Ryan hails 'never-say-die attitude' of his Cashel charges

'It is incredible stuff. We just dreamed of being in the Harty Cup, and now we are the Harty Cup champions,' Cashel CS manager Brendan Ryan said.

FAMOUS WIN: Joint Captains, Ronan Connolly and Ben Currivan, Cashel Community School, lifting the Harty Cup.

Long after the final whistle in FBD Semple Stadium on Sunday, Cashel CS manager Brendan Ryan savoured their first Dr Harty Cup victory with families and supporters. A teacher in the school since 2001, this was the day they had been waiting for.

“If we were told we would sneak through in a battle with one point in it, we would take hand and all,” he said. 

“It is incredible stuff. We just dreamed of being in the Harty Cup, and now we are the Harty Cup champions. Someone just said to me we are the first-ever Community School to win a Harty Cup. I don’t know if it is true.

“There have been seven consecutive years of teams who have played a part in this. We have always had loads of special crops, but this crop got to play here today on the back of others. I remember celebrating winning a C U161/2 title in 2010 like it was an All-Ireland final. That is where we were.

“Today is the result of so much effort from the clubs, club coaches, parents - the support they have given on those journeys. They are here today even though their sons are well gone.

“What the players have shown, the stomach for a battle. The never-say-die attitude isn’t anything to do with us. It is down to the character within them, it is down to their families, homes and their clubs.

“I have three special men with me. Anthony Roche (a Wexford man living in Clonoulty) has been with me for five years and he has played such a role. He is a great coach. Robbie Costigan is an ex-Tipp footballer and Eoin Fitzpatrick came on board this year. It allowed us to train 46 lads. Today was our 18th game since the middle of September.” 

Last year, St Joseph’s Tulla claimed the Harty Cup for the first time. They proved to be an inspiration.

“I would be good friends with Terence Fahy and I told him after the final whistle last year that he gave every school like us great hope. We would have soldiered together in the B. They gave us the belief we could take on schools in the Harty.

“We had nothing but respect for Thurles CBS, they are outstanding. We haven’t taken over from them because we won today. We have years and years of catching up to do. They are class, and gentlemen with it.

“But today is a special day for us. The girls’ teams (camogie and ladies football) in our school have been outstanding. These boys lived in their shadows for the last four or five years while they were winning Munster and All-Ireland titles.

“Now we have champion ladies in our school, and we have champion men as well.”