Tipp legend hailed as 'some craic' as RTE kickstart build-up to hurling final
The Premier County icon appeared alongside Cork hero Tomas Mulcahy in the early stages of tonight's program which begins the build-up to the All-Ireland hurling final that will be contested by the two sides.
Hayes was in great form as he bantered with Mulcahy about their battles down through the years, and when Mulcahy mentioned Hayes' new set of teeth which he got 'from Turkey', Hayes responded by saying those Cork teams of yester-years had plenty of unofficial orthodontists who charged nothing for a spot of on the field dental work.
The Tipp legend's appearance went down a storm with fans, who flocked to social media platform X to sing the praises of Hayes:
"Joe Hayes is one gas man. Absolute beaut of a character! Up Cork tho, Joe," wrote one Rebel supporter.
"My God,wouldn't you love to have a pint or two with Joe Hayes," posted another fan.
"Joe Hayes is some craic," said another user, while Tipperary fan Shane Brophy reckons Hayes' fine form is a good omen of things to come on Sunday: "If we start tomorrow like Joe Hayes has started tonight...we'll be in business."
"As if Joe Hayes couldn't be any cooler he's repping a Dillon Quirke foundation jersey. Legend," wrote another fan.
The jersey in question was a special Tipperary top with the Dillon Quirke foundation logo on the centre of the jersey. The foundation was set up in Quirke's name after the young Tipperary hurler passed away during a match with his club in 2022 due to Sudden Adult Death Syndrome.
Between its inception and the end of 2024, the foundation had provided over 10,000 heart screening tests for people.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
From day one this season, Bevans saw something 'different' about Tipperary
Tipperary coach Mikey Bevans believes the effort which players made to become "more connected" this season was a key factor in their All-Ireland winning campaign. "People were asking about what was different this year," Bevans said on The Sunday Game. "I think the effort the players made to get more connected to each other, to help each other out; we got that sense the very day we went back training, that there was something different about them. They made a huge effort to bond with each other a lot better." That connection was exemplified by the support which Darragh McCarthy received after he was sent off against Cork in the Munster SHC and against Kilkenny in the All-Ireland semi-final. "Even after the first sending off against Cork, I'd say that the 40 men on the panel texted me to after," McCarthy said after the game, "meeting up with Jake Morris, he texted me the following morning, 'Here, we'll go for a coffee', just to get back around the lads again. They're all just so good. "What they've done for me there the last day again, they looked after me there. Oisín (O'Donoghue), one of my good friends, looked after me there as well with that goal. I have no words for him." Bevans said it wasn't just McCarthy who received that type of support. "Mikey Corcoran got a bad injury during the week and everybody had his back," he said, "just so many examples of it that they just came together off the pitch. When you're doing that off the pitch then it just transfers to the game you're playing." Bryan O'Mara playing as a sweeper was another key to Tipp's victory. Bevans thought his side played their own version of that plus one tune. "We were speaking about that during the week," said Bevans, "it's really just about numbers, whether you have an extra player at the back or whether you have a player running forward it doesn't really matter. It's just the way you play the game after that so we'd like to think we just put our own stamp on it, especially in the second half the players just kind of let it flow and came up with their own style of a plus one if you like. "They really just showed what good hurlers they are first of all, how connected they are to each other. They were supporting each other all the time which is a sign of a really good hurling team."
The Irish Sun
an hour ago
- The Irish Sun
‘I'm the lucky one' – Ronan Maher shows true colours with classy gesture to Tipperary teammates after winning GAA award
RONAN MAHER was named Man of the Match following the All-Ireland final - and dedicated the gong to his Tipperary teammates. The towering Advertisement 2 Ronan Maher captained Tipperary to the All-Ireland hurling title Credit: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile 2 He named Man of the Match on The Sunday Game It came after an Maher did more than his part in the comeback, keeping Brian Hayes - who had scored a hat-trick in Cork's semi-final win over Dublin - under wraps. But speaking from the winner's hotel on He said: "It is absolutely unbelievable. Advertisement Read More on GAA "It is what we all dream about, is coming up to Croke Park and putting in a good performance. "Someone asked me earlier on there what we done at half time but I think the group as a collective were really, really calm and we knew what we needed to do in the second-half. "It is an honour for me to captain this group of people. The players, the management, the backroom team. "I am the lucky one standing up here today. Everybody put in a savage shift today. Advertisement Most read in GAA Hurling Comment "Even the lads that didn't get onto the field today, everybody there was trememendous throughout the year. "It is a good honest bunch of people here and couldn't be happier or prouder standing in front of them." Ronan Maher pays tribute to Dillon Quirke after Tipperary GAA win All-Ireland final Maher got visibly emotional when host Joanne Cantwell revealed he had written himself into a special chapter of history . A proud Thurles Sarsfields man, the two-time All Star has dreamed of joining the club's Hall of Fame. Advertisement In an And now that he is part of that very exclusive club, Maher couldn't help but smile from ear-to-ear. He added: "It is a dream come true really. Advertisement "Liam Cahill spoke to me at the start of the year and I was absolutely privileged to get the job again. "I didn't think I would and I have him to thank for that. "The picture on that wall is my screensaver for the last two or three years. "It is something I have been looking forward to, getting up there and it is unbelievable. Advertisement "I couldn't be prouder as a Thurles Sarsfields man and as a Tipperary man to go up on the wall. "I couldn't do it without these lads down here so it is unbelievable."
