by Acting PRO Joe Bracken
ALL IRELAND MINOR FOOTBALL SEMI-FINAL
The Tipperary Minor Football team will play Kildare in the Electric Ireland All-Ireland Semi-Final next Sunday, August 30th at 1.30pm. Best wishes to captain Danny Owens and his side as well as the management, who bounced back from Munster Final loss to Kerry with a terrific 7 point win over Connaught champions Galway in the quarter-final. Kildare on the other hand had 2 points to spare in defeating Cavan in their quarter-final.
With their Munster rivals Kerry already having the bus booked for September 20th, it is a great incentive for the Tipp lads to make a push for the final. It won’t be easy against Kildare, but Charlie McGeever will have his side well prepared and they will expect a tough encounter against the Lilywhites come Sunday. The referee for this match is Noel Mooney.
ALL IRELAND MINOR HURLING FINAL
September 6th is looming large for the Tipperary Minor Hurlers who take on Galway in this year’s All-Ireland Final in Croke Park at 1.15pm. Tipperary’s last success in this grade came in 2012 when Bill Maher from Kilsheelan Kilcash led the side to All-Ireland glory; let’s hope his South Tipp comrade Stephen Quirke from Moyle Rovers can do the same this year.
In terms of All-Ireland standings, Tipperary is in second place with 19 titles while Galway is in fourth place with 9 titles. Out of the 7 previous minor final meetings between the sides, Tipperary is ahead on 6 victories to Galway’s 1.
A quick look at the results give a flavour of the history between the counties; in 1933 Tipp 4-6 Galway 2-3; 1947 Tipp 9-5 Galway 1-5; 1955 Tipp 5-15 Galway 2-5; 1982 Tipp 2-7 Galway 0-4; 1996 Tipp 2-14 Galway 2-12 Replay (Tipp 0-20 Galway 3-11); 1999 Galway 0-13 Tipp 0-10 and in 2007 Tipperary defeated Galway 2-18 to 2-7 with current senior captain Brendan Maher from Borris Ileigh captaining the side.
The last minor meeting was an All-Ireland Semi-Final at Croke Park on August 19th, 2012 when Tipperary scored 2-16 to Galway’s 1-14 on their way to All-Ireland glory. Paud O’Dwyer from the Palatine club in Carlow will be officiating the minor final. Incidentally, Tony Wall in 1952 and the late Jimmy Doyle in 1957 were the only two minor captains who later went on to lift Liam McCarthy as senior captain, Tony in 1958 and Jimmy in 1962 and ’65.
MINOR HURLERS RECEPTION
The Tipperary Association Dublin has announced details of the Post Match Reception and Welcome Dinner for the Tipperary Minor Hurling team and Management on the occasion of the 2015 All-Ireland Hurling Finals. The win over Dublin ensures that Tipperary will be a central part of the All-Ireland Hurling Final programme on Sunday the 6th September.
The Association will host a Dinner in honour of the team and the management in the Louis Fitzgerald Hotel, Naas Road, Dublin which continues a tradition lasting over 50 years, where Tipperary teams appearing in finals in Croke Park are hosted by the Tipperary Association Dublin The dinner will begin at 8.00pm and will be followed by entertainment/disco. Tickets for the dinner reception are priced at €35 each. Tables for 10 – 12 persons may be purchased, but individual tickets are also available. Tickets must be paid for in advance and the latest date for accepting bookings is Thursday 3rd September.
Those wishing to purchase tickets should contact the following: Tipperary Association Dublin: 087 6376663 (Pat Ryan) or 087-2866018 (Liam Myles); Co. GAA Board office, Lár Na Páirce, Thurles: 0504 22702; Tipperary Supporters Club: John Coman 087 9087105
REFEREE
Johnny Ryan from the Boherlahan Dualla club has been appointed as standby referee for the Senior All-Ireland Hurling Final on September 6th next.
DIVISIONAL FINALS
In the Divisional Senior Hurling Championship Finals last weekend there was some terrific action as the clash of the ash ignited its spark around the Premier County on Sunday afternoon. Congratulations to Killenaule, Éire Óg Annacarty/Donohill, Kildangan and Thurles Sarsfields on your respective divisional success.
COUNTY FIXTURES
The Clean Ireland Recycling County Senior Hurling preliminary quarter-final draws were made on Monday evening last and resulted as follows; Thurles Sarsfields v Mullinahone; Killenaule v Portroe; Nenagh Éire Óg v Roscrea; Kilruane MacDonaghs v JK Brackens; Éire Óg Annacarty Donohill v Lorrha Dorrha; Drom & Inch a bye; Kildangan v Upperchurch Drombane and Clonoulty Rossmore a bye. Dates, times and venues to be confirmed. Please check the fixtures section for all current information on upcoming matches in relation to dates, times and venues across the Premier County.
TIPPERARY SUPPORTERS CLUB ALL-IRELAND U16 HURLING TOURNAMENT
The Tipperary Supporters Club All-Ireland Under 16 Hurling Tournament will take place this Saturday August 29th, at venues across Mid Tipperary. In the ‘A’ tournament Tipperary in group 4 are stationed in Holycross and play Waterford at 10.30am and Wexford at 12noon. The winner from this group will play a semi-final v winner of group 1 at 3.30pm again in Holycross. The Cup Final then takes place in Semple Stadium at 6pm and will be recorded by TG4 for broadcast the following Monday evening on its weekly GAA slot.
