We’ll know more about Tipp if they can survive the Ennis inferno

The first time a drop of alcohol passed my lips was on June 22, 1986. I remember the date because, like many hurling people, I can link the timeline of my life to certain matches or big hurling events. Clare were hosting Tipperary in the Munster semi-final and I decided to get in on the fiesta atmosphere by sampling some cider.

I don’t think I even had the money for the liquor, just enough cash to get into the ground. I was still only in fourth Year in St Flannan’s, but a group of us decided to make it a big day out. We walked from Clarecastle into Ennis. We didn’t even try to get a lift because the traffic was so heavy, but we didn’t want to either. We felt like our own little tribe, on our way to join the great big gathering of the Clare tribes, ready to go to war with the arch enemy.