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Irish Daily Mirror
15 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Redemption song for McCarthy and Cahill as Tipp rule again
REDEMPTION. That was the story of Sunday's All-Ireland hurling final. Twice this summer Darragh McCarthy left the field with red cards. On Sunday the 19-year-old left Croke Park with 1-13 to his name and the Liam MacCarthy cup after Tipp's 3-27 to 1-18 demolition of Cork. Redemption too for Liam Cahill. The season began with some critics questioning his methods. It ends with an All-Ireland after one of the greatest second half displays ever witnessed on Jones's Road. It was the first time Tipperary had beaten Cork in a senior Championship final since 1991. The famine is over, just not the one everyone expected. For Tipp a 29th All-Ireland, for Cork the pain goes on. They came into the game as unbackable favourites on the back of a seven-goal humbling of Dublin, looking to add Liam MacCarthy to League and Munster titles and end a 20 year wait. But this was never going to be a walkover. And there were clear warnings from the past. Brian Murphy wrote in the match programme about the 2018 Under-21 Championship when Cork dismantled Tipp in Munster only to come undone in the final against a Premier side managed by Cahill. Darragh Fitzgibbon, Shane Kingston, Mark Coleman, Declan Dalton, Tim O'Mahony and Niall O'Leary were among that Cork underage team. Eoghan Connolly and Conor Stakelum were in blue and gold. Once again they all faced each other in an All-Ireland decider. Once again Cork were expected to win. Once again Tipp took home the cup. Cork dejected (Image: Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne) The day began with a sea of red and white descending on the capital in expectation. It was the kind of day when newspaper editors send photographers out to capture the magic and mayhem of the fans. The kind of day the late Mick O'Neill when would've made hay with his camera on Jones's Road. Hats, flags, headbands were on sale from makeshift stalls. Ponchos too as the clouds gathered, but never burst. John Allen was Cork manager the last time Liam MacCarthy rested on Leeside in 2005. On Sunday morning he read a piece on RTÉ Radio One's Sunday Miscellany about the dressingroom energy in the moments before the players are called onto the pitch. 'Those moments of concentration just before the match begins, when all the preparation is done... The final words dispensed. Quiet. Deliberate. Nothing more to be said.' Cork were out first yesterday, hitting the turf right on the stroke of three o'clock, warming up at the Hill 16 end, ready to bare their souls for the ultimate prize. Tipp followed soon afterwards. Michael D Higgins got an almighty cheer as he met the teams ahead of his last hurling final as president. Next year it will be someone else on the red carpet. At 37 Patrick Horgan is just about old enough to run for the Áras and still young enough to run the show for Cork. Much of the pre-match talk had been about his and Cork's want and they got off to the better start. Horgan, the pride of Cork's northside chasing his first Celtic Cross at 37 years of age, settling any nerves with an early free. When the two sides met at Páirc Uí Chaoimh in April, the day ended in tears for McCarthy after an early red card tilted the balance heavily in Cork's favour. Sunday was different. Very different. McCarthy was moving freely and causing problems for the Rebels, while Cork's much-vaunted full-forward line of Horgan, Alan Connolly and Brian Hayes were not firing like before. Ronan Maher was depriving Hayes of primary ball, but Horgan kept the scoreboard ticking over for the favourites and the Rebels held the early advantage. We expected goals and they came, but the 82,000-plus at Croker yesterday had to wait until the stroke of half-time when Shane Barrett fired to the net for the first. Cork led by six at the break. The Promised Land was in sight. And then it wasn't. Tipp came out swinging, quickly reducing the six-point deficit, before John McGrath's goal sent a shockwave through the stadium. Cork goalkeeper Patrick Collins will not want to watch it back. RTÉ had 22 TV cameras at the game, many of them seemed to be trained on Pat Ryan and the Cork bench as the game slipped away from them to a chorus of 'Tipp, Tipp, Tipp'. A penalty from McCarthy in the 54th minute put Tipp six clear. An outrageous flick to the net from John McGrath six minutes later put them out of sight and a point from the veteran Noel McGrath in injury time put the cherry on top. Despair for Cork. Another year without Liam MacCarthy. Nothing more to be said. Tipperary's John McGrath scores his sides third goal (Image: ©INPHO/Bryan Keane) As he collected the cup, Ronan Maher paid tribute to the late Dillon Quirke, another from that 2018 Under-20 team saying: "You were in our hearts, we hope we did you and your family proud today." He paid tribute to Cahill too and shouted, "Liam MacCarthy is coming home" before Bruce Springsteen's Glory Days rang out. McCarthy admitted there was never any doubt in the Tipp dressingroom, even when Cork were leading by six at the break. 'The conversation was all positive. We kinda planned for that. We kinda said, 'If we're five, six down at half-time we're not going to panic. We know what we're capable of,' he said. 'We've come back from worse margins before. We won't panic. If we play our game the way we know we can play, we're capable of beating any team. Stick to the process.' They did. And then some. In the aftermath of his sending off against Cork earlier in the summer, McCarthy's phone was hopping with all 40 members of the panel texting the teenager that night to make sure he was okay. You can be sure his phone was hopping again last night.
