Heartiest congratulations to Tipperary minors and seniors on their All-Ireland victories on Sunday,
the first time the county won the double since 1949, when John O’Grady and Pat Stakelum were the respective captains.
Both were comprehensive victories, the minors by 1-21 to 0-17 and the seniors by 2-29 to 2-20.
The minors were expected to bring home the bacon, having beaten Limerick by 17 points in the Munster final, but the senior challenge was a different matter, in spite of the fact that the bookies made us favourites.
At halftime, with a two-point lead, most Tipperary supporters were hopeful, especially the the light of the number of wides they had.
However, when Kilkenny got the goal early in the second half it knocked us back on our tracks and there was a sinking feeling of deja vu.
But the worst never transpired. Tipperary bounced back immediately, shifted into a new gear and were absolutely magnificent in the final quarter, scoring a succession of glorious points for an incredible 9-point victory.
At the end we wondered why we feared Kilkenny at all!
It was a magnificent team performance in which every player gave a performance of great intensity and the inside forward line of John O’Dwyer, Seamus Callahan and John McGrath made the fullest use of the service they got from out the field.
The dominance of the team was reflected in the seven positions filled by Tipperary players by the Sunday Game pundits in their
Team of the Championship.
The joy and relief of Tipperary supporters, after the disappointment and frustration they had to endure since the promise of 2010, were reflected in the enthusiasm of the 20,000 supporters that came to Semple Stadium on Monday night to welcome home their heroes.
On their way to the stadium on Sunday, many supporters paused for the commemoration of Sean Treacy’s death in Talbot Street.
They heard Seamus Leahy’s rousing oration at the end of which he stated that he hoped the best team would win today and that that team would wear to blue and gold! And, they did just that. Magnificent Tipperary!
Lár na Páirce
Museum of the GAA and Gaelic Games
