Excitement mounts for All Ireland hurling final on Cork/Tipperary border

Whoever sees their team's captain lifting Liam MacCarthy on Sunday afternoon won’t have far to travel home

Sun, 13 Jul, 2025 - 17:30

Eoin English

Tensions are high in the hurling heartland along the Cork/Tipperary border as the build-up to Sunday’s All Ireland hurling final looks set to test friendships and family ties.

But not for neighbours and lifelong friends Liam O’Doherty, who lives in Cork, and Anthony O’Brien, who lives just a few fields away in Co Tipperary.

Not for another few days anyway.

The pals who live on either side of the border between Ballygiblin and Ballyporeen have agreed to put their county rivalry aside just long enough to share a car to Croke Park for the match.

“Sure it makes perfect sense for us to drive up together,” Liam said.

They’re happy to share the driving and split petrol costs for as long as they’re on the road to Dublin but once the sliothar is thrown in on Sunday, it’s game on, they said.

“The craic is starting to build alright but it probably won’t take off until this week when people see who has got tickets to the match, and who hasn’t,” Liam said.

We would have preferred Kilkenny in the final, purely because it would have been easier to get tickets. Normally, you’d be able to source a few from your neighbouring county — but not this time.

“But we’re well used to the inter county rivalry up here.

“Araglen GAA club over the road is a Cork county club but its pitch is in Tipperary.

“Our pub, The Swallow Inn, is in Tipperary. And it’s fully split, evenly split too, on match days.

“And we’re very close to the Waterford border too so on some days, you’d have a Waterford lad throwing in the odd scud for pure devilment.”

Hurling is in the DNA in this part of the world — Cork senior hurler Darragh Flynn plays for Ballygiblin which became the inaugural winner of the Cork junior hurling championship in 2022. They also became the first team to retain the Munster Club JHC title, and they won the All-Ireland Club JHC title in 2023.

There's divided loyalties between brothers Bill and Ned Reidy. Both reside in the townland of Croughmore that borders Cork and Tipperary. Picture: David Creedon

The area is home to Fitzgerald’s hurley makers, who supply hurleys to several players on the Cork squad.

The company owner, Michael Fitzgerald, is a proud Cork supporter, while his wife, Bridie, is an even prouder Tipp supporter.

In the nearest big town, Mitchelstown CBS draws students from north Cork and South Tipperary, and has been producing a steady stream of talented young hurlers for clubs on both sides of the border.

But nowhere in this part of the world is the rivalry and split more evident that at Araglen GAA Club — the only GAA club affiliated to Cork that, thanks to a pure twist of geography, plays its home games in another county — its pitch is located just inside the border of Co Tipperary.

That geographic quirk and the split loyalties it influences was fully exposed a few nights ago when what locals have described as a mystery raiding party, obviously from the Tipp side, used the cover of darkness to affix Tipperary flags to the poles around the pitch.

And why not — sure many of the lads playing for the club live in Tipp.

“There is an intense rivalry in the area alright with certain individuals, but most people take it in good spirits, and we’re certainly looking forward to the match on Sunday, whatever county you’re from,” club secretary John Ahern said.

The club will be a hive of activity on All Ireland Sunday as it hosts a fan-zone event with big screens showing the match live as part of a community event being organised by the Araglen Festival Committee.

It will be packed with Cork and Tipp fans, all friends and neighbours, all club colleagues and school pals.