The Irish Sun
20 hours ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Tipperary GAA pay ultimate tribute to Dillon Quirke on All-Ireland final day as Liam Cahill achieves hurling redemption
LIAM CAHILL looked to the sky with tears in his eyes when Ronan Maher honoured Dillon Quirke from the steps of the Hogan Stand. Maher was in the moment he dreamt of, with the 5 Tipperary won the All-Ireland hurling title Credit: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile 5 Ronan Maher dedicated the victory to Dillon Quirke Credit: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile 5 Tipperary players and brothers, from left, Brian McGrath, Noel McGrath and John McGrath celebrate with family and the Liam MacCarthy Cup Credit: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile These days create memories for a lifetime, but conjure a painful grief for those we've lost. And Tipp lost one of their own. Since then he's been the silent driver for those left behind. Maher had to pause when he mentioned his friend as Read More on GAA He said: 'We carried your spirit with us every step of the way. 'You were in the dressing room , you were on the field of play, you were in our hearts . 'And we hope we did you and your family proud today.' Most read in GAA Hurling Cahill looked down at the Dillon Quirke Foundation logo on his chest when Cahill said: 'Dillon is with us every day. Liam Cahill speaks to RTE after Tipperary GAA win All-Ireland final 'When we started out on this journey in 2023, we were all hit with that devastating tragedy of what happened to Dillon. 'I was 50 yards from it, the day it happened in Semple Stadium, and I'll never forget it and it had a huge effect on our dressing room. 'It had a huge effect and it was a really difficult year, 2023 and 2024, everybody trying to cope with it in their own way. Today I got a text from Dan, his dad, coming up the road to wish me luck and I just said that Dillon will be on all our shoulders today, regardless of the result. 'He should be with us today, 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 short time he was with us.' TEEN TITAN An hour before throw-in, Noel McGrath wandered on to the Croke Park pitch with Quirke's name and the No 24 on his jersey . A reminder of just how young the Clonoulty-Rossmore man was. The crowds weren't in yet when their stalwart went through an imaginary play in front of the Davin Stand. Just over two hours later, he nailed the insurance score between the same posts to bag his fourth Celtic Cross. Darragh McCarthy, 19, fired 1-13 on a day of redemption, as he banished memories of his Cahill's trust in the Toomevara teenager was richly repaid, while John McGrath, 30, did his thing all over again and netted twice. Tipp have been through so many nightmares that few believed in fairytales. The script for this final was written well in advance and Cork's ascendancy to the throne was seemingly set in stone. The 20-year famine would end, and all-time Championship scorer Patrick Horgan would finally get his All-Ireland medal at 37. Cahill looked down at the Dillon Quirke Foundation logo on his chest when Cork raced six points ahead on the stroke of half-time and knew his men would fight until the end. Jason Byrne This would be Cork's day, their time was now. They said Tipp would give them a game. Instead, they gave them a walloping. Alan Connolly and Brian Hayes only got a point each as Maher shackled the latter to perfection. Shane Barrett lit up