Thurles Information

As we earlier forecast, former Tipperary coach, under All-Ireland-winning manager Liam Sheedy, NUIG professor Eamon O’Shea has been ratified as the new Tipperary senior hurling manager for 2013, succeeding former manager Declan Ryan.

This ratification will be seen as welcome news by the Premier County, latter who were humiliated by their arch rivals Kilkenny, in the All-Ireland semi-final last month, beaten 4-24 to 1-15.

In a statement last evening the Tipperary county board said that the County Board had ratified the appointment of Eamon O’Shea as senior hurling manager & other members of the management team will be decided following consultation in due course

The appointment of O’Shea is now expected to attract former defender Eamonn Corcoran & former Tipperary work comrade Michael Ryan, to join the management team.

Tipperary Hurling Manager Declan Ryan

County Chairman, Sean Nugent, will now lead the search for a replacement management team, following the expected exit by Senior hurling manager, Declan Ryan, who has decided to end his two year reign as Tipperary senior hurling boss.

Tommy Dunne (Coach)  and Michael Gleeson (Selector) have also decided to step aside from their posts.

The Tipperary GAA County Board and the Tipperary senior hurling panel have thanked all three men “for leading Tipperary to two Munster senior hurling championship successes and their dedication and commitment in their roles.  All three men have made a great contribution to the GAA in Tipperary over a long number of years and we are fortunate that men of their calibre have been willing to serve the county so generously and so loyally. We acknowledge the time, effort and many personal sacrifices they and their families have made in the interests of Tipperary’s senior hurling fortunes and we firmly believe that their good work will lead to continued success for the county.”

The board went on to wish all three individuals and their families continued well being and stated they looked forward to their “continued involvement with and contribution to the GAA in Tipperary“.

Eamon O’Shea, who was Tipperary County Coach during Liam Sheedy’s successful period in charge, is being linked as a possible replacement, as is indeed Liam Sheedy himself.

The Irish Rugby Football Union has confirmed that it has entered into preliminary discussions with the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) in relation to the availability of GAA grounds, as part of a possible Irish bid to host the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

Acknowledging that any future bid by the IRFU would be heavily dependent on both Government and GAA support, the IRFU state that they will understand and fully respect any GAA decision made when their response is delivered, in due course.

The number of stadia required for any future bid for this tournament has not as yet been decided, but a key element of future planning would be to first establish the number of locations and venues available, before a feasibility study could be undertaken, thus determining Ireland’s capacity to host such a tournament.

“The Rugby World Cup in New Zealand showed what a country of four million people could achieve, so an overall Irish bid is something that should be discussed and I believe every citizen is very aware of the huge benefits from both a social and economic perspective, that could be achieved from hosting the third largest sporting event on the globe, especially in terms of attracting visitors and showcasing Ireland’s global potential, ” stated Mr Philip Browne, IRFU Chief Executive.

In Kerry and West Cork for the first two decades of the GAA, rugby and not Gaelic football was observed, by many, as the county’s pre-eminent sport. The word Caid (Word meaning ‘Bulls Scrotum.’) originally referred to the ball, an egg-shaped object, which was in early use. It was made out of animal skin, with a natural bladder inside. Indeed this traditional game of ‘Caid,’ publically referred to as ‘rough and tumble,‘ was popular with peasantry particularly from these areas, throughout the nineteenth century.  As late as 1885 a renowned team from Ballymacelligott were issuing regular challenges for matches with many parishes here in Munster, under the two basic forms of the game, Cross-country Caid and Field Caid, the former often played & decided by Irish parish boundaries.

So will that ‘Hallowed Ground,’ that is Semple’s Field here in Thurles the ‘European Town of Sport 2012,’ play host to a game of ‘rough and tumble,‘ in 2023?

I believe so. We have come a long way from the days when the 1527 Statutes of Galway, banned ‘hokie,’ the hurling of a little ball with sticks on a Sunday & the Sunday Observance Act of 1695, which later imposed a fine of one shilling for anyone found playing sport on a Sunday, latter law which by the way was not repealed until, yes, 1962.

Your comments please.