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Research: Tipperary hurling 1887-2022

Tipperary - 1989 All-Ireland senior hurling championship winners.

The motivation for this project was inspired by the work of others – in October 2021, for instance, Kevin Egan published an article on GAA.ie heralding the work of the volunteers and enthusiasts around the country who are endeavouring to maintain statistical histories of the GAA. Similarly, in March 2021 Malachy Clerkin celebrated the work of men like John Gunnigan who worked to create a complete record of every team that had ever played for Mayo; these individuals identified something that they would like to exist and did something about it.

Following the example set please find below two tools which will allow you to search the records of 1,098 Tipperary championship games (at minor, under-20, under-21, junior, intermediate & senior level) and individual records for 2,600 different players who have played hurling for Tipperary since 1887.

To search for the details of a Tipperary game (or series of games) please click here.

To search for the details of a Tipperary player (or players) please click here.

Please Note: The research is based on information gathered via books, the Tipperary GAA Archives and newspaper reports. Every effort has been made to ensure that the database is accurate, but if you spot an error please make contact.

The intention is to develop an accurate record of the games and the players involved so all help and feedback is appreciated.

Patterns

This visual was developed to illustrate some of the patterns associated with the data.

Some interesting snippets:

  • 2,600: The number of players who have played championship hurling for Tipp since 1887 – 711 players have featured in the senior championship, a total of 1,084 have competed at junior or intermediate championship level, 734 different players have been selected at under-20 or under-21 level and 1,412 have competed in the minor hurling championship
  • 1,098: Tipp have played in 1,098 championship games and won 712 of those (65%) – 394 senior games, 209 junior/intermediate games, 179 under-20/21 games and 316 minor games games
  • 187: Only 187 players (7% of 2,600) have played at minor, under-21 and senior level for Tipperary – 437 players played senior, but did not play minor for the county while 1,125 played minor, but did not play senior for the county
  • 50: Fifty players have played championship games at all four grades – Liam Sheedy (Portroe) and Colm Bonnar (Cashel King Cormacs), for example, have played at minor, under-21, intermediate and senior level for Tipperary
  • Ryan: 2,600 players have played for Tipp featuring 557 different surnames – Ryan is the most popular with 213 different Ryans playing for Tipperary

Ranking Players

Who has played most championship games for Tipperary?

Please note that the following table is based on an aggregate of the total championship appearances combined i.e. minor, under-20/21, junior/intermediate and senior appearances added together.

PlayerClubTotal Games
Eoin KellyMullinahone88
Brendan CumminsBallybacon-Grange87
Noel McGrathLoughmore-Castleiney84
Brendan MaherBorris-Ileigh82
Pádraic MaherThurles Sarsfields79
Séamus CallananDrom & Inch73
Lar CorbettThurles Sarsfields69
John DoyleHolycross-Ballycahill66
Patrick MaherLorrha-Dorrha64
Conor O’MahonyNewport62

Who has played most championship games at senior level?

PlayerClubTotal Games
Brendan CumminsBallybacon-Grange73
Eoin KellyMullinahone63
Lar CorbettThurles Sarsfields63
Noel McGrathLoughmore-Castleiney62
Séamus CallananDrom & Inch61

Who has played most at junior/intermediate level?

PlayerClubTotal Games
Michael RyanFethard26
Michael StapletonTemplederry Kenyons23
Gerry O’BrienPortroe23
Eamonn KellyKiladangan18
Tommy ForanCarrick Davins17

Who has played most games at under-20/under-21 level?

PlayerClubTotal Games
Vincent MullinsSt Mary’s Clonmel16
Joe O’DwyerKillenaule15
PJ RyanCarrick Davins15
Colm BonnarCashel King Cormacs14
Eoin KellyMullinahone13

Who has played most championship games at minor level?

PlayerClubTotal Games
Jimmy DoyleThurles Sarsfields19
Joey McLoughneyToomevara15
Liam QuinnHolycross-Ballycahill15
Paddy KennyBorris-Ileigh14
Con MaherThurles Sarsfields14

Who has scored most for Tipperary in championship games?

Please note that scoring tallies from across all grades have been aggregated (the goals and points have been combined into one figure).

PlayerClubTotal Score
Eoin KellyMullinahone580
Séamus CallananDrom & Inch359
Jason FordeSilvermines277
Noel McGrathLoughmore-Castleiney250
John O’DwyerKillenaule247

Who has scored most championship goals across the grades for Tipperary?

