KILLINAN END - Carving out your own history
Maybe there was always something in the air around Cloughjordan. They certainly like to upturn the establishment as evidenced even by the club names down the years. The legendary Lahorna De Wets brought the first County Senior title to the parish back in the embryonic days of the Twentieth-Century. This early version of the club carried the name of one of the Boer leaders, Christaan De Wet, who opposed the British ambitions in South Africa. Clearly a topical name reflecting a political view which would not be given voice across the nation for the best part of two more decades. Later, of course, the Kilruane club would embrace a name which led the way in that assertion of independence of the Irish state itself when named after their own famous parishioner, Tomás MacDonagh. The parish was also the scene, at Modreeny, of one of the bloodiest moments of the War of Independence in the County of Tipperary.
The parish’s hurlers have many times shown disregard for anyone who might have expectations and ambitions. Kiladangan have in the past number of years earned the right to have both but will know the traditional gravel in the gut around Kilruane and the threat it represents. It is hard to believe that it is heading on for four decades since the Black and White featured on Dan Breen day. Back in those days they were a regular feature when laurels were up for grabs in Semple. Four consecutive County Under-21 titles was about as solid a foundation as you could imagine for a tilt at Senior success in the years ahead and so it proved.
By the time of Roger Ryan’s late late show in Semple Stadium in 1980 to edge Roscrea past Kilruane they were within reach of emulating their four-in-a-row Under-21 achievement which is about as impressive a ‘mol an óige’ outcome as you could imagine. Borris-Ileigh and Roscrea had been beaten after struggles in 1977 and ’78 respectively, with the three-in-a-row completed more comfortably against Thurles Sarsfields in 1979. The post-1980 dip suggested that Kilruane’s better days were in the past. That view spoke too soon.
They waited five years to play in another final and half of the men who completed the three-timer six years earlier still back-boned the team. Though the final was familiar – another Kilruane-Roscrea affair, their fourth meeting in thirteen seasons - it was a very different championship back in those days. The divisions were very firmly embedded in the County championship with the divisional finalists heading automatically for the quarter-finals. If you did not make your divisional final you would not be gracing County final day no matter where you were in the overall pecking order. This amplified the gap in standards across the divisions.
It signs on that on five occasions between 1977 and 1985 the County final was a direct repeat of the North final. Remarkably or not, the result was the same in both matches in all years showing that even when matches were tantalisingly close and going to replays there was something reliable about the outcome. Only Kilruane played in the quarter-finals in both 1985 and 2022. The South had no team at that level this year but by dint of the system in 1985, Carrick Swans and St Mary’s appeared in the last eight, with Swans, the South champions, making it to the semi-final and a long punishing afternoon against Roscrea. Cashel and Cappawhite came out of the West but hardly raised a gallop in the County series. It was apparent that the North teams were a long way ahead of the rest – consider that Roscrea needed a replay to get over Lorrha, the previous year’s County finalists in the North semi-final.
County final day was Kilruane’s and comfortably so in the end. A pedestrian first half performance was turned around in the second period and Roscrea were blitzed, outscored by 2-7 to 0-2 after half-time. Younger readers will be interested to know that Kilruane’s attacking flair was led by Eamon O’Shea so he could practise what the subsequently preached. It was not the last time that this Kilruane outfit showed resolve and resilience in the face of an adverse situation. In their opening game in the Munster championship Kilruane met Waterford champions Tallow, who had home advantage. Tallow are not remembered as one of the great hurling successes of the Déise but were on a hot streak in the early ‘80s winning their third County championship in six years. Kilruane came off the ropes to score the last five points and win by one.
The flagship win was over Blackrock in a replayed Munster final when that club had All-Ireland winners to beat the band. Desmonds of London, and Turloughmore of Galway were beaten along the way before an All-Ireland final win over Buffer’s Alley when again Kilruane came back from a four-point half-time deficit. Toughness and attitude were not lacking in those men. No doubt coming through the cauldron of North Tipperary in those heady days of the 1970s required plenty of that with several fine club sides including Silvermines, Moneygall, Borris-Ileigh and Lorrha, without even mentioning old rivals Roscrea.
Sunday sees a first Kilruane-Kiladangan County final but they have met in three North finals in recent years. Maybe they are carving out their own shared history in front of our eyes.