The Tipperary ‘B’ team are in group 2 of their tournament in Templetuohy and meet Waterford at 10.30am and Kerry at 12noon. The winner of this group meets the runners up of group 1 in the semi-final in Templemore at 3pm. The Cup Final takes place in Semple Stadium at 4.30pm.
THE BOY WONDER OF HURLING
It was a who’s who of hurling greats that came in huge numbers to pay tribute and be part of the launch of “The Boy Wonder of Hurling” the story of Tipperary hurling legend the late Jimmy Doyle, in Thurles Sarsfields’ Social Centre last Wednesday night.
With standing room only, Master of Ceremonies Liam Ó Donnchú opened proceedings and introduced all the guest speakers arriving eventually to President of the GAA, Aogan Ó Fearghaill who officially launched the book. Written by former Irish Examiner GAA correspondent, Diarmuid O Flynn, and edited by former Tipperary Star Editor, Michael Dundon, and published by Sliabh Ban Productions, which is headed up by RTE GAA correspondent/commentator, Brian Carthy, this wonderfully produced hardback and paperback release is a must for the bookshelves of all GAA enthusiasts.
HANDBALL
Sinéad Meagher Nenagh made a sensational impact at the World Handball Championships in Calgary, Canada, last week winning Gold and Silver at the 2015 Finals. Tipperary had seven players competing at the World Championships – Pat & Aiden O’Flaherty from Youghalarra , Colin Ryan, Daniel Hayes, John O’Donoghue and David Moloney from Cashel and Sinead Meagher as indicated from Nenagh.
Daniel Hayes (Cashel) won Silver in the 19 & Under doubles when he teamed up with Colin Corbett from Clare. David Moloney (Cashel) won Silver in the 35+ grade doubles where he partnered Ducksy Walsh from Kilkenny. The other Tipperary players all competed well, exiting their respective competitions at the quarter-final stage. It was a great week for Sinéad, congratulations to her and all her Tipperary colleagues.
NATIONAL HERITAGE WEEK
As part of National Heritage Week, Lár na Páirce will host a talk by Pat Bracken this Thursday, August 27th at 7.30pm entitled “Not Quite Yet on Death’s Door – Hurling 1840-1884” and all are welcome.
NIGHT AT THE DOGS FUNDRAISER
The Eddie Connolly Trust Fund will hold a special “Night at the Dogs” on Friday 18th September at Thurles Greyhound Stadium. The Trust Fund has been established to help fund special cancer treatment for Eddie Connolly. Eddie is 29 years of age and has represented Loughmore Castleiney and Tipperary at all grades of hurling and football including captaining Tipperary to the All-Ireland Intermediate hurling title in 2012. In late 2013, he was diagnosed with brain cancer. Since then he has been bravely and courageously battling to overcome his illness. Presently he is undergoing a new form of cancer treatment in Spain which is not covered by medical insurance.
The “Night at the Dogs” will be a night of fun for all the family which will include a monster auction. The event was recently launched at Thurles Greyhound Stadium by top sports stars, Denis Leamy and Noel McGrath. There will be many sports stars attending and Paul Collins of Today FM will be MC for the evening. You can support this worthy cause in many different ways – there is a buster draw with a top prize of €500 for €10 including entrance fee. You can sponsor a race for €500, nominate a greyhound for €100 or sponsor an item for auction. Children can attend for free.
There is also a bank account to which donations can be made directly: Bank: AIB Thurles; Name: Eddie Connolly Trust Fund; Account:23828075; Sort Code: 93 53 01; IBAN:IE19AIBK93530123828075; BIK: AIBKIE2D.
Please support Eddie at this challenging time by coming along to Thurles Greyhound Stadium on Friday 18th September. Every little contribution will help a lot! For more information, please contact: Phyllis Connolly 086 0668388, Tom King 087 6274079 or Tom McGrath 087 4132691.
TIPPERARY SUPPORTERS CLUB MEMBERSHIP 2015
With the Tipperary Minor Hurlers gearing up for their All-Ireland Final on September 6th next, what better way to support the side than by taking up Membership of the Tipperary Supporters Club for 2015.
Membership is €30 per person, unchanged since 2006. Supporters can join on line on www.tippsupportersclub.com by credit card or debit/laser card. Also on the website details are available of the direct debit facility; as the Club is run on a completely voluntary basis it would be a great help if members could join by direct debit. Membership is also available in the following premises, Moynihan’s in Gladstone Street, Clonmel, O’Donoghue’s in Cashel, Noel Ryan’s in Parnell Street, Thurles and from Jackie Shanahan and Carroll’s in Roscrea. If joining by post please send a cheque or postal order payable to Tipperary Supporters Club to Jim Reidy,13 Castleknock Close, Dublin 15 086-3580718, email:info@tippsupportersclub.com
FRIENDS FOOTBALL LOTTO
The Friends of Tipperary Football Lotto is continuing to build and all Tipperary supporters are encouraged to please support by playing online now – http://bit.ly/1HU6W9H
TIPPERARY GAA SCENE
Information concerning all areas in the GAA will appear in this section in the future. If you wish to include any item of interest in future articles, please e-mail at pro.tipperary@gaa.ie on or before 3.00pm on Monday. Visit the Tipperary GAA web site at https://tipperary.gaa.ie to keep up to date with all the latest news in Tipperary GAA circles.