HQ with a dazzling first half that yielded 1-3, but the show was over after that as Cork self-combusted, failing to get their hitmen on the ball. Barrett's goal, right on half-time, felt like a suckerpunch for Tipp, as he lashed the ball past Rhys Shelly into the bottom corner. John McGrath had hit the net a minute earlier but it was chalked off for a square ball — and the six-point swing seemed decisive. Shelly exchanged heated words with Horgan after the goal, and at half-time there were outbreaks of handbags in the tunnel. 5 Noel McGrath of Tipperary celebrates a late point after the GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship final Credit: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile Tipp returned to the pitch to the sound of AC/DC blaring over the tannoy and were kept waiting a good three minutes by the Rebels. But Cork were about to be thunderstruck as Tipp went from six down to seven up in a flash. It was an awesome half of hurling, beyond Tipp fans' wildest dreams. They reeled off 1-5 without reply to take the lead and never looked back. John McGrath's luck changed when Patrick Collins stopped a long-range Jake Morris effort for a point and the Loughmore-Castleiney man pounced on the loose ball and calmly ushered it into the net. It seemed to take him an eternity to lift the ball as Cork's players looked on in horror but, for anyone who has seen this guy play, the outcome was never in doubt. DOWNEY 'N' OUT The dream Rebel day turned into a nightmare when Eoin Downey fouled McGrath and was sent off for a second yellow. McCarthy converted from the spot, glanced at Cahill and smiled. Three minutes later, Horgan trudged off and was replaced by Conor Lehane as another summer without the big one slipped away. A tale of two legends saw Noel McGrath enter the fray, and an already ravenous Tipp attack was sharpened. Fans of both teams could not quite believe what they were seeing. The roars of 'Tipp, Tipp, Tipp' grew even louder when John McGrath, outside the square this time, outjumped Seán O'Donoghue and flicked home their third goal. 5 Michael Breen of Tipperary celebrates with his girlfriend, Irish Olympian, Sharlene Mawdsley and the Liam MacCarthy Cup Credit: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile The red tide headed for the exits, and many of them were gone when goalkeeper Shelly got in on the act with a point from 100 yards before lapping up the moment. To make things even worse for Cork, Shelly then saved Lehane's stoppage-time penalty after Hayes was fouled by Maher. It summed up Cork's day. Noel McGrath provided the perfect ending for Tipp, teenager McCarthy setting up his childhood hero for a classy point. Cork will be back, but losing five finals on the bounce is a pain that will be hard to heal. The 2025 showpiece joins their losing efforts in 2006, 2013, 2021 and 2024 — and the famine ticks into year 21. They spoke about Pat Ryan walking on the River Lee but Cahill is the Messiah now, and has proved them all wrong once for all. The Tipp gaffer was under enormous pressure a year ago after his beloved Premier had failed to win a single game in the Munster Championship. The locals had turned away in droves. A dark winter ensued, filled with sleepless nights, as the public questioned if he was the man to lead this team forward. The critics have been silenced, the doubts have been banished. And his players can sleep soundly, safe in the knowledge that they did their departed friend proud.
