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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
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Tipperary won the All-Ireland hurling title
Credit: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
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Ronan Maher dedicated the victory to Dillon Quirke
Credit: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
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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
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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.'
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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.
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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.
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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.