The 42
2 hours ago
- The 42
'I never flinched at any stage on the line once he was across my chest'
LET'S START AT the end, for a change. At the post-match press briefing, Michael Breen chatted for a bit. Then Liam Cahill. Then Jason Forde. Liam Cahill said his bit and fancied escaping the vacuum of craic that is the GAA press corps and getting in among the yahoo-ing and cheering again of the dressing room. But he wanted to finish like a good Joe Dolan gig – leave 'em sweating. So he thanked the media gathered there for all the support over the previous twelve months. A little background to the final pay-off line. At one point when things were going very badly for Tipp, the sports editor of the Nenagh Guardian, Shane Brophy, asked him after a match if he was the man to lead Tipperary forward. Cahill didn't like the question and there was a tense few moments, caught on camera and recycled on social media. Later, he called up Brophy to do a two-hour sitdown interview with him back in February. But he finished up his gratitude; 'And it's great to be back this year,' he said with a thumbs up to a delighted and content Brophy. Liam MacCarthy in the bag a year after Shane Brophy, and perhaps all of Tipperary outside of Cahill's family and the majority of players – you'll never keep all of the panel entirely happy – felt this man hadn't a rashers what he was at. It has to be the sweetest All-Ireland ever. Enough to rot every tooth in your head. 'It was about bringing back a bit of identity to our play,' Cahill explained. Advertisement '2024, we just didn't contest in the jersey the way we should have. I keep saying that and I'm not going to go there after today because for me it's in the past now. 'We started at a very low base, all of us, management, the whole support team, players. And we just started to go game by game, bit by bit, and suddenly these younger players really started to integrate into the more seasoned players. Alan Tynan, Craig Morgan and Conor Stakelum celebrate. Ryan Byrne / INPHO Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO 'Suddenly you had serious options and then the momentum of our under-20s winning the All-Ireland and it starts to take off. I'm just very, very fortunate to be from Tipperary and to have the talented group of players that were there.' He adds, 'Look, we've arrived now. It's easy I suppose to be the hunter going after teams and now it's going to turn to us being the hunted so it's going to see a different side to management and our prep and our mindset going into next year, which is not for now.' On the way up to Croke Park, a text landed with Cahill from Dan Quirke, father of the late Dillon Quirke, wishing the team of his son, good luck. He responded by saying that Dillon would be on their shoulders this day, regardless of the result. 'He should be with us today,' adds Cahill, 'but the legacy he's leaving and the work that he's doing to save lives across Ireland at the moment through his name and the foundation is just incredible. 'And today I never flinched at any stage on the line once he was across my chest, I knew that we would be battling right to the end. I'm just so proud to have had an input into his life for the for the short number of years he was with us.' Perhaps that's a point that is rarely considered in all of this. For a great number of players on the Tipperary panel, Dillon Quirke was one of their closest friends. When you lose somebody like that in your life, the body keeps the score. It can affect you in many ways. Your appetite for hurling might take a while to return as it used to. But now it's back. Playing a sweeper in hurling is somehow regarded as being conservative. But used in the right way, it allows teams to play with even more aggression. Cahill is not a backward-step kinda guy. If he was, he might have held Darragh McCarthy on the bench, given his two red cards this season. Instead, the kid hits 1-13 including a penalty in his first All-Ireland final. At just 19. Darragh McCarthy scores his penalty. Ryan Byrne / INPHO Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO 'That's the class of the man,' says Cahill. 'You know, we produce legendary players like Jason and Eoin Kelly and Callanan and all these. And some of them, they can't be hanging around forever and you'll say where are you going to find the next one out? And suddenly up pops McCarthy, 19 years of age – he's now arrived on the scene. 'But from a serious club up there in Toomevara – them fellas up there would eat you alive. So, there was never going to be a case of Darragh's character being questioned or he doubting himself. 'He just loves his hurling. And when you love hurling like that, you get your rewards – and he got his just reward today and I'm really, really happy for him.' * Check out the latest episode of The42′s GAA Weekly podcast here
