Tipp's 1989 treble-winning hurlers to celebrate feat in aid of Dillon Quirke Foundation

To win an All Ireland Hurling title is an achievement. But to win three in the same year is the celebration of dreams.
This Tipperary was accomplished in 1989 winning the Senior, Junior, and Under 21 crowns.

Former sponsors Enfer intend to celebrate that unique year by bringing together the players once again from those 3 winning teams of 1989 on Friday 19th April at Cahir Golf Club in aid of the Dillon Quirke Foundation.

Tipperary has many first and unique achievements in the GAA. We are the only county to have twice won the senior hurling and two other grades in the same year (1930, 1989) when we won in 1930 we were the first county in GAA history in either hurling or football to do so.

We need to look back pre-1989 to really appreciate where our unique achievement came from. In 1986 John O’Grady who wrote a weekly column in the Tipperary Star under “Culbaire” summed up our year as “Anatomy of another failure”

If we look back on that year it will bring back memories and a perspective to where Tipperary hurling was languishing.
National Hurling League. Beat Roscommon by 8 points; beat Antrim by 8 points; lost to Westmeath by 7 points; beat Kerry by 16 points; beat Meath by 17 points; lost to Wexford by 14 points; beat Down by 19 points. We failed to be promoted from the league’s bottom level. In the Championship we were beaten in our first game and eliminated by Clare 2-10 to 1-11.

It was a leap of faith by the then County Chairman Michael Lowry who put his neck on the line by proposing Michael 'Babs' Keating as the new manager of Tipperary with the power to nominate his own selectors. Babs could be best described as a Frank Sinatra type of individual “I will do it my way” and taking on a county team that was on its knees in confidence was a daunting mission.

Babs obviously had the pedigree as, with Mick Roche, they were the first players to have played in an All Ireland final in all grades - Senior, Intermediate, Minor, and Under 21, capturing All Ireland honours in three of those grades.
Could he help preserve Tipperary’s record of being the only team in GAA history to win an All-Ireland title in every decade since winning the first final played in 1887? And, achieve it within three years.

Babs set about putting the county on a sound financial footing by forming the first Supporters Club in the history of the GAA in 1986. That was the catalyst for the success that followed promotion from the lower echelons of the National Hurling League to Munster Champions in 1987; 1988, and National League Champions; and in 1989 winning our 23rd All Ireland title. It was the stuff of dreams, especially for supporters who had lived through 18 barren years since Tadhg O’Connor had lifted the trophy in 1971.

To add to our excitement, delight, relief all of the emotions of a proud county now back to the top after what was described as a “famine,” Tipp won the Junior All Ireland beating Galway 0-12 to 0-08 under the captaincy of Kevin Laffan (Gortnahoe Glengoole) and featuring a man of the match performance from Liam Sheedy. This set the proposition of a treble success.
Our senior All-Ireland victory on September 4th again set a new record for Tipperary as Nicky English scored 2-12 the first and only player to do so in an All-Ireland Final.

Who will ever forget the Under 21 success under the captaincy of Declan Ryan which completed the treble before 30,000 people in Portlaoise against Offaly. Trailing by 7 points after 15 minutes Tipperary found a hat trick hero in Dan Quirke who banged in three goals to turn that deficit into a half-time lead. Tipperary survived a thrilling Offaly challenge to emerge triumphant by two points.

This victory gave six of the Tipperary team their second All-Ireland medal for the year -Declan Ryan, John Leahy. Conal Bonnar and John Madden were part of the senior squad while Liam Sheedy and Dinny Ryan also won medals with the juniors.

Therefore to mark the 35th anniversary of those successes the players and their supporters will gather again, but with the added purpose of organizing a Golf Classic to raise funds for the Dillon Quirke Foundation - Dillon, that wonderful Tipperary hurler whose sad and sudden passing on the Semple Stadium sod in his club colours of Clonoulty Rossmore, was the son of the U21 hat trick hero Dan.

The event being organised is The Enfer Legends Golf Classic in aid of the Dillon Quirke Foundation sponsored by Enfer Scientific. This triumvirate of All Ireland winners now legends of Tipperary hurling will be joined by the legends of the Tipperary 1971 winning team as the bridge between our years of “famine” before Tipperary won again at senior level in 1989.

Teams of 4 cost 200 Euro per team and everyone are most welcome and the organising committee would appreciate those who wish to take part to confirm their interest so that arrangements can be made.

Non golfers are welcome to come and join the day having a meal and socialising with the participants - again you are asked to confirm your attendance so that the Golf Club can be informed of the number of meals that will be required on the day.

It will be a celebration and a gathering of Tipperary people to reminisce and the organisers want to stress that everybody is welcome, be it to play golf or join for a meal. Your early response would be appreciated as it will help the organization around the day itself.

To Book a Team for Golf or for more information e-mail:legendsgolfclassic@outlook.ie Call or text: 085-1021971 and join the WhatsApp group.