Saint Mary’s Advance to First Munster Final

The G.A.A. and Parish’s down the year’s go hand in hand. A Parish most dictionaries will tell us is a territorial entity of different Christian Denominations, within a Diocese. And when we talk of Parish’s in Ireland we do so mostly on what consists of a Roman Catholic Parish territory. And when it comes to the G.A.A. most parishes have a least one G.A.A. Unit or Club within it, with some of the bigger parishes when it comes to population sometimes have two or more parishes within its boundaries.

When it comes to the Roman Catholic Church, parishes or groups of parishes do not have a say on who the Church should canonise, but do get the right to set the wheels in progress as to who could be canonised in the future if a person meets the criteria as set out by Rome. It is fair to say that even if parishes do forward a name that they deem suitable to be listed amongst the Saints of the Church in the future, most possibly never get to be heard of by those tasked with making the final decision on who should be made a Saint.

Right now if the people of Touraneena, a small community of people on the border shared between North West Waterford and South Tipperary were asked who should be created a Saint in their eyes, one name that might well come up on more than one occasion is former Waterford Hurler, former Waterford selector and former Hurler of the Year Dan Shanahan.

In his playing days the towering Lismore man was known far and wide as Dan the Man. In the Parish of Touraneena Dan is certainly the Man of the Moment.

  The members of the Sliabh gCua/Saint Mary’s G.A.A. Club have with some time now have made no secret of the fact that they wanted to get out of the Junior grade of hurling within the county. In the last number of years the side in yellow and maroon shirts have made a brave effort on more than one occasion to do so. Two years in a row they reached the County Final, only for two years in a row to miss out first to Fenor in 2015 and then to Ballyduff Lower in 2016.

In 2017 Saint Mary’s made another brave attempt to get out of this grade of hurling, but competing against them in the western championship that year was a very strong Ardmore side that now only won the western divisional final but added the County, Munster and All-Ireland Titles to their impressive roll of honour.

In 2018 the West Waterford Junior Hurling Championship was again ultra competitive and this time it was Ballinameela who had come down from playing in the Intermediate grade that went up at the expense of a number of strong clubs, one of which included Saint Mary’s.

After going so close in recent year’s something new was needed for in 2019 if they were to get out of the competition they so craved to get out. In Declan Fitzpatrick, a former inter county hurler who wore the yellow and maroon shirt of Saint Mary’s in the 1970’s and 80’s, the club had a very keen student of the game in charge as manager.

Working alongside him as selectors there was plenty of experience in Tom Condon and John Hallinan, two men that have given their all to the club since the 1970’s in the case of Tom and a little later in John’s case. A third wise man was also named as a selector in Mike Murray, a proud Rathgormack man who has thrown his all in with the Sliabh gCua/Saint Mary’s Club since coming to live in the area.

But something else was needed. That was a new voice in the dressing rooms and the club got an excellent man to work in the players in Dan Shanahan. Dan once he broke onto the Waterford team in the late 1990’s became a firm favourite with hurling supporters not just in Waterford, but all over the country. The big Lismore man over the years in the white and blue produced some huge performances and it was not surprise to see him capture the honours which he did. Even though he did manage to play in an All-Ireland Final with Waterford when he called time on his playing career a few years later Waterford supporters and indeed most hurling supporters were disappointed that he and a number of Waterford players had done so without winning an All-Ireland with Waterford, something which he and others so richly deserved.

However Dan was not long away from the Inter County scene as former Manager Derek McGrath saw something in the Lismore man who was working with some of the underage sides in Lismore for a number of years and he brought him into the Waterford set up and remained in place until the De La Salle Club man stepped aside in 2017.

For the Sliabh gCua/Saint Mary’s Club to get their hands on Dan Shanahan was a coop for the club. For the club to get their hands on a big name however is nothing new. In the 1970s’ former Tipperary player Theo English worked with the side that achieved a great deal in what was possibly the clubs best ever period. The players at the time responded to him, and the same could now be well argued of Dan Shanahan with the current group of players.

