Tipperary GAA Scene – December 11th 2024

AIB Munster Club Championships

Tipperary had two teams in action in the Munster club championships last weekend, but unfortunately both clubs had to give way to their opponents on the day.

On Saturday afternoon in Mallow, the Intermediate footballers of Aherlow played Kerry’s Austin Stacks in the Munster Club Intermediate football final and in what was always going to be a difficult assignment they had to give way to a very strong Austin Stacks side who will now be setting their sights on national honours.

Scorers for Aherlow: Barry Grogan (f) and Mark Russell 0-1 each.

Aherlow: Jack Whelton; Mark Hanley, Raymond Hennessy, Tom O’Donoghue; Tadhg Carew, Laurence Coskeran, Darragh O’Brien; Diarmuid Looby, Mark Russell; Michael Elligott, Ben Carey, Jack O’Halloran; Cathal Dillon, Barry Grogan, Gary Quirke.

Mallow was also the venue for the clash of Loughmore Castleiney and Dr Crokes who met in the Munster club senior football final on Sunday. Loughmore Castleiney travelled to this game full of confidence in their own ability while also acknowledging their opponents remarkable achievements in this competition over the years.

The first half was a very close affair with only the minimum between the sides at half time, however a very different Crokes emerged for the second half and it was obvious soon thereafter that there was only going to be one winner, as Dr Crokes dominated the game and ran out winners by 0-15 to 1-06.

Scorers for Loughmore-Castleiney: Phillip O’Connell 1-0; Liam McGrath (0-3, 3f), Liam Treacy 0-2; Aidan McGrath 0-1.

LOUGHMORE-CASTLEINEY: Joey Hennessy; Lorcan Egan, John Ryan, Willie Eviston; Eoin O’Connell, Tomás McGrath, John Meagher; John McGrath, Liam Treacy; Tommy Maher, Brian McGrath, Eamon Connolly; Liam McGrath, Ciarán McGrath, Noel McGrath.

Subs: Phillip O’Connell for C McGrath (h-t), Ciarán Connolly for J McGrath (46), Aidan McGrath for T McGrath (52), Darragh McCahey for Ryan (52), Ed Connolly for Maher (52).

County Under 21 Championships

Congratulations to Holycross Ballycahill who captured the FBD Insurance county under 21 “A” hurling championship by virtue of a 1-20 to 0-08 win over their neighbours Clonoulty Rossmore on Sunday in Drombane.

In the final of the FBD Insurance county under 21 “B” hurling championship, Boherlahan Dualla were victorious on a score of 0-16 to 1-11 over Kilsheelan Kilcash, while in the FBD Insurance county under 21 “B” football championship semi-final Eire Óg Sean Treacys defeated St Patricks by 1-13 to 1-09.

County Primary Schools Quiz

Congratulations to all the teams from the four divisions who took part in the county primary schools quiz last Sunday night in the Dome. It was a superb night and we congratulate our 5 winners.

1st Scoil Ailbhe, Thurles

2nd Ballysloe NS

3rd Gaelscoil Thurles

4th Upperchurch NS

5th Gaelscoil Nenagh

Munster & Central Council GAA club development grant scheme for 2024

The Munster Council in conjunction with Central Council has approved a fund over €1.3M for Club Development Grants, which will cover capital grant works in clubs in Munster for 2024.

There was a total expenditure of €10M recorded by our units across the province and 96 applications were submitted for consideration.

The Council agreed a budget of €1,362,520 for the grant scheme. €1,000,500 is donated by Central Council and the remaining €362,020 is contributed by the Munster Council. The Munster Council and the Central Council allocation funds category 1 – land purchase, category 2 – dressing room and gym developments, category 3 – refurbishment of handball courts & category 4 – pitch development, floodlighting & hurling wall developments.

The Council approved the following allocations for Tipperary clubs:

Tipperary v Clare Senior Hurling Challenge

A senior hurling challenge game between All Ireland Hurling Champions Clare and Tipperary will take place in Pairc Shilean Templemore on Saturday 4th January at 6pm. The very competitive National Hurling League commences on January 26th away to Galway. Tipperary will also play Wexford, Limerick, Cork, Kilkenny and Clare. This challenge game will be used as serious preparation for the upcoming league with both managers fielding near full strength teams. The proceeds of this game will be donated to Marys Meals Charity. Entry fee is 10euro by cash or card.

Mary’s Meals is a Global Charity.

1. whose mission is to give every child one meal a day in a place of education which is the road out of poverty.

2. 22euro feeds a child one meal a day for an entire school year

3. 100% of your donation goes to Mary’s Meals Ireland

4. 96% reaches the front line (Average over the past 5 years)

5. Mary’s Meals feeds almost 2.5 million children in the poorest countries of the world.

Tipperary GAA Club Season Pass

The 2025 Tipperary GAA club season pass is now on sale and can be purchased via the events section of the Tipperary GAA App or by contacting the Tipperary GAA office on 0504 22702. The pass which will entitle the holder entry into all adult divisional and county games at adult level will cost €170.

Thurles Fresh Milk 6K Santa Dash and Visit Santa Experience

This year’s Santa Dash & visit Santa experience will take place on Saturday 14th December 2024 and promises to be a great day out for all the family.

This promises to be a great days entertainment for all the family and is expected to attract a large attendance on the day. Registrations remain open for both the santa dash and the visit santa experience and bookings can be made via the events section of the Tipperary GAA website or at the venue on the day.

