Christmas comes early in the Hills
Dear Santa,
All I want for Christmas is to see my club in an All-Ireland Final at Croke Park.
Regards,
Upperchurch/Drombane GAA Club.
By Shane Brophy
Well, the Christmas came early on Sunday as the players, mentors, and supporters of the Mid Tipp club look ahead to a New Year with joy as the plan a trip to Croke Park for an All-Ireland Club Intermediate Hurling final on January 10th.
The semi-final victory over Kilkenny and Leinster champions Danesfort was as gritty as they come. Not the prettiest spectacle in the world but with the prize at stake, it was sheer heart that came to the fore, which both sides had in spades, with Upperchurch/Drombane having the shade more.
While the Tipperary and Munster champions led from the front most of the way, they were under the cosh for most of the second half, but their defensive strength which has been the key ingredient of their success this year to the fore once more, aided by an outstanding penalty save from Ciaran Shortt from Paddy Hogan in the 47th minute to keep their noses in front.
Danesfort kept coming and when they finally managed to get on terms in the 56th minute, all the momentum was with the Kilkenny side who had held Upperchurch to three second half points up to then. The Mid Tipp side were struggling to create chances but once again they showed the poise and resolve of a champion team by digging in with man of the match Pat Ryan returning to haunt Danesfort in the closing stages, winning a crucial free for Luke Shanahan to convert before he dispossessing former Kilkenny great Paul Murphy with a neat flick before arrowing over a cracking point on the run. Ryan was also involved in the move that led to Colm Ryan being fouled with Shanahan converting once more to seal a two point victory.
All roads lead to Croke Park on the second weekend of 2026 when Upperchurch/Drombane will become just the second Tipperary club to play in and win the All-Ireland Intermediate Club Hurling Final, 21 years after Kiladangan’s incredible success in 2005. Their opponents will be Tooreen of Mayo, not a traditional outpost of hurling but a club with a strong recent era of success with six Connacht titles going back to 2017, and also reached the 2023 All-Ireland Final where they were narrowly defeated by Monaleen of Limerick, then managed by Toomevara’s Eoin Brislane.