Tullaroan's Padraig Walsh pictured ahead of the AIB All Ireland Club Intermediate Hurling Championship Final.
By Cian O’Connell
“To finally get over the line - it was emotional; it was probably the most emotional game I was ever involved in, I will never forget it,” Pádraig Walsh reflects on the Kilkenny Intermediate Hurling Final of 2019.
Tullaroan, the most prolific winners of the senior competition in the striped county, had endured demanding days in recent years. Harrowing losses suffered, wounds opened again, but Tullaroan’s top flight status for 2020 was secured.
Since then, though, Tullamore have added a Leinster title to the collection and now an AIB All Ireland Club Intermediate decider against Fr O’Neills beckons at Croke Park.
Walsh is most certainly familiar with the venue, but the next trip to GAA headquarters will be both different and delightful.
“It is special, it isn't something I ever thought that I would be doing,” Walsh admits. “Just to get the chance to play in Croke Park with your club, it is absolutely brilliant.
"It is all of the lads you played with in school and grown up with. It is a great day for the parish now.”
Twenty five years had passed since Tullaroan’s green and white flag was perched on the summit of the Kilkenny club game. Walsh, though, felt it was time the current generation delivered on the Nowlan Park stage.
“Absolutely because it was 1994 the last time that Tullaroan won a title at adult level in Kilkenny,” Walsh says. “Just to get over the line there was brilliant.
“Now that we are getting the chance to go on to get into Croke Park, everyone is just on a high. The place is absolutely buzzing, everyone is putting their name down for buses to get up to the match and stuff.
“There is just huge excitement around. We are delighted we could finally win something for the club because we were a long time waiting.
Pádraig Walsh is an influential figure for Tullaroan.
“It is so competitive in Kilkenny because you only have 12 teams in each grade. So the standard is always going to be fairly high and there will always be a couple of teams that could win it.
“We got so close in the last few years and it was very disappointing at the end of each year. That is probably what has made all of this so much sweeter because we had so much put into it in the last five years.
So what has changed? Why are Tullaroan now looking for their third piece of silverware in the current campaign?
“In the last few years we had just been a bit unlucky and we came up against some very strong teams,” Walsh replies.
“This year we had a few new young lads down training with us and on the team. Lads who were minor the year before, that added a bit of freshness to the whole thing.
“We also probably went back a bit later to training, we didn't go back until February just because we got so far the year before.
“Lads came back chomping at the bit, I think usually in the last few years we had been hurling very well in the League. When it came to the Championship then we dipped a bit for whatever reason.
“This year we probably came in a bit fresher, we didn't hurl as well in the League, but when it came to Championship then we really upped it and we got the results we needed.
“Probably the experience of being in finals and semi-finals definitely helped. Just having the experience of playing on occasions like that.”
While Tullaroan’s playing numbers might be signifciantly smaller than the modern powers in Kilkenny, Walsh suggests the spirit and unity counts.
Tommy and Pádraig Walsh celebrate following Tullaroan's 2019 Kilkenny Intermediate Hurling Championship win.
“We wouldn't have strong numbers, but every so often we would get a good team and stuff,” Walsh remarks.
“We wouldn't be in A every year, it would only be the odd year that we would get up to A. We would compete in B and C, we'd be winning County Finals here and there, we'd be competitive in them grades.
“Definitely wins like that, no matter what grade, brings lads on. We had one group who won an Under 21 County Final two or three years ago, a lot of them lads are making up the team now. They are a bit older now with experience, they are probably a big part of why we are doing so well at the moment.
“They have the experience of winning, they kept a lot of their lads. Usually after Under 21 you'd lose a few, but that group compared to any other group we had kept more players.
“That was a massive help. We had a few lads who came off winning a minor county final on to the panel. The young lads are definitely driving it on at the moment.”
Older brother Tommy enjoyed a most productive career with Kilkenny and continues to provide scores and inspiration.
Current Kilkenny star Pádraig Walsh laughs when discussing the emergence of Tullaroan’s captain for the present adventure, younger sibling Shane.
“He was captain of an Under 21 team so he probably got it in his head that he was a lucky captain, he went around to everyone doing a bit of canvassing to vote him in for captain,” Walsh laughs.
“It worked anyway, he got himself in. To be fair to him he has been great, he has been brilliant. We are delighted now we voted him in.”
Ultimately the cute little story captures the Walsh’s relevance to Tullaroan. Funny, realistic, relevant with an appreciation of the game and the joy sport can bring.
