Tipperary GAA Scene
By Jonathan Cullen PRO
FBD County Hurling & Football Championship Draws
The draws for the various County Championships have been completed across both hurling and football.
Unfortunately, during the course of the draw for the County Senior Hurling Championship which took place on Thursday last, an error was made when drawing the second seed teams. When drawing the second seed teams from pot 2, a team was inadvertently drawn from pot 3 and while the error was genuine, it was not rectified satisfactorily at the time in that the team from pot 3 was not re-entered back into the draw drum. Therefore, the Tipperary Competitions Control Committee deemed the draw null and void and directed that a new draw take place, which was held on Monday evening and concluded all the draws for the various competitions. See page 65 for details.
Munster Senior Hurling Championship
Tipperary will get their Munster Senior Hurling campaign underway this Sunday when they play Limerick in the TUS Gaelic Grounds at 4.00pm.
Having enjoyed a round 1 win over Clare last weekend, Limerick will come in to the game full of confidence and will undoubtedly provide a massive test for Liam Cahills side.
There have been 75 previous meetings of the counties in championship hurling. Tipperary lead the way with 36 wins to Limerick's 28. There have also been 11 draws.
The last ten encounters at TUS Gaelic Grounds produced five wins for Limerick (2007, 2013, 2018, 2019, 2022) three for Tipperary (2004, 2005, 2015) and there were two draws (1996, 2007).
We wish the players and management the very best of luck.
Tickets for Tipperary’s forthcoming Munster Senior Hurling championship games are on sale and can be purchased online from Ticketmaster.ie or in selected Centra and Supervalu stores across the county. Juvenile group orders can now be placed via https://munster.gaa.ie/tickets for games in Thurles, Cork, and Limerick.
Tickets for all underage games can be purchased via the following link: https://www.universe.com/users/munster-gaa-TR8ZGN
Munster Under 20 Football & Hurling Championships
Our Under 20 footballers welcomed Clare to Ardfinnan last Wednesday for their Round 2 Phase 2 game. Having previously met in Phase 1, Tipperary were well aware of the challenge that Clare would bring and to their credit they dealt with the challenge very well as they won by 1-10 to 0-7.
Tipperary travel to Austin Stack Park, Tralee this Wednesday evening, April 24th to play Kerry for a place in this year’s Munster final and manager Niall Fitzgerald naming an unchanged starting fifteen from the win over Clare. See page 67.
The Tipperary Under 20 Hurlers played their second game of the competition last Friday against Waterford in Dungarvan. In another very good performance, Brendan Cummins side enjoyed a well-deserved 1-21 to 0-15 win. Tipperary now prepare for their next game, which is against Cork in FBD Semple Stadium on Friday, May 3rd at 7.00pm.
Munster Minor Football Championship
The Tipperary Minor Footballers travelled to Quilty last Tuesday week to play Clare in their final group game of phase 1. As Tipperary had already qualified from the group, this game gave the team management the opportunity to give game time to some of the panel members who up to that point may not have had the opportunity to show their abilities. To their credit all those who took to the field played very well and contributed to a fine 2-10 to 1-8 win.
Tipperary will now play Clare once again in the Phase 1 Final for the Darrel Darcy Cup which is scheduled to take place in Mick Neville Park, Rathkeale on Tuesday, April 30th at 7.00pm.
Friends of Tipperary Football Golf Classic
The Friends of Tipperary Football Annual Golf Classic will hold its annual Golf Classic in Dundrum on Friday 3rd & Saturday 4th May. The format once again is a champagne scramble and the cost for a team of 4 is €160. Tee-Box sponsorship is also available for €50, which includes the name of each sponsor on a sign.
This is the main fundraiser of the year, and we are hoping that you will be in a position to either enter a team or sponsor a tee-box.
All proceeds go towards the advancement of Football in Tipperary from underage up to the Senior Football team. Over the years, this classic has garnered a reputation as being one of the most enjoyable events on the golfing calendar.
To book a tee-time, contact Martin Dwyer 0862549154, Alternatively, payment for teams or tee boxes can be made on the day by cheque, card, or cash.
Tipperary Association Dublin Awards
The Tipperary Association Dublin’s annual awards function will be held this Saturday, 27th April in the Louis Fitzgerald Hotel, Newlands Cross, Dublin at 1.30pm when the Tipperary Person of the year for 2023 will be presented to the well-known duo of John O’Brien and John McMahon, better known as The 2 Johnnies. Also, the Hall of Fame award for 2023 will be presented to singer/songwriter Brendan Graham. The day will begin with a performance by singer Paul Harrington. Tickets, €30, and includes lunch, can be purchased by contacting Pat Ryan 087 6376663 or proriain@gmail.com.
Sympathies
The past week saw the passing of a number of individuals who have made a big contribution to the GAA during their lives.
Last Friday, April 19th the parish of Moyne-Templetuohy was plunged into sadness with the news of the passing of Dinny Kelly, following a short illness.
Better known as “Big Dinny” he was one of life’s true gentlemen and a man that so many in his parish and further afield looked up to. Dinny played hurling and football for his club for over three decades during which time he won numerous divisional and county honours from underage right up to senior level.
Dinny also wore the blue and gold jersey lining out for Tipperary in the 1972 hurling league. Dinny also had a keen interest in and love for his greyhounds and became known as a very good trainer. He did not keep too many greyhounds, but what he did have, he had them good.
On a personal note, Dinny was a great neighbour and a man that I always looked up to and admired. While he was always known as “Big Dinny” he was also a very kind and caring man who always had a smile on his face and a genuine interest in how things were going. Dinny was a very skilled tradesman and there is probably not a house or farmyard in the locality that he has not left his mark on during his life. Most of all Dinny was a family man and along with his late wife Nell, he raised all his children to be outstanding individuals who are a credit to their parents.
The large gathering at Dinny’s removal and funeral mass showed just how highly regarded he was and as the sun shone down on the graveyard in Templetuohy on Sunday afternoon, I have no doubt that Big Dinny would have enjoyed the songs that were sung at his graveside by his family and friends who were there to say a fond farewell to one of the finest individuals anyone could ever have the privilege of knowing.
We extend our sympathies to the family of Joe Moloney, Arravale Rovers who won an All-Ireland Minor Hurling medal with Tipperary in 1949, playing alongside players like Jimmy Finn and John O’Grady. Joe’s brother Terry also played in goals for Tipperary.
We also remember Roddy Crehan Lattin Cullen who has passed away. Roddy was a great supporter of Scór and represented West Tipperary on the County Scór committee for many years, while also competing in recitation for his club. Roddy passed his love of Scór on to his sons who competed in Ballad Group and Instrumental music.
Tipperary GAA Scene
If there is anything you feel should feature in this column going forward, feel free to forward it to pro.tipperary@gaa.ie