After capturing the attention of the Horse-Racing world at Cheltenham 2021 with her Champion Hurdle win aboard ‘Honeysuckle‘ and ending the week as top rider, Rachel Blackmore today has made history as the first female rider to win the world’s most famous race, the Aintree Grand National on ‘Minella Times‘, for Waterford trainer Henry De Bromhead and owner J.P. McManus.
Ms Blackmore, the daughter of Charles and Eimir Blackmore, of Killenaule, Co. Tipperary, kept her mount out of trouble throughout the race and struck the front after the 29th and 2nd last fence. A fantastic jump at the last propelled ‘Minella Times‘ into a few lengths lead over ‘Balko de Flos‘, and Rachel never relinquished her lead despite the long run in from the famous Elbow at Aintree.
This is a famous achievement for Ms Blackmore, being the first female to win the Grand National. She has shown what hard work and dedication to her craft can do, and it is a proud day for Co. Tipperary, as her Star shone brightest on the biggest stage of all on Grand National day.
She has shown that when given the opportunities, this Tipperary lady is as fine a jockey as ever produced from within these shores, male or female.
On Easter Saturday, April 3rd, Thurles Sarsfields GAA Club are hosting an online kids’ hurling and football zoom session with its club stars Ronan Maher, Karen Kennedy and Marie Creedon.
The session starts at 11:00 a.m. and is suitable for ages 6+. It costs only €5 to take part and all proceeds are in aid of the running costs of Thurles Sarsfields’ teams.
As already stated the session will be undertaken by three of Thurles Sarsfields’ biggest role models, Ronan Maher, Marie Creedon and Karen Kennedy.
Ronan Maher is a Sarsfields and Tipperary Senior Hurler, one of the top hurlers in Ireland, winning 2 All-Irelands with Tipperary and has been twice an All-Star. He has so far won 5County Senior Hurling titles with Thurles Sarsfields and 4 County U21 Titles.
Marie Creedon is a Sarsfields and Tipperary Ladies Footballer, and has won an All-Ireland Intermediate title with Tipperary, and Captained the Thurles Sarsfields Ladies Football team to an Intermediate County Football Title in 2020.
Karen Kennedy is a Sarsfields and Tipperary Camogie Player and the 2020 All-Star Camogie Centre Back. She has captained Tipperary to underage All-Irelands and was one of the Thurles Sarsfields Camogie team which won the Intermediate County Camogie Title in 2020.
This will be a fun online training session run by three of the Club’s shining Stars. All you need is a hurley, a sliotar / tennis ball and a football.
Tipperary GAA County Board secretary, Mr Tim Floyd has confirmed that plans to upgrade facilities on the Kinane Stand in Semple Stadium will be delayed for some time in the near future.
Planning permission, granted for 5 year, to undertake a €9 million upgrade, within ‘Semples field’, latter which including a state of the art gymnasium at nearby Dr. Morris Park, had been granted just last year [Note: Tipperary have been hiring the gym in the LIT Thurles Campus].
Same planning had also included a corporate area, under the Kinane stand, that would have had a capacity for 250 patrons.
We understand that plans to extend player dressing rooms in Dr. Morris Park and the all-weather pitch in Thurles LIT will continue as planned, with the development at Dr. Morris Park, coming to fruition at the end of this year, just as soon as Munster Council and Croke Park finances are made available.
Horse Trainer, Mr Brian McMahon, Kilmaley, Co. Clare, has been fined €1,000 and banned from attending all Irish race tracks for three months, having been found in breach of Level 5 Covid-19 regulations.
Thurles Race Course
Mr McMahon, had attended the races at Thurles, Co. Tipperary on Dec. 20th before Christmas 2020, despite having attended the Goff’s sale at Yorton Farm in the United Kingdom three days previous, and having failed to continue to restrict his movements upon his return, under Irish National Public Health Guidelines.
Mr McMahon is also understood to have falsified his health screening questionnaire, in order to gain access to the Thurles track, answering ‘No‘ to the question of whether he had travelled outside the State, within the previous 14 calendar days. Mr McMahon also failed to provide the required negative COVID-19 result result, latter required when attending an Irish race meeting.
The Irish Horse Racing Regulatory Board became aware of the true facts relating Mr McMahon travel arrangements, but only following his attendance at the Thurles meeting.
The referrals committee convened via “Zoom” on Wednesday last, finding McMahon in breach of Rule 272(i), in that he had acted in a manner which was “prejudicial to the integrity, proper conduct, or good reputation of horse racing”.
He was also found guilty under Rule 272(ii) as he had provided misleading information to a racing official by falsifying the health screening questionnaire.
McMahon is now prohibited from attending all races here in Ireland from Jan. 21st last to April 2nd, next 2021.
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.
The Tipperary team, which had assembled at Croke Park, on November 21st 1920.
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.
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