Under the coaching of Dan Shanahan, the Saint Mary’s Junior Hurlers have performed remarkably well. They have played some good ‘honest’ hurling resulting in them winning the West Waterford and County Junior Hurling Championships, and today after beating Carrick Davins in Clonmel they are through to the Munster Final on December 8 against Russell Rovers from Cork, meaning that a Waterford side will contest the final for the sixth year in a row, and with Ballygunner in tomorrow’s senior final and Ballysaggart in the Intermediate final, Waterford will have representation in the all three finals for the first time ever this year.

It was the South Tipperary side that won the coin toss and opted to play with the breeze at their backs in the opening half defending to town end of the ground, but it was the West Waterford side that were first out of the traps with the impressive Eoin Kearns putting over a free on five minutes from the 45 metre line. However the score was cancelled out with a delightfully struck Michael Whelan sideline cut from the Hospital side of the ground 30 metres from goal two minutes later and when Luke Faulkner followed up with another good score from play, it looked as if the South Tipperary side who many were fancying to advance to a meeting with Russell Rovers from Cork in the Munster Final would oblige, but in a 19 minute spell before the break it appeared that nothing that the Touraneena men could do no wrong.

In their recent games Eoin Kearns has proven to be magnificent for Saint Mary’s and he showed tremendous skill on 11 minutes to draw his side level. Dermot Tobin played the ball down the line on the stand side of the field which looked to be going out of play, by the big Touraneena man with a outstretched hurley kept the ball in play before gaining control ball and firing over the crossbar to the roars of the huge Touraneena support present.

The game’s only goal came on 13 minutes. Eoin Kearns was once more in the thick of the action as he picked out Kevin Sheehan who struck the post but the ball broke to Stephen Coffey a late change to the Saint Mary’s published team for this game and he drove low past Gerard Robinson to give Saint Mary’s a lead which they never gave up.

Eoin Kearns from a free in the middle of the field extended Saint Mary’s lead on 14 minutes and with the next attack Mike Kearns a younger brother of Eoin broke the ball for Jason Sheehan to put Saint Mary’s 1-4 to 0-2 in front at the end of the opening quarter. And when Eoin Kearns from a free and Kevin Sheehan followed up with points for the Touraneena side things were looking very good for them with 18 minutes played as they lead 1-6 to 0-2.

Adam Foran hit the first score for the Carrick side in 14 minutes on 25 minutes to which Jason Sheehan responded for the Touraneena men. Noel Butler might on another day have found himself flashed a straight red card on 28 minutes when he knocked the helmet off Saint Mary’s centre back Brendan McGourty, but on this occasion Cork referee Mark Maher flashed a yellow in his direction, possibly the fairest call that could be made by the Cork man on the day, and within seconds of this happening the same player at the other end of the field split the Saint Mary’s posts.

Eoin Kearns edged Saint Mary’s back in front by seven on the half hour mark but it was followed by efforts from Billy Roche and Michael Whelan in the first minute of stoppage time, but just before the half time whistle was sounded Eoin Kearns gave Saint Mary’s a 1-9 to 0-6 lead at the break when he converted a free.

Saint Mary’s were somewhat unlucky not to have been further in front at the break. In the second minute of the game Eoin Kearns set up Jack Skehan but he saw his effort taken off the line with Gerard Robinson beaten and on 20 minutes Stephen Cronin had to go full length when it looked as if Mike Kearns was about to rattle the Carrick net.

Carrick Davins signalled their intentions from the off in the second half as after winning the throw in on the resumption they attacked the town goal and John Patrick Fitzpatrick had to make the first of a number of brilliant saves in this game putting Willie O’Dwyer’s effort out for a ’65 with just ten seconds showing on the clock and from the resulting strike from ’65 metre’s Lee Mackey made no mistake.

