Tipperary will travel to Kingspan Breffni Park on Saturday for a 2pm throw in. The full football fixtures are as follows:
Saturday July 8
GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Round 2B
Cavan v Tipperary, Kingspan Breffni Park, Cavan, 2pm
Referee TBC
(E.T. if necessary)
Carlow v Leitrim, Netwatch Cullen Park, Carlow, 3pm
Referee TBC
(E.T. if necessary)
Wexford v Monaghan, Innovate Wexford Park, Wexford 3pm
Referee TBC
(E.T. if necessary)
Westmeath v Armagh, TEG Cusack park, Mullingar, 7pm
Referee TBC
(E.T. if necessary)
Meanwhile the hurlers welcome Westmeath to Semple Stadium this Saturday. Here are the hurling details:
Saturday, July 1
GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship Round 1
Offaly v Waterford, Bord na Móna O’Connor Park, 3pm
Referee: TBC
(ET if necessary)
Tipperary v Westmeath, Semple Stadium, 5pm
Referee: TBC
(ET if necessary)
Dublin v Laois, Parnell Park, 7pm
Referee TBC
(ET if necessary)
Kilkenny v Limerick, Nowlan Park, Kilkenny, 7pm (Sky Sports)
Referee: TBC
(ET if necessary)
The draw for round 2B was made this morning and Tipperary have been drawn to play Cavan in Kingspan Breffni Park. This game is expected to take place on the weekend of July 8/9.
The full football draw is as follows (home team first):
Wexford V Monaghan
Westmeath V Armagh
Carlow V Leitrim
Cavan V Tipperary
Meanwhile following on from the hurling draw Tipperary are due to face Westmeath in round one in Semple Stadium. The hurlers will be anxious to impress after they too were defeated by Cork in the Munster championship. These fixtures will take place over the weekend of July 1/2.
The full hurling draw is as follows (home team first):
Dublin V Laois
Kilkenny V Limerick
Offaly V Waterford
Tipperary V Westmeath
Munster final match programme 1955
However, this was no flash in the pan as the Premier men proved themselves worthy of the crown having already accounted for Cork in the Munster semi-final, 2-6 to 1-2, and later drew with Kerry in the Munster final in Killarney in front of a vocal home support prior to the senior final between Munster’s big two.
Reunion in 1998, source Tipperary GAA Yearbook 1999
Described by J.D. Hickey in the Irish Independent as “the best Tipperary minor football team for a generation or more” there’s no doubt that these young men could play with a swagger and no end of confidence. Their forwards were “a revelation” and the team were “the more polished exponents of the game” in the drawn Munster final. According to the Cork Examiner the only reason Kerry managed to earn a replay was due to the kindness of “Damn Fortune smiling on the holders” as a point from G. Weir “in a desperate rally” drew the sides level in front of attendance of 23,403.
Today we associate forward movement as a modern phenomenon but this Tipperary team’s attackers refused to stay in their traditional positions which caused all sorts of confusion for the back men they encountered throughout the year and made them exciting to watch. This is a testament to the coaching they received from their management team of Tim Looney and Sean Hayes.
It’s hard to win a Munster championship but to do so after a seven-point win over Cork and to beat Kerry, the reigning champions with over a third of the previous year’s team starting, in a replay takes something special.
The teams had to wait three weeks for the replay when Kerry made the trip to Thurles and in-front of 5000 spectators Tipperary held out for a deserved one point win after remarkably holding their opponents scoreless during the opening half as the Premier scored seven unanswered points. Pat Tobin was Tipperary’s man of the match as he “inspired his teammates with a brilliant display. Not far behind him came J. O Connor, a sprightly forward”. The remarkable thing about Tobin’s display was that he was still suffering from a broken collarbone sustained in the drawn game. The Cork Examiner noted that “crowds rushed on to the pitch” at the full-time whistle “to chair the successful home team off”.
However, the elated celebrations soon turned to confusion as the Tipperary team waited, and waited, and waited some more to be presented with the Munster minor trophy only to discover that there was none. Kerry, the reigning Munster champions, had forgotten to bring the cup with them. An embarrassed Kerry claimed this was an unfortunate oversight on their part while Tipperary claimed, in jest, that the Kingdom were so sure of themselves that they didn’t bother to bring it with them. In revenge, on the night of the All-Ireland final the Tipperary players decided to play a prank on Kerry and hid the Sam McGuire Cup that the Kerry seniors had captured that very day. All in good sport everyone saw the funny side of the capers of the young Tipperary men.
Tipperary had to wait until the All-Ireland semi-final clash with Mayo for the presentation but after waiting 21 years an extra week was not going to make any difference. To further cement the true greatness of this team they crushed the Connacht champions 1-11 to 1-2 in Limerick on August 28th to set up an All-Ireland final date with Dublin in Croke Park.
