Tipperary GAA Scene
By PRO Jonathan Cullen
Allianz Hurling League
This Saturday, 8th May will see the commencement of the 2021 Allianz hurling league and what better way for Tipperary to begin the campaign than with an away trip to the current All Ireland champions Limerick.
There have been 63 previous League meetings between Tipperary and Limerick. The Premier county leads the way with 35 wins to the Shannonsider’s 21 victories and there were 7 draws.
After a prolonged period away from the playing fields, Tipperary will be anxious to get off to a good start and with this game being the players first competitive intercounty game in almost six months it will be great to see them all back wearing the blue and gold.
They have all worked extremely hard both individually during lock down and as a panel since their return to collective training a number of weeks ago. Unfortunately, supporters are still not permitted at games, but you don’t have to miss a minute of the action as the game will be broadcast live on Tipp FM, RTE and Eir Sport.
You can also keep up to date with all the action on the Tipperary GAA Twitter feed.
The team announcement will be made on Tipp FM on Friday at 9.00pm. Best wishes to all the players and team management on Saturday and for the coming year and hopefully we will all have lots to cheer and smile about over the course of the summer.
Televised League Games
Broadcast details were revealed last week of games that will be televised in this years Allianz Leagues. It will be possible to view Tipperary’s first four games, while plans for the round 5 game against Waterford is yet to be announced.
Starting this Saturday, viewers will be able to see Tipperary’s game against Limerick live on RTE or Éir Sport.
The same two broadcasters will be in Semple Stadium on Saturday, 15th May when Tipperary will welcome Cork for a 7.30pm throw-in. Seven days later on May 22nd, Semple Stadium will again be the venue for the visit of Galway at 1.30pm and this game will be broadcast live on TG4. On Sunday, 6th June, Tipperary travel to TGE Cusack Park in Mullingar to play Westmeath and this game will be shown on the TG4 Player app at 2.00pm with deferred full highlights on TG4 at 5.35pm.
Tipperary’s games in the Allianz Football League are due to be broadcast live on the GAAgo platform commencing on Saturday 15th May when they will play Limerick at 5.00pm in Limerick. Tipperary host Wicklow on Saturday 22nd May at 4.30pm before they travel to O’Connor Park Tullamore on May 29th where they will play Offaly at 3.00pm.
Club Fixtures
With adult club training having gotten the green light to recommence from May 10th we can now start planning for the weeks and months ahead. The County CCC will meet next week to finalise their plans and it is expected that the draws for the County Leagues will be made at this meeting also. The most likely scenario for 2021 is that the league groups which historically have consisted of sixteen teams of two groups of eight, will be further divided into two groups of 4 based on the team’s geographical location in the county. It is hoped that the County Leagues will commence on the second weekend in June.
A number of the 2020 County championships were not concluded due to the reintroduction of restrictions, It is now planned to play the remaining games in Under 21 A & B football and Junior A & B football by the end of June if possible. The draws for the 2021 County championships will take place in mid-June.
Scor
Mark Dunne (Moyne-Templetuohy) has been selected as a member of the National Scór Committee by Uachtarán CLG Larry McCarthy.
Mark has been a driving force in Tipperary Scór for many years now and is currently County Board Cultural Officer and has worked tirelessly to promote all aspects of our culture and heritage since coming in to the role. Mark will be a very valuable asset to the National Scór Committee, and we wish him the best of luck during his term.
Oral History
In the latest edition of the GAA Oral History series we travel to North Tipperary and Toomevara where we hear from some well-known members of the club including, Thomas Dunne, Paddy O’Brien, Ned Gleeson, Matt Hassett, Mary Bourke Darcy and Donie Shanahan.
The group discusses Toomevara tradition and history as a hurling club. They remember the great characters involved in the club and the great successes they enjoyed. They pay particular attention to 1960 and 2001, when Matt and Tommy respectively, captained the club to a County title and led Tipperary to All-Ireland success.
They emphasise the importance of the underage structures they have in place, and the impact this has had on their senior teams. Neil describes the development of the juvenile section of the club and his role in it. Willie sings songs at regular intervals throughout the interview and they also read passages and poems from the club history. Throughout, they establish a sense of continuity and of community within the club, from its establishment in 1885 to the present day.
The interviews were recorded in January 2011 and can be listened to in full via the following link: www.gaa.ie/the-gaa/oral-history/members-toomevara-gaa-club/
GAA Strategic Plan 2021 - 2026
The GAA has commenced work on a new strategic plan which is due to be finalised and published this autumn.
A steering group led by Uachtarán Larry McCarthy has begun an extensive programme of research that will engage with every level of the Association. An opportunity for public consultation and for club members to have an input into shaping the GAA’s focus from 2021 until 2026 will happen during the summer.
On taking up office at this year’s GAA congress Uachtarán CLG Larry McCarthy spoke of the opportunity for recalibration and rebuilding that is taking place as a result of our gradual emergence from the harrowing Pandemic.
Phase 1 of the plan has commenced and seeks to establish the key issues that face the Association. Phase 2 will involve a public survey, tailored for club members, but which will be made available to everyone to contribute.
The purpose of the plan is to allow the GAA to answer some fundamental questions about ourselves. Answering these questions will involve the association looking at our core purpose, our goals and objectives, our structures, our collective roles and responsibilities, and how we get things done. While the GAA Strategic Plan 2021-2026 Steering Group will guide the process, extensive efforts will be made to ensure that everyone who wants a say in the Association’s future has ample opportunities to do so.
Tackling Bullying
The GAA became the country’s first sporting organisation to launch a national anti-bullying campaign with the unveiling of the GAA Tackling Bullying Programme in March 2013.
GAA Tackling Bullying is a training resource that the GAA developed in response to a growing awareness of the impact of bullying in society and particularly in sport.
The programme consists of a two-hour training workshop suitable for Coaches, Parents, Players and other Club personnel and also includes a range of publicity materials for Clubs.
The two-hour programme may be run in tandem and complimentary to any other educational and or community anti-bullying initiatives and is suitable for delivery at both adult and underage levels.
It is the responsibility of everybody in the Club to prevent or if need be to deal with incidents of Bullying. GAA players, coaches, spectators and Clubs should: Implement the Code of Behaviour when working with underage players. Create a supportive environment where it is not acceptable to Bully. Support the ethos of the Club that its ‘ok to tell’. Make everybody aware of our Anti Bullying Policy. Promote the Give Respect – Get Respect initiative.
In recognition of the serious difficulties that bullying presents in sports organisations, this resource was presented by the GAA to the Irish Sports Council so as to enable them to facilitate other sports organisations who may wish to see the programme delivered in their own sports organisations.
If you would like more information, please contact Children’s Officer: Nicholas Moroney at youthofficer.tipperary@gaa.ie
Tipperary GAA Scene
If there is anything you feel should feature in this column going forward, please feel free to forward it to pro.tipperary@gaa.ie