Latest news with #DillonQuirke
The Irish Sun
21-07-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
‘Incredible day' – RTE's Des Cahill makes heartfelt gesture to Dillon Quirke as tragic ace remembered at final
DES Cahill spoke for many hurling fans when he posited that the 2025 All-Ireland final will be remembered as "the Dillon Quirke final". Despite his premature death in 2022, Quirke 3 The former Sunday Game host was touched by the tributes paid by captain Ronan Maher and manager Liam Cahill Credit: @RTE_GUIDE 3 Dillon Quirke died during a match in 2022 from Sudden Adult Death Syndrome 3 Sunday provided vindication for Liam Cahill after their 2024 struggles Captain Ronan Maher He emphasized: "To one player who's no longer with us but is so much a big part of who we are: Dillon Quirke. "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. "We hope we did you and your family proud today." Read More On GAA As the 29-year-old's words rang out around Croke Park his boss Liam Cahill was shown by Reflecting on the occasion as a whole, Cahill remarked that that will be the abiding memory for viewers nationwide. He predicted: "An incredible day for Tipperary GAA - so many wonderful memories. "But for me, the way Ronan Maher and Liam Cahill spoke so beautifully about this young man, many people may remember it as the Dillon Quirke final." Most read in GAA Hurling There was also a lovely moment on the BBC's coverage where At one point, Liam Cahill speaks to RTE after Tipperary GAA win All-Ireland final When Cahill raised his arm in celebration, the players let out a massive roar before swarming their beloved boss. Conor Stakelum was particularly enthusiastic, grabbing Cahill in a playful headlock before the mass of bodies dragged the gaffer away. Liam MacCarthy was clinched after Speaking moments after the final whistle to The 47-year-old said: "So thrilled for that group of players and management and everybody that has been involved in our journey this year." He also "My mother probably has the rosary beads swallowed at this stage and my father probably has the cows milked three times with nervousness. "Just so thrilled for everybody. Supporters, the whole shebang."
Irish Times
20-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Darragh McCarthy's redemption song soundtracks extraordinary Tipperary All-Ireland victory over Cork
All-Ireland SHC Final: Tipperary 3-27 Cork 1-18 There had been much emphasis on how much Cork would benefit from hard-earned lessons in previous All-Ireland finals and by half-time, all that adversity looked like it had been well invested. A Shane Barrett goal in injury-time put them six points ahead going in for the break. To most present, that was enough to suggest that the match, if not over, was on a course that would be hard to alter. Beware easy consensus. Former Tipperary player John O'Dwyer was doing a spot of punditry at half-time and breezily asserted that he could see his county getting a couple of goals and winning. Bravado, surely? In a tumultuous second half, Bubbles was proved a prophet and Cork's fervent hopes of ending 20 years of drawing blanks and taking Liam MacCarthy home to Leeside. READ MORE What actually happened defied explanation, let alone foresight. Tipperary simply took the match away from their opponents and refused to yield control for the rest of the final. [ Tipperary player ratings: Darragh McCarthy shines on famous day at Croke Park Opens in new window ] [ Cork player ratings: Shane Barrett starts strong but too many fail to reach final crescendo Opens in new window ] The inspirational Ronan Maher, who quelled Cork's leading Hurler of the Year contender Brian Hayes and moved himself to the top of the betting, ended up lifting the Liam MacCarthy Cup, and in a moving speech referencing their late team-mate Dillon Quirke. There were so many heroes on the Tipp team in an outstanding collective display. Nineteen-year-old Darragh McCarthy has had a baptism of fire this year. Brought in at the start of the league, he was entrusted with free-taking duties and broke off to play in the All-Ireland winning under-20 team as a warm-up for senior championship. Tipperary's Ronan Maher celebrates the final whistle. Photograph: Morgan Treacy/Inpho Two high-profile red cards had raised question marks over his temperament, or at least his tackle technique after loose striking saw him sent off for the last 10 minutes of the semi-final against Kilkenny. This weekend he answered any doubts about his readiness for the top level of the game. Fifteen attempts at scores yielded 1-13 – just one wide from play in the second half spoiled a pristine return – and his impeccable free-taking, nine from nine, marked a monumental display in a first senior All-Ireland final. It included ice-cold composure for a penalty strike after John McGrath was taken down in the 55th minute. [ The anatomy of a collapse – how Cork managed to lose the second half by 3-14 to 0-2 Opens in new window ] For the second All-Ireland decider running, Cork were outscored three goals to one and undone by that concession. In the second half they were outscored 3-14 to 0-2. Tipps full forwards weren't as celebrated in the raising of green flags as their opponents coming into the final but they had shown plenty of lethal intent along the way. Four goals saw off Kilkenny in the semi-final, which mightn't have equalled Cork's seven against Dublin but each of them had to be chiselled out of a tough surface and helped to turn around the match. Ditto, the four they dug out in Ennis during a vital Munster set-to with their All-Ireland predecessors Clare. Tipperary's Ronan Maher lifts the Liam MacCarthy Cup. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho This hadn't looked altogether likely in the first half, although in a portent of what was to come Jason Forde got a touch to a long-distance free from Eoghan Connolly to send it to the net, but referee Liam Gordon disallowed the goal for a square-ball infraction. Otherwise, the Cork full backs were well in command. They were playing with the advantage of a big wind, which complicated scoring into the northern end. Tipperary had nine wides during the first half and although shot selection and execution were questionable in some cases, the second half cast it in a new light – as had been the case with the Donegal footballers a week previously. The leakage of scoring chances was frustrating for Liam Cahill's team because tactically and individually they had done a fine job in restricting Cork's feared full forwards. Willie Connors dropped to wing back, where he had a superb match at the heart of nearly everything disruptive, liberating Bryan O'Mara as the plus-one defender, which he executed to perfection. Unlike the Páirc Uí Chaoimh matches when Cork scored seven goals in the league final and Munster round robin, there was no easy space to be exploited. Cork's Patrick Horgan. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho Sam O'Farrell came to centrefield with Darragh McCarthy floating out from the full forward line. Ironically, they might well have run the same playbook in May but for the latter's red card before the match started. Cork manager Pat Ryan pointed out that even if his full forwards were on tighter rations, the half forwards were able to take advantage. Diarmuid Healy and Barrett helped themselves to 1-6 and there were six points in it at half-time, 1-16 to 0-13. Lively scores, picked off to keep their opponents under pressure. Declan Dalton threw in another of his huge frees. After a sequence of feisty Tipp defence in the 21st minute, Patrick Horgan was on hand to loft over the squirming ball for a three-point lead. [ Liam Cahill: 'Fortune favours the brave and our hurlers were really brave today' Opens in new window ] A mark of the current Tipp team, as rebuilt by Cahill, is a refusal to throw in their cards. They kept the scores down and swallowed the frustration of missing so many of their own chances. Maybe the first sign of Cork's unease came when Horgan hit a straightforward free wide just after half-time. The referral to Hawk-Eye only prolonged the awkwardness. This was followed by a rallying point from Conor Stakelum, who had provided three similar scores when the semi-final had not been going well. But this was more than token defiance. It started a run on the scoreboard that Cork could not arrest. An unanswered 1-5 convulsed the match. Andrew Ormond, quiet in the first half, popped up with two in rapid succession. Tipperary's John McGrath celebrates scoring a goal. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho The real instrument of destruction though was John McGrath, whose return to form this year was such a feature of Tipperary's All-Ireland run. Capitalising on a Jake Morris shot that came back off the post, he calmly set about regathering the ball among defenders and making room for a shot to the net. Subdued in the first half, he was now rampant and taken down for the critical event of the match, a penalty that saw McGrath's marker Eoin Downey sent off on a second yellow card in the 53rd minute. McCarthy slammed it to Collins's left. Six minutes later McGrath had his seventh goal of the championship, a steely, eyes-on-the-prize jump for another booming Eoghan Connolly delivery and a touch to the net, uninhibited by what might happen at the hands of converging defenders. A fitting grace note for a match that had long been decided. TIPPERARY: R Shelly (0-1); R Doyle (0-1), E Connolly (0-1), M Breen; C Morgan, R Maher (capt), B O'Mara; W Connors (0-1), C Stakelum (0-1); J Morris (0-2), A Ormond (0-2), S O'Farrell; D McCarthy (1-13, 1-0 pen, 8f, 1'65), J McGrath (2-2), J Forde (0-2). Subs: S Kennedy for O'Mara (50 mins), A Tynan for Morgan (56), N McGrath (0-1) for O'Farrell (60), D Stakelum for C Stakelum, O O'Donoghue for Ormond (both 66). CORK: P Collins; N O'Leary (0-1), E Downey, S O'Donoghue; C Joyce, R Downey (capt), M Coleman; T O'Mahony, D Fitzgibbon (0-2); D Healy (0-3), S Barrett (1-4), D Dalton (0-1f); P Horgan (0-4, 3f), A Connolly (0-1), B Hayes (0-1). Subs: S Harnedy (0-1) for Dalton (44 mins), D Cahalane for Healy (56), C Lehane for Horgan (58), S Kingston for Connolly (65), T O'Connell for O' Mahony (67). Referee: L Gordon (Galway).
