Tipperary marked the centenary of Bloody Sunday with a truly excellent performance at Páirc Uí Chaoimh today, seeing off Cork to win the Munster Senior Football Championship (SFC) ending their 85 year drought; last achieved back in 1935.
Today November 22nd, from the 16th minute of commencement Tipperary were on top and despite Cork’s efforts remained there throughout the rest of the game, with Conor Sweeney (0-07, 0-02f, 0-02m) and Michael Quinlivan (0-05, 0-01f) jointly providing 12 points between them, ably assisted by Evan Comerford (0-01 45), Kevin Fahey (0-01), Liam Casey (0-01m) substitute Philip Austin (0-01) and Steven O’Brien (0-01).
Representing Tipperary today were: Evan Comerford; Jimmy Feehan; Alan Campbell; Colm O’Shaughnessy; Bill Maher; Kevin Fahey; Robbie Kiely; Liam Casey; Colin O’Riordan; Brian Fox; Conal Kennedy; Steven O’Brien; Conor Sweene; Colman Kennedy; Michael Quinlivan.
Subs: Liam Boland replacing Kennedy, Paudie Feehan for Fahey, Emmet Moloney for Fox, Pádraic Looram for Kiely and Philip Austin for Casey.
Final score at close of play today, Tipperary 0-17, Cork 0-14.
Today, Tipperary were wearing the white and green banded jerseys of Grangemockler, as their county had done on that fateful afternoon back in 1920, when thousands of football fans were assembled in Croke Park, to watch a challenge match between two of the game’s giants, Co. Tipperary and Co. Dublin.
Troops from the Duke of Wellington’s regiment, together with 2 police units, one of undisciplined Black and Tans and one of Auxiliaries, deploying into Croke Park, before Black and Tans began opening fire on the assembled gathering, discharging was over one hundred rounds of rifle fire, and an unknown number of pistol rounds.
All the shots were fired indiscriminately by the Black and Tans before control was regained by Major Edward Mills (latter Commander of the Auxiliary force). Major Mills would later report to his immediate superior, Brigadier-General Frank Crozier, stating “A rotten show, the worst I’ve ever seen.”
Following the aftermath of the firing, there were dead and injured civilians, both players and spectators, strewn across the field, 14 of whom would never see home alive again. The true number of injured has never been agreed upon, but is suggested possibly somewhere between sixty and one hundred.
Despite searches undertaken on that November afternoon, on every person still within Croke Park, not one weapon was ever located.
Leave a Reply