Extra.ie
a day ago
- Sport
- Extra.ie
The Rebels are the favourites for good reason as All-Ireland count-down draws to a close
Unfortunately for Patrick Horgan, sport doesn't do sentiment. Otherwise, he would have won that elusive Celtic Cross by now. It just jars that a player of his talent, longevity, and technical ability – the 37-year-old's senior involvement with the Rebels dates back to 2008 – has no All-Ireland medal to his name. At least not yet. Especially when you think that he has long since passed out, Christy Ring, one of the true titans of the game, as Cork's top Championship scorer. He also remains just out in front of another of the game's 30-something figureheads in Kilkenny's TJ Reid as hurling's all-time top Championship scorer. Patrick Horgan. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile It's testament to Horgan's love for the game that he remains part of the most vaunted inside line trio in inter-county hurling right now. Alan Connolly scooped the official Man of the Match award after the semi-final against Dublin. And it's hard to begrudge a player who scores a hat-trick in such a high-stakes game the honour. But to this eye, Brian Hayes was the best Cork attacker on the pitch—the touchstone for the team's attacking ambitions. Alan Connolly. Pic: ©INPHO/Leah Scholes It's his target-man presence that the other two feed off. What makes him so hard to mark is that he often doesn't even attempt to catch the ball. Instead, he has the height and then the added reach with those long arms to stun or deflect the ball into a teammate who is invariably coming at full tilt. One example from early in the semi-final, where he tilted the hurley at an angle so the ball would slide off to a runner, was sublime. And yet, again to this eye, Tim O'Mahony was the stand-out Cork player in the semi-final. The forward line benefited so much from his ability to drift into a pocket of space and pick up a puck-out or a defensive pass and send a long first-time delivery into the attack. Tim O'Mahony. Pic: Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile One no-look switch pass in the second half just opened up Dublin completely. Thundering through for a couple of goals shows the threat that Tipperary have to manage, before they start with O'Mahony's midfield partner, Darragh Fitzgibbon, who is just hitting peak form at the right time. Willie Connors and Conor Stakelum, in particular, did very well at times against Kilkenny and Tipperary, with Alan Tynan to come in and Sam O'Farrell, who is so comfortable working across the entire middle third from wing-forward, where he is named. And Tipperary will learn so much from how Cork opened up Dublin. The latter's full-back line were left badly exposed by a halfback line who got suckered into following their men – the wandering Diarmuid Healy, Shane Barrett and Declan Dalton – out to midfield. At times, there was 40 or 50 metres of space for Cork to play the ball in front o f their inside line. Cork vs Tipperary. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile It's hard to see Liam Cahill allowing a similar situation to unfold. The likes of O'Farrell is a natural wing-back and will no doubt be working up and down the channels to squeeze the space. Ronan Maher has the physical attributes to go to war with Brian Hayes, and Tipperary will be loath to shift Eoghan Connolly out of six after he was so solid defensively against Kilkenny and even stole forward to launch three quality points. Connolly is equally comfortable in the full-back line, though, and Michael Breen has the legs for Alan Connolly if Tipperary want to go that way. So the match-ups when the ball is thrown in will be fascinating. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile And that's the thing. So many more questions surround how Tipperary will handle different elements of this Cork team. Cork are bidding to end a 20-year wait without an All-Ireland win, having last won in 2005. Their previous longest gap was 16 years between 1903 and 1919. It's easy to forget that while Cork are league and Munster champions and go in search of a clean sweep of major honours this year, Tipperary have the All-Ireland medal winners within the respective squads. Ronan Maher. Michael Breen. The McGrath brothers. Jason Forde. Jake Morris. Willie Connors. When you think back to 2013 and that All-Ireland final against Clare, it was Horgan's stunning point – all wrists in a tight space – that looked like it was destined to win the decider by a point. Manager Jimmy Barry-Murphy could be spotted in the embrace of his management team as the final whistle looked set to blow. What nobody expected was Clare corner-back Domhnall O'Donovan to steal up and pop an equaliser and force a replay. JBM is actually part of the BBC punditry panel for this afternoon's live coverage, having done a podcast with Thomas Niblock and the GAA Social earlier this summer. He won't be stuck for words. The Munster champions are favourites for a reason. The 20-year wait to feel worth it in the end.