All our Intercounty teams will be attending and we hope to see you there for lots of Festive Fun In aid of Tipperary GAA Underage Teams.

Allianz League Ticket Details

The GAA has confirmed ticketing arrangements for the 2025 Allianz Leagues.

Prices will remain unchanged at €20 for Adults and €15 for Senior Citizens/Students for Division 1 and 2 Allianz Football League games and 1A and 1B Allianz Hurling League games.

Tickets for AFL Divisions 3 and 4 will be priced at €12 and €10 and for AHL Divisions 2, 3 and 4, will be €10 and €8 respectively.

An early bird offer for the month of December will see a €5 discount on Adult tickets for all opening round games across all divisions in both codes.

There will be a change in juvenile pricing. Children’s Tickets (U16) will be €5 for all Division 1 and Division 2 Fixtures in football and Division 1A & 1B in hurling.

These tickets can only be purchased alongside an adult ticket.

This new arrangement has been introduced after consultation with our counties and to assist with event control and health and safety protocols for fixtures that attract bigger attendances.

It will not apply for Divisions 3 & 4 in football or Divisions 2 & 3 in hurling.

A juvenile charge may also apply to other fixtures if required due to capacity.

The GAA can also confirm the availability of the new League Bundle Tickets:

Allianz Football Division 1 & 2 – Adult Match ticket price: €20

• 7 National League Football matches for €100
• 4 National League Football matches for €65

Allianz Division 3 & 4 – Adult Match ticket price: €12

• 7 match package ticket for €60
• 4 matches for €40

Allianz Hurling Division 1A & 1B – Adult Match ticket price: €20

• 6 National League Hurling matches for €90
• 3 National League Hurling matches for €50

In keeping with the practice of recent years, all tickets must be purchased in advance via county boards, gaa.ie or from participating Centra and SuperValu outlets.

GAA clubs encouraged to register AEDS with National Ambulance Service

GAA Clubs encouraged to ensure their AEDs (Automated External Defibrillators) are registered with the National Ambulance Service.

GAA clubs have long been to the forefront of communities across Ireland and beyond in promoting a healthy and active lifestyle. They have also been proactive when it comes to acquiring and maintaining Automated External Defibrillators in clubhouses and pitches, and there have been many instances in recent times where having a properly functioning AED has saved someone’s life.

Every year in Ireland, unfortunately, thousands of people suffer a cardiac arrest. Early CPR and defibrillation with an AED can double their chances of survival. Knowing where the nearest AED is located can make all the difference when every second counts.

There are an estimated 9,000 AEDs across Ireland. Unfortunately, many are never used because emergency services don’t know where they are or where to access them. This is something that fifth year student Cliodhna Ward from Castleblayney in County Monaghan is looking to address as part of the “30 seconds of your time” campaign.

It is estimated that approximately 17% of AEDs are registered to the National Ambulance Service’s AED Network. Devices registered to this network provide the NAS with vital information – because once an AED is registered here, emergency services can direct bystanders to their nearest AED and therefore increase a person’s chance of survival.

Referee training for Gaelic football rule enhancements commences

Several initiatives designed to educate inter-county and club referees on the new Gaelic football rule enhancements have begun. Last Friday, the National Panel of referees will meet with the Football Review Committee for a presentation and discussion on the rule enhancements.

Starting from today, a series of provincial training days with the national panel of inter-county referees, the support panel, and umpires will commence. Similar face to face training days will be undertaken with club referees from early January and both Intercounty and club referees and umpires will also undertake an E-Learning course which will be in a Q&A format. A webinar on the new rule enhancements for all referees, club and county, will take place on December 17th.

On January 11th, a National Referees Training Day will be followed by a number of online meetings before the first weekend of the Allianz Football League on January 25/26.

Club referees will be invited by the counties to their home Allianz Football League games so they can see the rules in action and informative webinars on the rules will be recorded and available whenever required for all referees and umpires.

Training for inter-county referees and umpires will continue throughout the Allianz League with a series of in-season webinars.

The GAA will liaise with referees and umpires throughout the season to get their feedback on the new rules and provide them with analysis on matches that might help them.

Sympathies

It was with great sadness that we learned of the passing of former Tipperary player John O’Grady RIP.

Known to many as Culbáire, John won his first All-Ireland MHC medal in 1947 before captaining the team to the title two years later in 1949. He became the first player to receive the Irish Press Cup for winning the All-Ireland minor hurling championship.

John first played hurling at club level with Moycarkey-Borris and joined the club’s senior team as a 16-year-old. He also lined out with Thurles CBS in the Harty Cup and earned selection on the Munster Colleges team.

As a university student in Cork, John played in the Fitzgibbon Cup with University College Cork and also earned inclusion on the Combined Universities team in 1952 and 1953.

After leaving university John  played with the Blackrock club in Cork, lining out in the 1954 final defeat by the Christy Ring led Glen Rovers, before ending his career with Moycarkey-Borris in 1962.

John was called up to the Tipperary senior team in 1958. Later that year he won a Munster senior hurling medal before lining out in goal in the 1958 All-Ireland final defeat of Galway.

John went on to be a renowned columnist writing his weekly “Culbáire” column in the Tipperary Star newspaper for many years.

Tipperary GAA extends our sincere sympathies to John’s wife Ann, sons Martin, Sean and Brian and the extended O’Grady family at this sad time.