Irish Daily Mirror
20-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Tipperary fans in blue and gold heaven after crushing Cork in thrilling final
Tipperary fans were in blue and gold heaven on Sunday after their side crushed Cork in one of the most thrilling All-Ireland hurling finals ever seen at Croke Park. It was the triumph of hope over expectations as the underdogs came from behind to prove the bookies got it wrong to bring the Liam McCarthy trophy back to the county where the GAA began. Despite being massively outnumbered by Cork supporters it was Tipperary fans who were singing as the strains of "Slievenamon" blared out over the PA system as the match ended. The bookies had tipped Cork as firm favourites and reckoned that the Rebels were about to fulfil their destiny after coming so close but losing out by an extra time final point to Clare last year. But in one of the greatest second half performances ever seen in an All-Ireland hurling final Tipperary blew away the Rebels whose cause looked increasingly lost as the minutes ticked away. There were emotional scenes as Tipperary captain Ronan Maher paid tribute to the former player Dillon Quirke. After paying tribute to his teammates, Cork and the staff at Croke Park, Maher took a moment to remember his teammate who passed away three years ago at the age of 24 during a club match due to Sudden Adult Death Syndrome. "To one player who is no longer with us but is so much a part of what we are, Dillon Quirke..." said Maher before a huge round of applause rang out around Croke Park. He added: '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.' Tipperary manager Liam Cahill became visibly upset, as his captain paid tribute to the late hurler. Tipperary captain Ronan Maher lifts the Liam MacCarthy Cup A foundation in Dillon Quirke's name was set up after the young man's death in 2022. By the end of 2024, the foundation had helped more than 10,000 people get heart scans. While there were many complaints about a scarcity of tickets in the run up to the match it would appear that Cork fans didn't have many problems acquiring them. Entire tracts of the stands at Croker were a wall of red while there were just smatterings of blue and gold around the famous arena. However, as the second half progressed and Tipp racked up the scores it was those clad in blue and gold who were making all the noise. On the face of it all the evidence pointed to Cork ending their All-Ireland famine after two decades in the wilderness but Tipp's second half ambush put paid to that. Praising the honesty of his players, Tipp manager Cahill said that he never doubted they would make a comeback in the second half. Tom Grennan, Rachael Blackmore and Paul Mescal (Image: BBC) He said: "The honesty of that group of players, I never doubted them. I know we're all a little sensitive after what happened last year and some of the criticism was probably deserved. "But I knew the quality of these men, got in among them and started supporting them better and got them believing again. I knew we'd have a great opportunity to lift the spirits of the Tipperary people again.' It was also an emotional day for young Tipperary hero Darragh McCarthy who put his red carding in the semi-final behind him to put in one of the greatest sharpshooting performances witnessed at Croker in recent years. With a tally of 1-13 he has been hailed by fans as one of the inspirations behind the comeback to beat all comebacks. Cork's Robert Downey dejected after the game Showing a coolness well beyond his 19 years he revealed that going in six points down at half time was no big deal. He said: 'The conversation was all positive. We planned for that. We had said during the week that listen if we're five or six down at half time, we're not going to panic here. "We know what we're capable of. We've came from worse margins before.' He was spot on as Tipp put Cork to the sword in a pulsating second half that saw the Premier County live up to its name. It looked to be all Cork in the first half as it seemed the Rebels' experience would win out as Tipp began to make unforced errors and missed several good chances. The sides were three times level in the first half and then that golden goal by Shane Barrett on the stroke of the halftime whistle looked as if it and the six point margin it created would be too much