The team with the trophy after their win against Mayo in the All-Ireland semi final
Jerry O’ Keeffe, chairman of the Munster Council, presents the Munster minor football trophy to Liam Boland from Clonmel Commercials
Management with the trophy after the All-Ireland semi-final in Limerick against Mayo
Tipperary: S Ryan, G King, S Condon, P Bourke, S Connolly, T Walsh, S Walsh, P Tobin, L Boland, A Danagher, E Casey, D Stapleton, J O Connor, J Ferris, M Moroney.
Kerry: M Bambury, P O Connor, T Barrett, J Lambe, T O Sullivan, P O Shea, E Horan, B Downling, M Connell, G Weir, F O Leary, S Murphy, T Garvey, S Brosnan, T Kearns, Raymond and McMahon replaced Garvey and Weir.
Referee J Collins (Limerick)
The last time that Tipperary had beaten Kerry in a replayed Munster final was 1934 when they later went on to claim their first All-Ireland title at this grade. Unfortunately, however, the men from the capital reversed the result and won the county’s fourth minor title.
While the result of the All-Ireland decider was disappointing from a Tipperary point of view the players did themselves, their clubs and county proud. The Cork Examiner extolled virtues on “gallant Tipperary” “who fought with everything they had to save the day” and it took a late rally from Dublin to finally achieve victory. “The Tipperary lads went headlong into the fray, caught, kicked and got done with it. They gave an unusual display of positioning and their forward movements were executed thoroughly and methodically”.
“Tipperary had an outstanding man in Liam Boland in the centre, who partnered by Phil Tobin, brought out some fine clashes with Dublin’s Heron and Foley”. “Moroney, in the left wing for the Premier County, had a very good hour and had good assistance from Ferris and Casey”.
At half-time Dublin held the advantage 2-2 to 1-2 and within five minutes of the resumption they had extended this lead to nine points. However, the Premier men were not about to lie down and with five minutes remaining, Tipperary had the momentum and bravely pulled back the deficit of nine points down to three but were caught with sucker punch as Eamon Burgess goaled for Dublin from thirty yards to settle the nerves to leave the final score Dublin 5-4 Tipperary 2-7.
Tipperary: S Ryan, G King, S Condon, P Burke, S Connolly, T Walsh, D Stapleton, P Tobin, L Boland, A Danagher, E Casey, M Moroney, M Ryan, S Ferris, S Brennan.
Dublin: S Denigan, B Murphy, D Sweeney, D Hearne, R Doherty, S Graham, C Jones, P Heron, L Foley, C Burgess, S Linehan, C Sweeney, S Joyce, G Wolfe, C Leaney.
Today people often talk about the commitment and dedication of GAA players, management and officials however it appears the same applied in 1955. One of the management team, Tim Looney, had worked in a book-makers in Cahir for several years without taking any holidays whatsoever. His request for a few days off to travel to Croke Park for the All-Ireland final was refused but he choose to ignore his boss, who also happened to be a God-father to one of Tim’s daughters, and travelled regardless. As a result, he was dismissed from his post and spent a long time out of work as jobs were very hard to come by in the town at the time. The book-makers went into decline following Tim’s dismissal and soon closed. Tim had a wife and young family at the time but such commitment to the cause must be admired.
Over the course of 1955 this team scored an impressive 5-42 and conceded 9-19 leaving a scoring surplus of eleven points.
| Year | Date | Team | Competition | Round | Venue | Score | Referee |
| 1955 | 26/06/1955 | Minor Football | Munster | Semi-Final | Clonmel | Tipperary 2-6 Cork 1-2 |
J. Goode (W) |
| 1955 | 24/07/1955 | Minor Football | Munster | Final | Killarney | Tipperary 0-9 Kerry 1-6 |
T. Cotter ( C ) |
| 1955 | 21/08/1955 | Minor Football | Munster | Replay | Thurles | Tipperary 0-9 Kerry 1-5 |
J. Collins (L) |
| 1955 | 28/08/1955 | Minor Football | All-Ireland | Semi-Final | Limerick | Tipperary 1-11 Mayo 1-2 |
P. Geragthy |
| 1955 | 25/09/1955 | Minor Football | All-Ireland | Final | Croke Park | Tipperary 2-7 Dublin 5-4 |
P. Geragthy |
All-Ireland final match programme 1955
All-Ireland match programme 1955
All-Ireland final match programme 1955
All-Ireland final match programme 1955
Munster final 1955
Munster semi-final match programme 1955
Munster semi-final match programme 1955
Various reasons forced the Premier to field without six of last year’s starting fifteen in the All-Ireland semi-final and subsequently three more players were forced to retire early from the match due to injury. Yet it speaks volumes of the journey this team have travelled that they left Cork yesterday devastated at what might have been. Sunday Times journalist Michael Foley tweeted moments after the game “It says a lot that Tipp will have huge regrets in defeat despite losing ml quinlivan and missing 6 players from the AI semi-final team”.
