With the open wound of yesterday’s loss in the All-Ireland hurling final replay still visible and aching, several thousand Tipperary supporters nevertheless turned up in Thurles this evening to celebrate the county’s performances in this summer’s championship.
Tipperary-based band, Johnny B and the Boogie Men, did their best to lift the spirits at Semple Stadium prior to the team's arrival, playing the popular county anthem this summer, This Could Be Our Year, with the lead singer predicting 2015 would bring better fortunes.
Since heyday of the 1960s – when Tipperary claimed four titles in five seasons with a full-back line so fierce it was known as Hell's Kitchen – the county's best hurlers have claimed the Liam MacCarthy Cup just once in each decade.
Five titles in 49 seasons of hurling.
In the same time-span, Kilkenny have recorded 20 All-Ireland senior final victories.
The feeling among supporters of the Premier County yesterday was that, with this decade’s quota already filled in 2010, this season could prove to have been the county’s best chance of breaking that tradition.
However, looking forward was a common theme in Semple, with every speaker talking about next year’s championship – some in hope; others (notably none of them part of the current squad) guaranteeing success in 2015.
Captain of the losing finalists Brendan Maher promised the crowd that "all the hurt we're feeling at the moment is going to drive us forward".
He paid tribute to team manager Eamon O’Shea. “When everyone was down on us, criticising us, Eamon showed great faith in us – and I hope we can repay him for that in the future.”
The manager admitted the team are “devastated”.
“We went up to win. But I think you can be proud of the players. The players lost nothing this season in the way they represented the blue and gold.”
He told the crowd to “keep the faith and we’ll be back again”.
It was a season of near misses for Tipperary – an extra-time defeat in the league decider, followed by a two-point Munster exit, before the weekend’s replayed All-Ireland decider.
Tipperary county board PRO Andy Fogarty reminded the crowd that the team “came within inches of winning the All-Ireland a few weeks ago and came within a puck of a ball at the weekend”.
County board chairman Sean Nugent said he was “thrilled by the turnout to show appreciation for the players. On September 7th, they gave one of the greatest performances of any Tipperary team.”
Earlier, at Mass in Thurles Cathedral, Fr Tomás O’Connell congratulated Kilkenny on a fine victory, before, to much laughter, wondering aloud “which team God really supports”.
