Tipperary waited 85 years to pick up a 10th Munster senior football championship, but it will be an 87-year-itch they will scratch on Friday night when they finally get their hands on those priceless medals.
Just over two years on from their history-making provincial football final triumph over Cork, the Tipp footballers of 2020 will be presented with their medals at a gala event at the Hotel Minella, Clonmel.
Due to the significance of the 0-17 to 0-14 victory, which was a first Munster senior football final win since 1935, the Premier County wanted to mark the achievement with a presentation night.
The 2020 provincial decider was played behind closed doors at Páirc Uí Chaoimh on November 22nd during that year’s Covid-shaped winter championship.
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In what turned out to be one of the most powerful sporting stories of that testing time, Tipp’s Munster glory occurred 100 years on from Bloody Sunday, the anniversary of which was being commemorated that same weekend. Less than 24 hours earlier a poignant remembrance event had taken place at Croke Park.
On the same November Sunday that Tipp beat Cork, Cavan got the better of Donegal to win their first Ulster title since 1997. Cavan had their medal presentation in October of this year. On Friday night, the Premier squad of 2020 will become the first Tipp players since the 1930s to get their hands on a Munster senior football championship medal.
“It has been a long time coming,” says David Power, the Tipperary manager. “It is going to be a great night, what was achieved by the players that day was incredible and they deserve to have an event to celebrate it properly.”
That desire to organise a fitting occasion to mark the success is at the heart of why the medal presentation has been delayed until now. With Covid restrictions in place in 2020, the Tipp footballers were unable to celebrate that breakthrough win like they would have wanted and by the time society eventually took on some form of normality the 2021 intercounty season was up and running.
They have been attempting ever since to find an appropriate date to host the medal presentation and ultimately wound up with the Friday before Christmas.
“The whole time during Covid was so strange and it’s hard to believe the years have gone so fast,” continues Power. “When we set about looking at dates, we didn’t want to cut across the county season and then obviously the club season kicked in.
“Obviously there would have been players away at times as well and we wanted to make sure as many of them as possible were there. There is no ideal date, but it should be a very special night.
“I think it will be an emotional night as well, because when you look back on it, it really was history-making stuff.”
The Munster senior football cup will be present on the night, too. Kerry are the reigning champions but Tipperary have arranged to have the trophy for the night.
“It’s obviously a bit unusual because we are not the holders, but for us this is a huge event. For the likes of Kerry and Dublin, who win provincial championships on a regular basis, it’s probably not as significant but for counties like Tipperary these are special occasions, so it will be great to have the cup there,” says Power.
The Tipperary manager says credit must also go to the Tipperary County Board, the Tipperary Football Board and the Friends of Tipperary Football for their efforts around the planning and preparation of the night.
The players will be kitted out in new suits for the occasion – including former Aussie Rules footballer Colin O’Riordan. In September, he was forced to retire from AFL because of a chronic hip condition. The 27-year-old is currently back in Tipperary with his partner, Louise, as part of a pre-planned trip for the Christmas period.
But in an unexpected boost for Power, O’Riordan could yet stay and feature for Tipperary in 2023 – not something that appeared possible only a few months ago.
Power confirmed O’Riordan has been in training with the panel in recent weeks, but stresses it is uncertain if he will be putting down roots or taking off back Down Under again.
“Colin has done a session or two with us,” says Power. “But we are still not sure if he is going to be staying in Ireland or not, Colin himself doesn’t know that yet.
“He’s been in with us for a couple of sessions and he has always been welcome in our set-up. He’s a super individual. Look, obviously it would be great to have him back but we’ll just have to see how everything works out.”
Either way, it is fitting O’Riordan will be present for the medal presentation. He was a key piece of the jigsaw that helped Tipperary create history in November, 2020.
For that game two years ago, the players wore a commemorative green and white jersey to mark Bloody Sunday. But it is a victory that will forever be recalled as one of the proudest days for those who kept the blue and gold football flame burning within a predominately hurling county.
“The players deserve to have the success marked properly because of what they achieved on the pitch that day,” says Power. “They were magnificent.”
They were. And on Friday, they will become authentic Munster SFC medal holders.