It says a lot that Tipp will have huge regrets in defeat despite losing ml quinlivan and missing 6 players from the AI semi-final team.
— Michael Foley (@MickFoley76) June 10, 2017
Yet despite all the knocks the team received they could have still mustered a victory as with one minute of normal time remaining Conor Sweeney deflected a Colm O’ Shaughnessy delivery to the back of the Cork net to give Tipperary a two-point lead. Moments later however, before Tipperary had a chance to regroup and adjust themselves, Luke Connolly palmed the ball past Ciarán Kendrick to give them a lead they refused to surrender.
Ciaran Kendrick
There’s no doubt that the team showed tremendous character, fought bravely to the final whistle and now have a bench to pick from but they have also moved past celebrating moral victories and the silence in the dressing room after was deafening. They now have a couple of weeks to regroup, sort out any injury concerns and prepare themselves for another run in the qualifiers which has borne a rich harvest of fruit in the past.
At half-time yesterday Tipperary were in a strong position leading the hosts by three points and restricting the Cork attack, aided by wayward shooting, to one solitary point. The second half started brightly with two fine Conor Sweeney points opening a 0-6 to 0-1 lead and it looked as if Tipperary might pull away. Indeed, the gap might have been larger but for a brilliant Ken O’ Halloran save following a fine Liam Casey run through the centre.
Cork however did not panic and picked off points and headed into the final moments leading 0-10 to 0-9 until the dramatic 69th minute when both teams goaled. Once Cork regained their lead they masterfully held possession of the ball and counted down the clock until the full-time whistle which was greeted with sighs of relief from the home supporters.
Tipperary: C Kendrick; S O’Connell, P Codd, A Campbell; B Maher, R Kiely, J Feehan; L Casey, G Hannigan; J Keane, L Boland, B Fox; C Sweeney, M Quinlivan, D Foley.
Subs: L McGrath for Quinlivan (19 mins, injured); K O’Halloran for Foley (47); A Moloney for Casey (53 injured); K Bergin for Hannigan, C O’Shaughnessy for O’Connell (56 O Connell injured); J Lonergan for Boland (65).
Cork: K O’Halloran; M Shields, J O’Sullivan, K Crowley; C O’Driscoll, J Loughrey, T Clancy; R Deane, I Maguire; B O’Driscoll, P Kerrigan, J O’Rourke; L Connolly, P Kelleher, C O’Neill.
Subs: D O’Connor for Kelleher (30 mins); Barry O’Driscoll for Brian O’Driscoll (36); S Powter for C O’Driscoll (HT); M Collins for Barry O’Driscoll (44-49, blood); M Collins for Deane (51); M Hurley for J O’Rourke (60); G Murphy for O’Neill (65).
Scorers for Tipperary: C Sweeney (1-5, 0-1 free); K O’Halloran, L McGrath, R Kiely, L Boland (0-1 each).
Scorers for Cork: L Connolly (1-2); P Kerrigan (0-3); D O’Connor (0-2, 0-1 free); B O’Driscoll, C O’Neill (0-1 free), M Collins (0-1 each).
Referee: C Branagan (Down).
Primary Game
Primary Game
The Primary Games teams welcome Tipperary out onto the pitch
Brian Egan (Borrisokane) gives Tipperary the thumbs up
Nicola Ni Chonaill (Tipperary Town) and Kevin Hanly (Solohead)
1. Ciarán Kenrick – Moyle Rovers
2. Shane O’Connell – Golden-Kilfeacle
3. Paddy Codd – Killenaule
4. Alan Campbell – Moyle Rovers
5. Bill Maher – Kilsheelan-Kilcash
6. Robbie Kiely – Carbery Rangers
7. Jimmy Feehan – Killenaule
8. Liam Casey – Cahir
9. George Hannigan – Shannon Rovers
10. Josh Keane – Golden-Kilfeacle
11. Liam Boland – Moyle Rovers
12. Brian Fox (Capt.) – Éire Óg Annacarty-Donohill
13. Conor Sweeney – Ballyporeen
14. Michael Quinlivan – Clonmel Commercials
15. Liam McGrath – Loughmore-Castleiney
Cork have also named their team.
