Tipperary's scalp perfect way to claim four-in-a-row

ALL-IRELAND HURLING FINAL - Kilkenny v Tipperary:THERE ARE few official roadsigns indicating the border between the counties of Kilkenny and Tipperary. Nor need there be. Every path crossing the perimeter is currently indicated by a sudden, and dramatic, switch in colours.

From Galmoy and the areas claimed by Johnstown’s Fenians and Urlingford’s Emeralds across to Moyne-Templetuohy and Gortnahoe-Glengoole; from Tullaroan to Ballingarry, to Callan and back across the divide to Mullinahone and Grangemockler, all along the invisible partition where Tipperary and Kilkenny touch, a wall of flags are displayed. Here and there, an out-of-place flag indicates the boundary has been breached.

Even the border towns, such as Carrick-on-Suir, which watches Tipperary’s southern border – keeping an eye on Piltown in particular – are awash with blue and gold ahead of Sunday’s battle. There is, it appears, a madman – armed only with two large pots of paint – on the loose.

Urlingford, which is on the frontline, has a large sign warning passing motorists: “Kilkenny Cats To Devour Tipperary Rats In Four Course Meal.” However, most of the many posters (written on everything from billboards to round bales) are witty and good-natured. But all make some nod to the rivalry between the two counties. Nearby, another boosts: “Welcome To Kilkenny, The True Home of Hurling.”

Almost two decades ago, on the other side of the road, a large billboard proclaimed: “Welcome To Tipperary, Winners Of More All-Irelands Than Kilkenny.”

That sign quickly disappeared as Tipperary fell into a tradition of winning a quota of one title each decade, while Kilkenny have now claimed the Liam MacCarthy Cup on six more occasions than their neighbour.

Urlingford was the venue for the first clash between the sides, in 1887, the inaugural All-Ireland championship – a year before the GAA brought down the provincial walls that resulted in championship clashes between the two being far less frequent than otherwise would have been the case. Absence, though, only made the heart grow fonder.

Among the Big Three, Tipperary have met Cork in championship hurling more than four times as often as they have clashed with Kilkenny.

Thurles steamrolled Tullaroan in that first meeting, and again the following decade when the Kilkenny side ran into a representative side who brought three All-Irelands back to Tipperary in four years. That great Tubberadora team (and those who heard local man Séamus Leahy, who knew many of the players personally, give a recent talk about their feats as part of the GAA’s 125th celebrations will have no doubt as to the significance of their achievements) book-ended a remarkable four seasons by defeating Tullaroan in the 1895 decider and Three Castles in the final of 1898.

But, the most famous of all the skirmishes, between counties where the tradition is a parent takes the soother and offers a hurley instead, came back in 1922.

At 2pm on Sunday, September 9th, 1923, Tipperary and Sligo met at Croke Park to decide who would meet Dublin in the All-Ireland football final. The huge crowd that turned up, however, were, for the most part, there for the main event – the All-Ireland hurling final.

The pre-match preview in The Irish Times contained a fascinating analysis of the merits of both sides. Kilkenny developed a style of hurling strikingly different from their steady, determined neighbours across the Munster border. Tipperary men like to hold their ground – hurl with their arms, depend on stone-wall, fearless defence and reckless, dare-devil attack, sweeping all opposition down passionately in the critical stages of a game. When you see him in practice, the Tipperary man does not impress you. He indulges in no spectacular striking, he controls the leather and hits hard.

Kilkenny men got a great reputation as spectacular hurlers many years back. They are easy, graceful hitters, whenever opportunity offers they snap the flying ball with the right hand and send it away, right or left, with astounding speed. They indulge in the ‘lift and hit’ game, and are adept in overhead hurling.

Forward, they depend on swift, dexterous movements, keeping their hurleys very close to the body, never striking wildly. . . these are teams very evenly matched and feeling in both counties is running high.

The match lived up to the expectations – with this newspaper admitting on the Monday, “it was difficult to describe the second half, so fast were the exchanges and so determined the struggle”.

With Tipperary supporters checking the time, and their team three points to the good, Paddy Donoghue and Dick Tobin smashed home two quick goals. The Munster team had just moments to work their way up the field for the chance of an equalising goal, but the sliotar was tipped over the bar and a pulsating game in front of a record crowd went to Kilkenny.

Perhaps more incredibly, in the 86 All-Ireland finals since that match, Kilkenny have only beaten Tipperary on one occasion – in 1967, when an Eddie Keher-led Kilkenny team defeated a team that were looking for their fifth title in seven seasons. The victory that day was in no small part thanks to the heroics between the posts of Ollie Walsh, who had earlier in the day put his arm through a train window and had to take a detour to the Mater Hospital to be stitched up before making the short trip to GAA headquarters.

The ’67 victory also broke a run of uninterrupted defeats to Tipperary which, apart from the 1920s and ’80s has witnessed a victory for Tipperary over their Leinster neighbour in every decade since the beginning of the hurling championship in the 19th century. On Sunday, Tipperary have a chance to add another decade to that list of victories.

Kilkenny can tie up some loose ends of their own – having defeated the other four main Munster hurling counties (apologies to Kerry) in their 21st century rise to the summit. Tipperary’s scalp would be the perfect way to claim the four-in-a-row.

On the counties’ borders, residents wait impatiently for the first shots of the impending war.

Kilkenny v Tipperary, Croke Park, Sunday, throw-in – 3.30pm, Live on RTÉ 2.