West reawakes: Tipp greats English and Fox delight at division's revival
Last year, it seemed West Tipperary hurling had hit a nadir when no senior final took place for the first time in living memory.
There was no opposition for Clonoulty-Rossmore, winners of the eight previous divisional senior titles. It had been hoped a combination of lower-grade clubs in the region would come together to form a team, but there was no interest.
Cashel King Cormacs, who they had beaten comprehensively in the 2023 final, later went onto win the county's intermediate crown and will present Clonoulty-Rossmore with a challenge this year.
However, the break in a storied competition going back nearly 100 years was a sad one.
Tales about the thousands who flocked to the west matches are legendary but not to younger generations who - conditioned by the demise of the competition - believe them to be tall.
'Thank God Cashel have become senior to make a competition of West Tipperary this year because it had been desperate the last few years,' says Tipperary great Pat Fox of Éire Óg-Annacarty.
'For five years, Clonoulty and Éire Óg were playing in one game, the final, which was unbelievable really. We couldn't imagine that from our time when we had eight or nine senior teams in West Tipperary hurling, which was fantastic and the crowds were huge. Emigration would have played its part in the decline. We've been starved, to be honest.'
Tipperary's Eoghan Connolly contests possession with Robbie Cotter and Brian Hayes of Cork. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
Fox's great partner Nicky English agrees.
'The drop in numbers and less clubs has been a massive factor. There have been several amalgamations like my own Lattin-Cullen with Aherlow.
'I'm not sure it has anything to do with how other sports are faring in the area. You have St Michael's soccer club doing well in Tipp town but there just haven't been the numbers in the rural areas.'
Between 1987 and '91, a club from the west featured in four of the five senior Tipperary finals, winning three of them.
Since then, only Clonoulty-Rossmore (1997 and 2018) have lifted the Dan Breen Cup.
Inter-county-wise, that period in the late 1980s was as much a halcyon one for the region as Fox, Bonnar and English lit up the county's full-forward line and another four West Tipp men populated three other lines in the 1989 All-Ireland winning team.
From seven in that Babs Keating team, the west's proportion had diminished to zero in 2010 when Liam Sheedy matched English's achievement of bringing back the Liam MacCarthy Cup to Tipperary for the first time in nine years.
Defender Conor O'Brien from Fox's club came off the bench to ensure they weren't left out but there was no west man who saw action in the 2016 final success and like O'Brien Ger Browne was a used substitute three years later.
However, there are fires being lit around Cashel, Dundrum and Tipperary town again.
In Limerick on Saturday, there will be four west men in Liam Cahill's squad – Robert Doyle (Clonoulty-Rossmore), Eoghan Connolly and Oisín O'Donoghue (Cashel King Cormacs) and Johnny Ryan (Arravale Rovers).
A third of the recent All-Ireland U20 winning team under Brendan Cummins hail from the division – Eoin Horgan and Adam Daly (Knockavilla-Donaskeigh Kickhams), Adam Ryan (Arravale Rovers), Conor Martin (Cappawhite) and O'Donoghue.
Also on the bench was David Ryan, brother of senior panellist Johnny, who was an All-Ireland winning minor last year with his club-mate Adam Ryan and Darragh O'Hora from Solohead.
'When we won the U21 All-Ireland in '81, there was Johnny Farrell in goals, (Pat) Fox was corner-back, Mark McGrath, Ger O'Neill, Austin Buckley and myself from West Tipp,' recalls English.
'Then you had the '82 All-Ireland minor winning team that had the likes of John Kennedy, Colm Bonnar and John Leamy, so it's taken a long time to come around again. The West Tipp representation was borne out of those teams and a 1980 minor team, which was unusual at the time. The signs are positive once more.'
The first Harty Cup success in their history, Cashel Community College's achievement against Thurles CBS two years pointed to foundations being laid for the future.
Ten of the starters including Daly and O'Donoghue were from West Tipperary clubs.
Hours before he is involved against Galway on Saturday, O'Donoghue's younger brother Cormac and first cousin Jamesie will be part of the Cashel King Cormacs team representing the county in the Féile in Ferns, Co Wexford.
Cashel publican Fox never expects what happened in his playing days to be repeated but to have a healthier local involvement is huge.
'That was the height of it, I'd imagine. We never saw anything like that and it probably won't be the same again unless something drastic happens but there are some green shoots. Young Connolly, O'Donoghue and Doyle are giving us something to cheer about and that's all you want.'
GOING WEST
From a record seven players on Tipperary's All-Ireland SHC winning team of 1989, including the entire full-forward line, the west division's numbers dwindled in subsequent victorious seasons. However, there are four on Saturday's match-day panel, two starting against Galway, with the prospect of more:
2019 0. Used substitute: Ger Browne (Knockavilla-Donaskeigh Kickhams/Cashel King Cormacs).
2016 0
2010 0. Used substitute Conor O'Brien (Éire Óg-Annacarty-Donohill).
2001 3 – Thomas Costello (Cappawhite); Eugene O'Neill (same); Declan Ryan (Clonoulty-Rossmore).
1991 6 - Conal Bonnar (Cashel King Cormacs); Colm Bonnar (same); Declan Ryan; Pat Fox (Éire Óg-Annacarty); Cormac Bonnar (Cashel King Cormacs); Nicky English (Lattin-Cullen).
1989 7 – Conal Bonnar; John Kennedy (Clonoulty-Rossmore); Colm Bonnar; Declan Ryan; Pat Fox; Cormac Bonnar; Nicky English. Used substitute: Joe Hayes (Clonoulty-Rossmore).
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