Tipperary won its fourth (and most recent) All Ireland football championship on this day in 1922.
Tipp defeated Dublin on a scoreline of 1-06 - 1-02 in what was the first time the counties had met since the infamous Bloody Sunday match of November 1920. The final was actually the 1920 championship but it had been delayed until June 1922 due to the War of Independence. The Civil War would break out just a matter of days later.
Dan Breen, IRA volunteer, threw in the ball to begin the match at Croke Park in front of 25,000 spectators who, according to the Freeman’s Journal of the following day, witnessed a ‘brilliant match’.
The paper went on to describe how “on a baked ground and under a broiling sun the pace was set acracker and never lagged, but rather intensified to the last whistle. And it was the pace that told, and to Tipperary’s tremendous stamina and indomitable spirit their success be attributed”
After the final whistle the reporter continued, ‘Tipp had redeemed their football prestige by a splendid victory which demonstrated that wonderful pluck which has so often carried them to victory on similar fields.’
Ned O’Shea of Fethard was singled out in the match report for special praise as he ‘undoubtedly shone as the best back on the ground’ and he proved ‘an unsurmountable obstacle to all Dublin attacks’.
The victory was Tipperary’s fourth title after previous winsin 1889, 1895 and 1900.
Sources:
Freeman’s Journal, June 12, 1922. Retrieved at https://www.gaa.ie/api/pdfs/image/upload/y7jux8tcm45xlifytjdj.pdf
