Search Results for 'Tiernan Killeen'

The second half of Galway’s All-Ireland quarter-final defeat to Tipperary last summer made for painful viewing. The eventual Liam MacCarthy champions swept aside the Tribesmen with an ease that was as alarming as it was sobering in front of a sea of Tipp support.

Galway 3-25 Kilkenny 1-16

Some sporting victories end when the final whistle blows. Others continue long after the players have left the field. They travel home on buses and trains, into pubs and kitchens, across streets decorated with flags and into the memories of those who witnessed them.

As days following the Galway hurlers go, last Saturday afternoon in Croke Park will take some beating. Long after the final whistle had sounded, a wave of maroon euphoria swept around GAA headquarters as a unique rendition of N17 echoed around the stadium.

When two neighbouring clubs locked horns in Pearse Stadium in the past, the opportunity arose for one of the teams to seize more than just local bragging rights - to come away with a sizeable statement victory that would linger long after the final whistle. As the Galway hurlers dismantled Kilkenny on Saturday in Salthill, that instantly came to mind.

Championship changes everything. The margin for error disappears, the intensity lifts a notch and every decision — on and off the field — carries that bit more weight.

'What happened to all those good minor hurling teams over the past few years?' Or more pointedly: 'Why haven’t Galway been able to translate minor success into U-20 and senior?' If I had a euro for every time I’ve been asked those questions, I’d probably be able to sponsor the county board myself. Move over Pat McDonagh.

Seven different Galway clubs – Portumna, Athenry, Sarsfields, St. Thomas’, Castlegar, Clarinbridge and Kiltormer – have climbed the steps of the Hogan Stand to accept the Tommy Moore Cup. Gort and Loughrea are two outliers, in that they are the only ones to have reached an All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship final and been unsuccessful.

For the second weekend in succession, Pearse Stadium will host Galway GAA’s marquee fixtures under the Saturday night lights as the Galway Senior Hurling Championship semi-finals take centre stage.

The passing of Kerry legend Mick O’Dwyer earlier this month touched every corner of the country. A larger-than-life character, astute businessman, and extraordinary footballer and manager, 'Micko' was truly an icon of the GAA. You didn't have to follow sport to appreciate the impact this man had on modern Irish life.