‘Fierce battles but we’re all friends now’ - Kilkenny legend Eddie Keher on the rivalry with Tipperary

Since their maiden lifting of Liam in 1904, there have been only two 10-year periods — 1922-32 and 1947-57 — where Kilkenny didn’t climb the steps. Fail to do so in the next four weeks and the class of 2025 will be responsible for the largest famine in the county’s rich history

Former Kilkenny player Eddie Keher, centre, reckons Tipp are a big hurdle to get over. File picture: Stephen Marken/Sportsfile

A rivalry reawakened. Six years is far too long for Tipperary and Kilkenny to have been hurling ships in the championship night. The two most recent meetings — the 2016 and 2019 All-Ireland finals — doesn’t suggest much of a rivalry at all. Kilkenny have waited long enough to correct the rivalry’s recent history.

“It's a long time coming,” Kilkenny legend Eddie Keher said of the counties’ upcoming All-Ireland semi-final on July 6.