On this day in 1965, John Doyle from Holycross-Ballycahill collected his 8th All-Ireland medal after Tipperary defeated Wexfordby 2-16 – 0-10 in the All-Ireland Hurling final. Doyle’s remarkable feat brought him level with the legendary Christy Ring of Cork.
As an 18-year-old, Doyle inspired Holycross to their first county title in 1948 and made his senior inter-county debut against Cork the following year. Doyle won his first three All Irelands as part of a formidable Tipperary team that won three consecutive championships between 1949-1951.
Doyle attained talismanic status in Tipperary during 1958,as his ability to turn defence into attack powered a relatively average team to All-Ireland victory, the first of five within eight years. He preferred to go through rather than around opponents, performing with an aggressive swagger thatroused the Tipperary players and supporters and infuriated everyone else.
During 1962-66, Doyle formed a Tipperary full-back line with Kieran Carey and Mick Maher that compensated for its seniority and slowness with unscrupulous physicality. Indeed, the area around the Tipperary goal became known as ‘Hell’s Kitchen’. With this defensive implacability, Tipperary were untouchable in 1964 and 1965, when Doyle picked up his eighth medal.
He ended his senior inter-county career in 1967 with 54 championship appearances, 10 Munster championships, 8 All Irelands, 11 National Leagues and 3 county championships with Holycross-Ballycahill. He is remembered as one of Tipperary’s finest hurlers and was named on the hurling ‘Team of the Century in 1984’ and ‘Team of the Millennium’ in 2000.
Doyle passed away in December 2010 and is buried in Holycross. The Munster Minor Hurling Championship trophy was renamed in his honour in 2024.
Sources:
https://www.dib.ie/biography/doyle-john-a9871
On this day in 1999, Tipperary won its first ever Camogie All Ireland Championship.
Tipperary defeated Kilkenny on a score line of 0-12 – 1-08 in front of 15,000 people at Croke Park. The winning score was a point from Caitriona Hennessey from the Drom & Inch club in the second minute of additional time. Team captain Maedhbh Stokes, from the Cashel club, became the first Tipperary woman to lift the O’Duffy Cup.
It was to signal the start of a golden age for Tipperary Camogie as they went on to complete a 3-in-a-row of All Ireland’s in 2000 and 2001, before adding further All Ireland’s in 2003 and 2004.
The Tipperary panel on the day was:
Jovita Delaney (Cashel), Suzanne Kelly (Toomevara), Una O’Dwyer (Cashel), Claire Madden (Portroe), Maedhbh Stokes (Cashel, Captain), Ciara Gaynor (Kilruane MacDonaghs), Sinead Nealon (Burgess), Emily Hayden (Cashel), Angie McDermott (Knockavilla Kickhams), Noelle Kennedy (Toomevara 0-6), Therese Brophy (Burgess), Helen Kiely (Drom & Inch), Eimear McDonnell (Burgess 0-1), Deirdre Hughes (Toomevara 0-3), Niamh Harkin (Drom & Inch)
Subs: Philly Fogarty (Cashel) for Kiely; Caitriona Hennessy (Drom & Inch 0-2) for Harkin.
Panellists: Louise Ryan (Holycross/Ballycahill), Sheena Howard (Burgess), Maria Harkin (Drom & Inch), Helen Campion (Cashel), Nora Dwan & Grainne Shanahan (Toomevara).
Team manager was Michael Cleary.
