. The history of Cork and Tipperary back to even before when I was young, like the 60s and 70s, is incredible.
"It's a massive occasion because, obviously with the way the structure of the game has changed, Cork and Tipp would never have met in an All-Ireland final in those times.
"So it's a very, very unique occasion.
"We know we had the hurt of losing last year so I always think there's a massive motivational factor for players who haven't won one.
"A lot of Tipp players are in the same boat," said the man who won two hurling and two football All-Ireland as a player and added another hurling title as manager in 1999.
"But after the hurt of last year, I think Cork will have a huge incentive to go and do it on Sunday.
"I do really. We all know all these old clichés that you must turn up in the day and you must deliver. To be fair the lads know themselves not enough of our players played to the best of their ability last year.
"I think they will on Sunday and I hope they can."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
5 minutes ago
- Irish Examiner
'You go to Croke Park, you don't show up, you get what comes after that': McLoughlin recalls low of 2014 fall to Tipp
On Sunday, Cork will have four survivors and Tipperary two in their squads from their last and inaugural senior hurling championship meeting in Croke Park. Munster champions Cork were caught cold by a Tipperary team who had stormed their way through the qualifiers and won that All-Ireland semi-final by 10 points. A dire performance 11 years ago hardly has a bearing now, but in front of almost 70,000 people, the vast majority of whom were from Cork, it took a lot of the good away from beating Limerick five weeks earlier. Upon his substitution in the 55th minute, Aidan Walsh apologised to manager Jimmy Barry-Murphy. Nevertheless, it serves as a reminder that being favourites and winning Munster doesn't go a whole way against a team from the province in Croke Park. In the last 10 all-Munster All-Ireland semi-finals or finals, the provincial winners have lost six times. Only Limerick (2020 and twice in '21) and Tipperary in '09 backed up their trophies. 'It was our first Munster in a number of years (eight), so there was obviously a high from that,' recalls Lorcán McLoughlin. 'And then you have to come down to kind of build up again. 'And Tipp just had been through the mill a few times. They'd been in All-Ireland finals a couple of years, and they just had a lot of experience, and they were ready. They hit the ground, and we were flat, and that's what happens. You go to Croke Park, you don't show up, you get what comes after that.' More had been expected after coming so close to emulating the previous All-Ireland success in 2005. 'We were a new team, an inexperienced team, but we got a great run at it from the All-Ireland quarter-finals and you build and build the confidence.' The feeling among the Cork players was dejection, McLoughlin says. 'It's no different to Sunday, where you appreciate the support. When you deliver a performance like that, it's hugely disappointing because outside of losing the game, you kind of realise the effort that supporters put in as well to kind of make that trip up.' Not that the Kanturk man is expecting history to repeat itself on Sunday. 'We've learned a lot from the last 12 months, really. We've learned a lot about the team. I think as supporters, we've learned a lot as well, that no game can be taken for granted. You still have to go and win it and deliver the performance. 'Finals are there to be won and you do whatever you have to do to win a final as well. They delivered a perfect performance, a brilliant performance against Dublin. I don't think anyone they played that day would have beaten them but the final is a new game again. 'I think there's enough there in terms of experience. I think the team are firing. There'll be nothing taken for granted against Tipperary. And there should be nothing taken for granted based on some of the lessons over the last 12 months.'
Extra.ie
5 minutes ago
- Extra.ie
Walter Walsh shares thoughts on semi-final 'ghost point'
Walter Walsh watched his former side just about miss out on a place in the All-Ireland final two weeks ago when Kilkenny fell short against Tipperary in front of a packed Croke Park. However, the match ended with a slight bit of controversy after Tipperary received a 'ghost point' on the scoreboard which was actually flagged as a wide by the referee. The Kilkenny players believed they were three points down and needed a goal to force extra-time, while in fact they were two down instead and could have possibly gone for points from further distances. Walter Walsh believes there would have been no point in calling for a replay. Pic: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile Despite mixed reactions from pundits and former players, Walter Walsh believes it is 'hard to say' whether the mistake defined the outcome of the game with multiple variables at play. Walter told BusinessPlus: 'Look, it's disappointing as a Kilkenny supporter and it definitely affected the way Kilkenny were finishing the game. There's no other way to know the score other than to ask the ref, but it was so frantic, there's no way of asking. You look up at the scoreboard and you see the score and you know, do we need to get a point or a goal? It's as simple as that. 'I don't want to be making excuses as a Kilkenny supporter or anything, but it's just that I had been involved, I would have been—it would have been so hard to take as well because it's something that shouldn't have happened.' Walter is favouring the Rebels in the All-Ireland final. Pic: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile Walter also believes that there would have been no point in calling for a replay as some people did after the game and that it was 'better' just to end the game as they did. He added: 'There was only two weeks to an All-Ireland final, I don't think there would have been time for a replay really, and I don't think anything would have changed, to be honest.' The three-time All-Ireland winner retired from hurling last year. Pic: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile Tipperary will have put the semi-final swiftly behind them as their focus quickly turned towards this Sunday's final showdown against Cork. With wet and thundery conditions forecast, hurling fans could be in for an afternoon of unpredictable entertainment – but Walter believes one side just about has the edge over the other. He said: 'I just think all year I've been kind of tipping Cork. I just think that they have so much firepower going forward, so much quality there, and then even off the bench as well, there's so much pace to come on. I just think they're the best team in the country, and I think that's why they'll win. They have so much talent, it comes down to that. They're so hungry and, like, there's so much hype with them as well. Walter's focus has now shifted to the business world. Pic: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile 'I think it will be a great final and people are saying that Cork are going to win. But like, Tipp are being kind of rolled off all year, and they're proving a lot of supporters wrong all year and could do it again on Sunday.' The three-time All-Ireland winner retired from hurling last year and has already turned his attention towards the business world. Walter established and developed SocialTies with Brendan Kavanagh and edtech Olive Group, the operator of Grinds360, the grinds website in which the former Kilkenny star was an early investor. SocialTies builds localised digital platforms for communities such as GAA clubs and schools that act as a central hub for content, communications, fixtures, results and other information. The idea behind the platform is that all club information is fed into one place, but clubs can also post exclusive content such as competitions, articles and podcasts and generate revenue through advertising.