Conor Whelan followed up with a point for the Carrick side which was followed by a crucial score by Sean Fitzpatrick to put Saint Mary’s in front by five. But the South Tipperary side would follow up with the next three scores, as Patrick Harris put over a brace of frees with Willie O’Dwyer pointing in between from play leaving their side trailing 1-10 to 0-11 with 48 minutes on the clock.

Another score for Carrick Davins at this stage could well have ended Saint Mary’s interest in this year’s Munster Championship, but commit the hour, commit the man and two points from Eoin Kearns both from play within a minute of each other settled any nerves that might be setting in for Saint Mary’s.

Carrick Davins however refused to lie down and roll over and with four minutes remaining John Patrick Fitzpatrick went full length to keep a ball destined for the back of his net out and deflect it out for a ’65 which Lee Mackey split the posts from leaving just Stephen Coffey’s early goal between the sides.

In recent weeks as games went on Kevin Sheehan pulled off a massive score at a crucial point for Saint Mary’s and with just over three minutes of the hour remaining he split the posts at the Cahir end of the ground for a score to be met by a massive roar by the huge Touraneena support inside the ground.

Carrick Davins continued to show a never say die attitude and when Conor and Michael Whelan hit scores for them before the hour had elapsed, the big support inside the ground were asking themselves would extra time be needed to see who moves forward to next month’s Munster Final.

Deep in added time when Carrick Davins won a late free the Saint Mary’s goal area was heavily packed with all but two players inside the Saint Mary’s 45 metre line. The South Tipperary outfit opted to try and play the ball in for a goal with two points separating the sides, but the Saint Mary’s defence managed to smother the ball and as they brought the ball out of defence the full time whistle sounded to be greeted by the biggest roar that any Touraneena support had left out.

For the South Tipperary side in this game they had a number of very good performers in the likes of Lee and Conor Mackey, Adam Foran, Billy Roche, Michael Ryan, Billy Roche, Conor Whelan and Patrick Harris, while for Saint Mary’s there was solid performances from Denis Coffey, Brendan McGourty, the Kearns brothers Eoin and Mike, Sean Fitzpatrick, and Kevin Sheehan. But it might be fair to say that while every player played their part, had it not for the brilliance of John Patrick Fitzpatrick in goal, Saint Mary’s this evening might not be celebrating reaching a Munster Club Final for the first time in the clubs history.

Saint Mary’s: John Patrick Fitzpatrick, Ronan Gleeson, Dennis Coffey, Cillian Tobin: Dermot Tobin, Brendan McGourty, Aidan Kearney; Sean Fitzpatrick (0-1), Kevin Sheehan; Jack Power, Jack Skehan, Eoin Kearns, Stephen Coffey, Mike Kearns, Jason Sheehan.

Subs: Cian Geary for Jack Power (45); JJ Coffey for Stephen Coffey (46); John O’Shea for Jason Sheehan (58); Gearóid Hallinan for Cian Geary (63).

Scorers: Eoin Kearns 0-8 (4F), Stephen Coffey 1-0, Kevin Sheehan, Jason Sheehan 0-2 each, Sean Fitzpatrick 0-1.

Carrick Davins: Gerard Robinson, Raymond Cooke, Stephen Cronin, Conor Mackey; Adam Foran, Lee Mackey, Jamie Houlihan; Michael Ryan, Billy Roche; Patrick Harris, Willie O’Dwyer, Michael Whelan, Luke Faulkner, Noel Butler, Conor Whelan.

Subs: Michael Cronin for O’Dwyer (46); 

Scorers: Michael Whelan 0-3 (1 s/l), Lee Mackey (2 ’65), Patrick Harris, Conor Whelan 0-2 each, Luke Faulkner, Adam Foran, Noel Butler, Billy Roche, Willie O’Dwyer 0-1 each

Referee: Mark Maher (Cork).