Scottie Scheffler was six points up at half-time and looked home and hosed, but five early birdies after the break brought Tipperary right back in to it – and then John McGrath’s hole-in-one gave them the lead. It was remarkable stuff. Having had one hand on the Claret Jug, Cork were lost in the rough, their cause hardly helped by too many wides from full-forward Rory McIlroy. “This is astonishing,” Marty Morrissey bellowed. “That it is,” whispered Ewen Murray. “Did I mention I won six majors?” asked Nick Faldo.
You know yourself, it was one of those discombobulating channel-hopping afternoons.
Saturday morning had been a challenge too, but at least the Lions had the good grace to kick off against Australia well before the big guns got under way at Portrush, so there was no need for multi-viewing.
There was, though, no end of cross-coding through it all. “DONEGAL FOR SAM,” hollered a voice from the crowd when Shane Lowry teed off at the 12th on Friday, while at least a dozen Cork shirts celebrated Dan Sheehan’s try in Brisbane. And as Marty Morrissey pointed out, offering Tipp a potentially positive omen, before last week, the only years Portrush had staged the Open were 1951 and 2019 ... and Tipp had brought Liam home both times. 2025? Hmm.
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Dónal Óg Cusack, safe to say, was revved up. When he assembled with Joanne Cantwell, Liam Sheedy and Anthony Daly outside Croke Park, he was in moving statues mode.
Pointing to Michael Cusack, he said: “I see him coming to life and coming down off the plinth and using that stick on some of the bluffers who are meant to be promoting hurling ... but let’s park that for the day.” Joanne and Liam and Anthony looked at each other in a kind of an ‘ah Jesus, he’s off already’ way, but thereafter he focused on the game, so all was good.
Which it certainly was for Cork come half-time – six points up. All over? Well, no. All you can assume is that Liam Cahill’s half-time chat reached I Have A Dream and Sermon on the Mount levels. “I’m not sure where Cork have gone, but they’re not on the pitch at the moment,” said Marty as the Rebels were blown away.
Having already said hello to people in “Mexico and Shanghai”, and such like, Marty geographically spread himself as the Tipp rising surged. “If they level this one after being six points down at half-time, the roar will be heard in Boston, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth.”
And when they converted that penalty? “Whether you’re in Australia, New York, Boston, Bantry or wherever, you’ve got to love the game of hurling!” Heavy Boston bias there, South America utterly overlooked, there’ll be no welcome for Marty in Medellín or Maracaibo any time soon.
“This is unbelievable,” said Michael Duignan, and that it was, it was a second half turnaround like few others. Cork played like they were cemented to a plinth, Tipp performing like they were unleashed like circus lions in to the wild.
Come full-time, Slievenamon filled the Croke Park air, the Tipp folk ecstatic, the Cork crew Googling ‘how to mend 20 years of hurt’. “And it feels like the winter is just going on for 20 years,” said Dónal Óg of his county’s two-decade All-Ireland drought.
Tipp’s drought only dated back to 2019, but if you claim you saw it ending this year, there’s no lie detector test on earth you’d pass.
“My mother probably has the rosary beads swallowed at this stage, and my father has probably the cows milked three times with nervousness,” Tipp manager Liam Cahill told Damian Lawlor, although you’d a notion there wouldn’t be a cow milked in Ballingarry for another fortnight.
The best post-match chat of all was with Tipp’s Darragh McCarthy who joined the panel after the game, the 19-year-old having been lifted from the depths by his comrades after his two red cards this championship season, rewarding their kindness with just the 1-13 in the final.
“A gem,” said Anthony of the young fella, which he is, as is Tipp captain Ronan Maher for his tribute to the late Dillon Quirke during his victory speech. They’re the finest of men, these fellas.
Back at Portrush. “Is there anything left to be said about Scottie Sheffler,” asked Ewen. “No,” Wayne Riley replied. Sometimes you just have to watch and purr, sometimes there are no words. Tipp and Scottie Abu.