for Tipp. Tipperary's Craig Morgan, Jake Morris and Darragh McCarthy celebrate after the game But the second half was the stuff of GAA history when the underdogs came from behind to crush Cork's resistance and leave them yearning for another year to take the McCarthy Cup back to the banks of the Lee. Tipp manager Cahill illustrated that the comeback was so shocking by saying: "My mother has probably swallowed her rosary beads and my father has probably the cows milked three times with nervousness. I'm so thrilled for everybody. "So thrilled for supporters, the whole shebang." Blue and gold fans went wild when the final whistle was blown as well-known faces such as Oscar-nominated actor Paul Mescal, English singer Paul Mescal and jockey Rachael Blackmore were all in attendance. Olympian sprinter Sharlene Mawsley was also spotted cheering for her Tipp boyfriend Michael Breen. The loved-up couple posed for photos with the Liam MacCarthy cup, as Sharlene kissed her All-Ireland winning boo. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
The 42
20-07-2025
- Sport
- The 42
'We carried your spirit with us' - All-Ireland champions Tipperary remember Dillon Quirke
TIPPERARY ARE REMEMBERING the late Dillon Quirke as they celebrate All-Ireland senior hurling glory. The Premier county stormed to a 3-27 to 1-18 win over Cork after an astonishing second half at Croke Park this evening. After captain Ronan Maher lifted the Liam MacCarthy Cup, he paid tribute to his former team-mate Quirke, who passed away in August 2022. 'To one player who is no longer with us but is so much a part of what we are — Dillon Quirke,' said Maher to an emotional round of applause. Advertisement '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.' 'To one player who is no longer with us but is so much a part of what we are, - Dillon Quirke.' Lovely tribute from @TipperaryGAA captain Ronan Maher. 'We carried your spirit with us every step of the way.' #Tipperary #AllIreland #hurling #AllIrelandHurlingFinal — Darran Marshall (@DarranMarshall) July 20, 2025 Tipperary manager Liam Cahill was in tears on the field watching on, while former boss Liam Sheedy paid tribute to Quirke and his family on RTÉ afterwards. The Premier produced a sensational second-half surge to reign supreme for the first time since 2019, and inflict a second consecutive decider defeat on Cork. They outscored the Rebels 3-14 to 0-2 in the second period, John McGrath grabbing two goals as he finished with 2-2. Darragh McCarthy scored the other from a penalty, the Toomevara youngster hitting 1-13 (0-8 frees). 'Jesus, it's hard to put it into words even now,' McGrath told RTÉ. 'It's a long way we've come in 12 months. We were long gone this time 12 months ago — it's more like 15 or 16 months. 'It's hard to put words, or describe, what exactly changed. It's not one single magic thing or anything. The talent and that was always there, it was just about fine tuning it. My God, we've gone from strength to strength as the year has gone on. Jesus, that second half was . . . oh my God.' 'Savage work was done, even into January, February, training was so intense, we just really went back to basics,' he continued. '(We) built a real squad unity, a real belief as the year went on. Everyone was out on their feet there at the end but lads were still throwing everything in the way just to get over the line.' *****
Irish Times
20-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Liam Cahill: ‘Fortune favours the brave and our hurlers were really brave today'
It was one of those heady days, swirling with emotion and ending with Liam Cahill praising Tipperary 's fearless young new heroes, hailing their unconquerable older ones and remembering a player no longer inside that dressingroom. It was a day when the likes of Darragh McCarthy, Sam O'Farrell, Eoghan Connolly, Rhys Shelly and Andrew Ormond earned their maiden Liam MacCarthy stripes. A day when a fourth was added to the considerably broad shoulders of Noel McGrath, a third for Ronan Maher, Michael Breen, Jason Forde and John McGrath. A day of days for Tipp. But it was also a poignant day for the Quirke family. Dillon, who was a member of the Tipperary panel, passed away during a club game at Semple Stadium in August 2022. He was just 24. As the team bus made its way to Croke Park on Sunday, Cahill received a good luck message from Dillon's dad, Dan. 