Irish Independent
3 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Taoiseach Micheál Martin hails ‘magical' year for hurling as Cork and Tipp face Croke Park showdown
His comments came as gardaí urged people to drive with care over the weekend as over 120,000 people are expected to travel to Dublin for the match - almost 40,000 of whom have no tickets for Croke Park. Gardaí urged people to allow sufficient time for travel - as virtually all bus and rail services from Cork and Tipperary to Dublin are booked out. Dublin hotels are similarly almost at capacity. Traffic concerns have focused on the fact the vast majority of Cork and Tipperary fans intend to travel to Croke Park on Sunday morning - and virtually all will share the same route into Dublin. Mr Martin acknowledged that Cork has enjoyed enormous support as the Rebel County seeks to end its 20 year All Ireland hurling drought. Over 60,000 Cork fans travelled to Dublin two weeks ago for the semi-final clash with Dublin - with Croke Park having an 82,300 capacity. "I don't wish to predict in advance or put any pressure on our team (Cork)," the Cork South Central TD said. "I think it has been a wonderful year of hurling so far. It has been joyful to witness the extraordinary Cork crowds who have attended every game. "I think Cork have proven themselves in terms of resilience - it was a heartbreaking year last year." Mr Martin is a lifelong Gaelic games fan and plans to attend the hurling final on Sunday, having attended virtually all Cork matches this season. ADVERTISEMENT "It was a wonderful year but they just came up short at the end (2024)," he said. "I hope for the players they will want to do it for themselves. They put huge effort in - to be an inter-county player today requires incredible sacrifice from themselves, their families and their partners. "Again, particularly the players we all know - the household names - who in my view deserve to have an All Ireland medal. We wish the very best for them." Cork is not only bidding to win their first All Ireland since 2005 but is determined to win a Celtic Cross medal for legendary forward, Pat Horgan, considered by many to be the greatest hurler of the modern era not to have won an All Ireland. "It is wonderful to see the young people and children dream again - we all remember from our own young days the iconic images of a particular captain lifting a cup," the Taoiseach added. "What it brings to a city and county - I have no doubt that Sunday will enable many more young people to dream that someday they will be in Croke Park in an All Ireland final. That is the magic of it.
Irish Examiner
4 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Joe Hayes: 'I wish that the GAA would look after the past players better'
Former players should be entitled to purchase more tickets when their counties reach All-Ireland finals, says Tipperary's two-time All-Ireland SHC winner Joe Hayes. In both Tipperary and Cork, previous All-Ireland winners have been allowed to buy two tickets for Sunday's game. In Cork, senior medal holders were issued with emails from the county board informing them they have the option of purchasing two, while in Tipperary, the Celtic Cross winners were directed to make contact with their board. Hayes is adamant their allocations should be increased for what they contributed to the GAA in previous years. 'The general conversation is tickets and it's chaotic, really' he told the Irish Examiner. 'It's not enjoyable, parts of it. I wish that the GAA would look after the past players better. 'There was a very poor allocation for the past players. These were players that did it all in the past, brought 60,000 to Thurles, and they're under pressure to get tickets for family members and people. So far, the GAA has let us down and I'm really disappointed.' Hayes fully accepts that the demand for tickets far outstrips supply, but maintains those amateur players who contributed to the GAA coffers in the past can't be forgotten. "I know there are loads out there and they will be giving them to GAA people anyway, but appreciation in life is a nice thing, and the GAA do take the players for granted. These lads playing on Sunday will be begging for tickets the same way we are in 10 or 20 years's time.' The Clonoulty-Rossmore man was part of the 1989 and '91 All-Ireland winning groups, the second of which had their jubilee celebrations in 2016. Although Tipperary later beat Kilkenny in the final, his recollection of the day is a mixed one. 'The ticket allocation was disgraceful, really. The tickets were so bad that you couldn't see the scoreboard. I thought it was very disappointing for players that contributed to the game.' The quality of tickets issued to All-Ireland jubilee teams has been raised as an issue before, while the timing of their presentation to the crowd has been a difficulty for some teams. Two years ago, Offaly lobbied for their 1998 All-Ireland winning hurlers to be announced at half-time rather than before the game. A 2.45pm time, 15 minutes before the participating took to the field, was the compromise. Hayes said the Gaelic Players Association should be doing more for former players on the issue of All-Ireland final tickets. 'I think we should have a past players' association where we fight for our rights.'