1. Ken O’Halloran (Bishopstown)
2. James Loughrey (Mallow)
3. Jamie O Sullivan (Bishopstown)
4. Stephen Cronin (Nemo Rangers)
5. Tomas Clancy (Fermoy)
6. Michael Shields (St Finbarrs)
7. Kevin Crowley (Millstreet)
8. Kevin O Driscoll (Tadhg MacCarthaigh)
9. Ruairi Deane (Bantry Blues)
10. Colm O Driscoll (Tadhg MacCarthaigh)
11. Mark Collins (Castlehaven)
12. John O Rourke (Carbery Rangers)
13. Colm O Neill (Ballyclough)
14. Peter Kelleher (Kilmichael)
15. Paul Kerrigan (Nemo Rangers) – Captain
In other news congratulations to Mary Shelly, Moycarkey Borris and Con Aherne, Solohead who won two tickets each to Saturday’s match in the Friends of Tipperary Football draw. If you would like to join the Friends and be included in future draws please click the Join tab at the top of this page.
A preview of Saturday’s game can be read here.
A large crowd are expected to attend the game and two supporter’s buses have been laid on. The first will leave Thurles at 13.45, Horse and Jockey at 2pm, Cashel at 14.15 before travelling onto Cahir for 14.30. If you would like to reserve your seat on this particular bus please contact 086 833 4553.
A second bus which will serve Roscrea, Templemore and all surrounding areas, has also been organised. If you would like to travel on this bus contact 086 326 0996.
As demand for seats on both buses is expected to be huge, early booking is advised.
If you would like to purchase tickets please click here.
Brian Fox leads out the team for the second half of the league final
Brian McDonnell of the Tipperary Star has conducted two great interviews with Liam Kearns and Brian Fox ahead of this weekend’s clash. If you would like to read Liam’s interview please click here and if you would like to read Brian’s interview please click here.
Here is another interview with Tipperary manager Liam Kearns.
Tradition certainly is not on Tipperary’s side in this encounter with the sides having met on 48 occasions in the Munster championship with the head to head standing at fifteen victories for the Premier county, 31 for Cork with two draws. While fifteen victories are respectable, it must be noted fourteen of these occurred in the years prior to 1944 when Tipperary prevailed 1-9 to 1-3 in the Munster semi-final in Clonmel. Tipperary then had to wait 72 long years before emerging on the right side when last year, in dramatic fashion, two late Kevin O Halloran frees secured a 3-15 to 2-16 win. The overall score currently stands at Cork 74-389 Tipperary 50-247 (Cork +214)
Since then Tipperary had a fairytale campaign in the championship reaching the All-Ireland semi-final and secured promotion to Division Two in the league. Defeats to Sligo and Louth appeared to scupper our chances but a dramatic late goal from Michael Quinlivan, with just six seconds left on the referee’s watch, in the Athletic Grounds Armagh, shocked the hosts and sent the Tipperary fans delirious.
Michael Quinlivan scored the crucial goal against Armagh that secured promotion
Tipperary can rightly approach this encounter with optimism but there are grounds for caution. Firstly, Cork have a championship game under their belt following their one point win over Waterford last weekend, 1-12 to 1-11. While they may have been disappointed in their performance there’s no substitute for championship matches to bring on a team. It should also be noted that Tipperary play a very different game to Waterford and their more open style will suit Cork better. Secondly, Tipperary will be without the services of several players from last year. Evan Comerford, Ciaran McDonald, Peter Acheson, Philip Austin, Ian Fahey, Kevin Fahey, Willie Connors, Liam Casey and Joe Hennessy are all ruled out for various reasons while Colm O Shaughnessy and Emmett Moloney have only recently returned to training and will unlikely be up to the pace of the game at this stage.
A large crowd are expected to attend the game and two supporter’s buses have been laid on. The first will leave Thurles at 13.45, Horse and Jockey at 2pm, Cashel at 14.15 before travelling onto Cahir for 14.30. If you would like to reserve your seat on this particular bus please contact 086 833 4553.
A second bus which will serve Roscrea, Templemore and all surrounding areas, has also been organised. If you would like to travel on this bus contact 086 326 0996.
As demand for seats on both buses is expected to be huge, early booking is advised.
If you would like to purchase tickets please click here.
Captain Brian Fox
Brian McDonnell of the Tipperary Star has conducted two great interviews with Liam Kearns and Brian Fox ahead of this weekend’s clash. If you would like to read Liam’s interview please click here and if you would like to read Brian’s interview please click here.
The Tipperary team is expected to be announced this Friday evening at 9pm.
Colm O Shaughnessy and Kevin Hanly
In other news both Kevin Hanly and Colm O Shaughnessy attended the AONTAS AGM 2017 where Kevin gave an account of his life and growing up with Autism and how his friendship with the Tipperary footballers have enhanced his life. AONTAS “were blown away by inspiring learners from the SAOL Project and a learner panel discussion that included Kevin Hanly National Learning Network, Imani Tutu Cavan & Monaghan Education and Training Board, Joy Tendai-Kangare UCD ALL and Noeleen Watson Dublin and Dún Laoghaire ETB.” Well done Kevin.