'I just said (back) that Dillon will be on all our shoulders today regardless what happens in the result,' said Cahill, who for the entirety of Sunday's game wore a bib branded with the Dillon Quirke Foundation logo. 'Dillon is with us every day. 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. READ MORE 'It had a huge effect on our dressingroom. 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 for the short number of years he was with us.' Tipperary manager Liam Cahill celebrates with the Liam MacCarthy Cup. Photograph: Morgan Treacy/Inpho This was Tipperary's first All-Ireland senior hurling final appearance since 2019. For a county with such tradition that absence felt like an eternity, and they entered the contest as rank outsiders in a two-horse race. Odds not lost on Cahill. 'To be fair to Cork , I can only imagine what it has been like for Pat (Ryan) and his management team trying to manage that expectation,' added Cahill. 'It's huge. Cork have been superb all year, league champions, Munster champions, bringing massive crowds back. As I said to Pat after, I wish it was anybody bar him that I was shaking hands with today, because he's put so much into it. 'He's after having a difficult year as well, personally. But I know that Cork team will be back and I know that Cork will have their day in the sun soon.' But few teams have ever delivered such a blinding second-half display in an All-Ireland final as Tipp managed on Sunday. They outscored Cork 3-14 to 0-2 in the second period to overcome a six-point interval deficit. If Cork crumbled then it was only because Tipp brought the wrecking ball to the arena. 'The (Cork) goal before half-time was a fair sucker punch,' said Cahill. 'In that dressingroom at half-time you could see the desire in their eyes to say that scoreboard should be a little bit closer. We started the second half like a rocket. 'Fortune favours the brave and our hurlers were really brave today.' Cahill was brave, or cute, depending on your perspective, too in deploying Bryan O'Mara as a sweeping extra defender. At Tipp's pre-All-Ireland final media event, Cahill stressed that he never played a sweeper. A good old-fashioned ruse had been planted. Cork's Brian Hayes in action against Tipperary's Bryan O'Mara. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho 'I suppose the dog on the street knew that you just can't leave channels for this Cork team to run through,' smiled Cahill. 'Look, I'm a traditionalist, I like to play 15 on 15 if I can at all, but we had to cut our cloth to measure today to make sure that we gave ourselves a chance to express ourselves as well. 'Look, I suppose you have to move with the times, and when you get to a final you have to try win it.' Jason Forde collected his third All-Ireland medal on Sunday. The manner of Tipp's 2024 campaign might have prompted the Silvermines clubman towards retirement but instead it steeled his resolve about returning. 'We were so hurt after last year,' he said, referencing their failure to get out of Munster. 'Tipp is obviously such a mad hurling county and a lot of us are living close to the big towns and stuff, and that's where you're going around and you're meeting people. You're nearly ashamed going around to show your face because the manner in which we went out. 'And we said as a group all year, there's nobody going to come and save us, we had to go back and put in the work and drag ourselves out of it and thank God we did. When I met Liam (at the end of last year), I just said we couldn't leave things like that. Having played for Tipp for 13 seasons and winning All-Irelands and things like that, to leave it on that note it just wouldn't have felt right.' Cahill has now achieved something truly unprecedented having managed Tipperary to All-Ireland minor, under-20, under-21 and senior titles. At the end of last year's campaign, Cahill was asked by Shane Brophy of the Nenagh Guardian if he was the right man to take the team forward. Cahill hadn't taken kindly to the question at the time but subsequently accepted it was a fair query given their results. Before he exited the press conference room on Sunday evening, Cahill made a point of thanking the media before smiling towards Brophy. 'Shane, it's good to be back on good terms.' Tipp, back on top of the hurling mountain.
