'It was a mission to get back and repeat it' - Ballygunner revel in second All-Ireland hurling title glory

GUNNING FOR GLORY: Ballygunner joint captains Peter Hogan and Mikey Mahony lift the cup at the homecoming in Ballygunner on Sunday night.

2022 was madness. 2026 was a mission. 2022 was the realisation of a lifelong dream. 2026 was the realisation of their legacy.

Ballygunner goalkeeper Stephen O’Keeffe emerged from the winning Cusack Stand-side dressing-room well over an hour after Sunday’s full-time whistle.

After three years of trying and failing to back up their initial trip to club hurling’s summit, there was a deep sense of satisfaction to be soaked up and shared with teammates.

Following the 2025 Munster final defeat to Sars, and arriving as the result did following successive All-Ireland semi-final setbacks, it felt as though time was running out on Ballygunner efforts to repeat the maiden victory of four years ago. The players have since admitted such.

Early on Sunday evening, time stood still in the Ballygunner dressing-room. Unburdened and unhurried no more.

“The first time we won it, and especially in the manner we won it, there was almost a sense of chaos and ‘I can't believe we've finally done it’. We'd been trying so long to get over the line, and it's finally here,” O’Keeffe recalled of the 2022 late, late show to sink Ballyhale.

“There was almost a sense of disbelief that we're living something we've dreamed about for years, whereas this time it was a mission to get back and repeat it. To show that it wouldn't be a once-off. Don't get me wrong, we were all dancing and celebrating inside after, but there's more of a sense of satisfaction and relief that we've made it again a second time.”

They didn’t need the final whistle to know they’d arrived at the destination of that coveted second All-Ireland.

With six minutes remaining in regulation time, Tiernan Killeen registered Loughrea’s 11th wide when there was the opportunity to reduce the gap to three. Ballygunner punished this latest miss with three white flags in swift succession. Game over.

“Yeah, when we went seven up, and there were three minutes on the clock, you got a chance to look around and really take it in,” O’Keeffe continued.

“That was a special few minutes, kind of knowing the lads have done the job out the field, and we're only a few minutes away from the whistle going.”

Ballygunner goalkeeper Stephen O'Keeffe receives the Player of the Match Award from Elaine Purcell, representing AIB. Pic: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

It was Ballyhale, St Thomas’, and Sarsfields who had blocked their path to glory over the past three years. Ballyhale and St Thomas’ went all the way after dumping Ballygunner out at the semi-final juncture. 

Sars went all the way to the last day after stunning the Waterford champions in the Munster decider. The last of those three defeats saw seeds of doubt take root.

“If you were to turn the clock back 12 months, we probably did think we were slipping as a team,” revealed All-Ireland final goalscorer Mikey Mahony.

“We probably showed a bit more of a proactive mindset and said that we were actually going to go and do something about improving. Maybe we've done that. The results would certainly suggest that we have, in comparison to where we were the last three years.

“I don't know did we maybe not feel as fresh going into games, whereas this year it was probably evident in all of our games. We probably had that edge that we might have lacked in previous years.

“Success can often soften people's mindset. Like, if you're going to the gym, are you going to the gym and giving 100% or are you going to the gym and giving maybe 95%? All those little things add up over the course of 12 months. Look, we probably got it right this year.”

Mahony, the same as O’Keeffe, spoke of the want and the burden that was their chase for a second acquaintance with Tommy Moore. They are the 13th club to twice taste All-Ireland hurling glory.

“It probably has played on us, not getting the second one, only naturally. It's only because we've lost big games and we've been so close. To do it twice, and to do it after all the heartbreak over the last couple of years, is absolutely a dream come true.”