During Sunday’s coverage of the county final by Tipp GAA TV, James Woodlock, former senior and the minor All-Ireland winning manager this year, said in commentary about Kilruane MacDonaghs: “Dillon is looking down on them”.
The spirit of Dillon Quirke, whose sudden death in August was such a seismic jolt to all connected with the GAA, has been frequently associated with the new county champions in the months since.
Kilruane were the opposition on the night the young Tipperary player died, having taken ill during a championship match while playing for his club, Clonoulty Rossmore.
The whole country and especially the county were submerged by the grief and shock.
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For Kilruane the sense of connection with the tragic episode was especially strong. They had shared the pitch with him that fateful night and almost appeared to feel a responsibility to his memory to take their county championship campaign all the way.
That destination or destiny was reached on Sunday after a replayed final. Manager Liam O’Kelly suggested that, as a group, they take a few moments to gather at the spot on the pitch where it happened, go down on one knee and raise a red helmet, as worn by Dillon in his final match.
Kilruane captain Jerome Cahill recalls that Dan Quirke, Dillon’s father, had come into their dressingroom after the abandoned match with Clonoulty had been eventually played and spoken to them. On Sunday, Dan was the first on to the pitch to congratulate O’Kelly.
The manager spoke about how the dreadful event had forged a new and intense bond between the clubs. Cahill reflected on the influence on his team.
“It was a unique situation to be in. Dillon died before our eyes. We’ll never forget that day and what it meant. It gave us great perspective for the year and how fortunate we were to be able to get up and go and be out there hurling; how precious life is.
“Definitely it was a driving factor for us this year.”
There is an evocative picture from before his final match when Dillon is standing with his counterpart, both wearing number 11 jerseys.
Jerome Cahill’s jersey became number 30 for the remainder of the championship.
“Yes. It’s been number 30 for the rest of the year after that awful day. We definitely don’t forget the Quirke family.”
The club had their own bereavements during the year. In the aftermath Niall O’Meara, who was named man of the match, lost his own father and full back Jack Peters lost his also, as well as the brother of goalkeeper Páidí Williams, whose save from a first-half penalty proved critical in keeping them afloat.
Kilruane MacDonaghs have now bridged a gap of 37 years to their last county title. That season they went on to win the All-Ireland title. Their history comes with a litany of big names: Len Gaynor, Dinny Cahill, Eamon O’Shea.
On Sunday they did it in the best traditions of the club, battling the odds and producing their best in adversity. Opponents Kiladangan were champions two years ago but their form had been fitful for much of this year’s championship. Even in the final they looked to have two teams, one that at top gear looked comfortably better than their opponents and another that was listless and unable for the heat when turned up by their fired-up opponents.
The former version dominated Sunday’s first half and made Kilruane appear tired and second-best.
Cahill played a major role in the drawn match, swooping for two goals and, if operating on a tighter rein in the replay, was still there to provide a goal assist for Cian Darcy. It was the score that finally turned the match irretrievably against Kiladangan.
Explaining the extraordinary second-half turnaround – they won the period 2-13 to 0-7 – the captain is of the view that they hadn’t been broken by their malfunctioning and had the chance to set it right after the break.
“We had all the momentum and set the tone in the second half from the word go. We really came thundering into the game and felt very fortunate to be only five points down at half-time. Kiladangan had done a lot of hurling and had only five to show for it so we sensed an opportunity.”
He also identifies the team’s self-belief as a big influence. For most observers, Kilruane’s failure to exploit a perfect opportunity to win the title on the first day left them at the mercy of one of the immutable laws of replays: the team with the most room for improvement should win.
“I suppose the general narrative during the week was that our chance was gone. There was no sense of that in our camp. We finished the game very strongly last Sunday and clawed it back when all the momentum was with Kiladangan. We were coming in on the back of that.
“I think it was about just, ‘stay going, stay going’ – particularly this time of the year. It’s so important to just not give up and stay going.”
They stay going for another week at least and will take on All-Ireland champions Ballygunner in next Sunday’s Munster quarter-final.