Irish Times
5 minutes ago
- Irish Times
‘We love you Shane': Lowry's swing breaks the Open silence as tens of thousands descend on Royal Portrush
At the Open Championship on Thursday morning, there is silence. The crowd holds its breath as Shane Lowry approaches the first tee. He takes one practice swing, then another, then prepares to take his shot. Thwack! The ball whooshes past and spectators turn as one following its flight. Their delight explodes into sound: clapping, cheering, shouting. 'Come on Shane! We love you Shane!' READ MORE Six years ago, this course was the scene of the Co Offaly man's lone Major triumph, a fairytale result which saw an Irishman lift the claret jug on the tournament's first return to Ireland since 1951. Now, he strides on past, looking straight ahead to where the course unfolds before him, his head firmly in the game. The Open has begun. Spectators under umbrellas on the first day of the Open Championship at Royal Portrush Golf Club on Thursday. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho From dawn on Thursday, the crowds started filing into the course at Royal Portrush Golf Club, on the north Co Antrim coast. Another former Open champion, Dubliner Pádraig Harrington, had the honour of hitting the first ball of the tournament, at 6.30am. After that, the numbers watching on kept growing, with a total of 50,000 people expected on Thursday and about 270,000 in total over the four days, making it the largest sporting event on the island of Ireland. Ciarán McGuinness (13), from Ballyshannon, Co Donegal, with his brother Michael (11) and their mother, Gráinne As 13-year-old Ciarán McGuinness, from Ballyshannon, Co Donegal, put it: 'We were at the Irish Open a few years ago, but that's like watching a Gaelic club match compared to this. This is like the All-Ireland final in Croke Park.' No wonder then, that this is 'a dream come true' for the chief executive of Tourism Northern Ireland, John McGrillen. 'It's one of the limited opportunities we have on the island of Ireland to host a really world-class annual event.' The estimate is that it will generate more than £200 million (€231 million) for Northern Ireland's economy, between direct economic benefit and marketing impact – and this does not include the longer-term consequences, from the increase in golf tourism – up by almost 66 per since 2019 – to the investment which has seen new, luxury hotels open in Portrush. No wonder, too, that the North's First Minister, Michelle O'Neill, and Deputy First Minister, Emma Little-Pengelly, took the opportunity to visit on Thursday, speaking at a business breakfast before touring the course. Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly and Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O'Neill at Royal Portrush. Photograph: Brian Lawless/PA Wire 'It showcases all that's good about us,' Ms O'Neill said. 'I think it very much sends a message that we're open for business, and I think when people tune in and see this beautiful part of the world, they'll know that the island is amazing, they should want to come here, and we will very much be promoting that message.' [ Open 2025: The five Irish players who will tee it up at Royal Portrush Opens in new window ] In Nashville, Tennessee, that message has been heard loud and clear. The Holland family are at the Open on what is their first visit to Ireland. 'We live on a gated golf course at home, and our street name is Portrush, named after Royal Portrush, so that was another reason we decided, when we were talking about a family trip for the summer, it felt fitting that we go to Portrush,' says mother Andrea. The Holland family, Andrea, Adam, Austin and Aidan, from Nashville, Tennessee The new direct flight from Nashville to Dublin was also a bonus, she explains. All big fans of Rory McIlroy, the 2014 Open winner, the Hollands plan to travel back to the airport via his hometown of Holywood, Co Down. 'It's nice here,' says Andrea's son Aidan. 'The food's good, the weather – it's like 100 degrees Fahrenheit back home, so this feels perfect, and it's all very pretty, with all the hills. And being on the coast is beautiful,' adds Andrea. Despite the torrential rain which erupted at midday, out on the course at Royal Portrush it feels like a world apart, not least from the tensions which often grab the headlines in Northern Ireland in the summer. [ The Open timings 'adjusted' to accommodate Portrush Sons of Ulster event Opens in new window ] Even within the world of sport, this week there was sectarian chanting by Linfield fans at a Champions League qualifying match against Shelbourne FC at Windsor Park, and in Comber, Co Down, a cross-community sports camp was called off after some local residents expressed concerns about the participation of children from a GAA club. While there are flags here too, fluttering from the top of stand that rings the 18th green, they represent countries from all over the world; here, the Irish Tricolour, the Scottish Saltire and the English cross of St George fly side by side. Seamus McQuillan and his son Stephen, from Co Monaghan 'Every flag should be respected and honoured, and when you come to golf, that's always the case,' says Naoimh Quigg, a former captain of the Irish women's golf team and lady captain at Royal Portrush. 'There's no division in golf.' 'When you see a mural of an Offaly man on a wall in Portrush, it says a lot about where things have gone in the last number of years, so I think it's great to see,' says Stephen McQuillan from Co Monaghan, who is here to watch the tournament with his father, Seamus. Both are big Lowry fans and remember the significance of his victory in 2019. 'The reception he got when he won it, it was for all of Ireland, it wasn't just for North or South,' he adds. The hope on the course this time is for another Irish winner. 'We're like everyone,' says McQuillan. 'You want to see McIlroy do it.'