PlayerClubTotal Goals
Séamus CallananDrom & Inch40
Michael KeatingBallybacon-Grange35
Lar CorbettThurles Sarsfields31
Séamus BourkeJK Bracken’s28
Eoin KellyMullinahone28

Who has the highest scoring rate across the grades for Tipperary?

The tallies in the following table are based on the average scored per game for Tipperary, but the ranking table is limited to players who have played at least twenty games for the county.

PlayerClubAverage Score
Eoin KellyMullinahone6.59
Séamus BourkeJK Bracken’s5.52
Jason FordeSilvermines5.23
Declan BrowneMoyle Rovers5.20
Séamus CallananDrom & Inch4.92

Which players have appeared in the most Munster finals for Tipperary?

PlayerClubTotal Finals
John DoyleHolycross-Ballycahill17
Eoin KellyMullinahone16
Brendan CumminsBallybacon-Grange14
Jimmy DoyleThurles Sarsfields14
John LeahyMullinahone14
John LeahyBoherlahan-Dualla14
Pat FoxÉire Óg Annacarty14
Colm BonnarCashel King Cormacs14
Aidan RyanBorris-Ileigh14
Declan RyanClonoulty-Rossmore13

Which players have appeared most for Tipperary in All-Ireland finals?

PlayerClubTotal Finals
Jimmy DoyleThurles Sarsfields13
John DoyleHolycross-Ballycahill13
Brendan MaherBorris-Ileigh11
Pádraic MaherThurles Sarsfields11
Colm BonnarCashel King Cormacs10
Liam DevaneyBorris-Ileigh10
Michael KeatingBallybacon-Grange10
Séamus CallananDrom & Inch9
Noel McGrathLoughmore-Castleiney9
Seán McLoughlinThurles Sarsfields9

Club Representation

The graphic below illustrates the distribution of the players who have played for Tipperary across the respective grades since 1887.

Please note that every care has been taken to ensure that players have been assigned to modern version of their respective clubs.

The database features records for 2,600 different players who originate from 67 different clubs (including one from Ballyskenach, Offaly).

The top ten sources of players for Tipperary read as follows:

  • Thurles Sarsfields (250)
  • Moycarkey-Borris (156)
  • Boherlahan-Dualla (128)
  • Roscrea (110)
  • Nenagh Éire Óg (107)
  • Toomevara (98)
  • Clonoulty-Rossmore (90)
  • Borris-Ileigh (84)
  • Kilruane MacDonaghs (78)
  • Drom & Inch (62)

However, please note the following:

  • The town of Thurles, featuring the Thurles Gaels (27) and Thurles Sarsfields (250) clubs, has produced 277 players in total
  • Carrick-on-Suir, featuring the Carrick Davins (52) and Carrick Swans (37) clubs, is notable for producing 89 players for Tipperary
  • Clonmel, featuring the St Mary’s Clonmel (51), Marlfield (5) and the Clonmel Óg (4) clubs, has produced 60 players

Below you will find a table listing the clubs and how many of their respective players have played for Tipperary – subsequent to that tally you will then find a breakdown of how many times those players actually played at the various grades i.e. five Aherlow players have played inter-county championship hurling for Tipperary and on 24 occasions in total (ten minor games, twice at under-20 or under-21 level, 12 times at intermediate or junior level and zero times at senior level).

ClubPlayersAppsMinorU20/21Int/JunSenior
Aherlow524102120
Arravale Rovers2614868134324
Ballina211203983835
Ballinahinch1213427223946
Ballingarry32221105592136
Ballybacon-Grange16214352950100
Ballylooby-Castlegrace3147070
Ballyskenach110010
Boherlahan-Dualla12898913168176614
Borris-Ileigh8492023119195403
Borrisokane3720160426039
Burgess3222230408369
Cahir11632411262
Cappawhite4425699632965
Carrick Davins52310101419672
Carrick Swans3714747363925
Cashel King Cormacs6047815314235148
Clonakenny14722222253
Clonmel Óg42417340
Clonoulty-Rossmore9052016612277155
Drom & Inch624001387939144
Éire Óg Annacarty3624365395584
Emly111073624407
Fethard3117046119716
Fr Sheehy’s83821980
Galtee Rovers1912834176215
Golden-Kilfeacle3918674346117
Gortnahoe-Glengoole4522987188341
Grangemockler-Ballyneale283320
Holycross-Ballycahill595521816442265
JK Bracken’s3228788676468
Kiladangan463861007611694
Killea24595427
Killenaule594571248276175
Kilruane MacDonaghs7849914713455163
Kilsheelan-Kilcash1413128215230
Knock120020
Knockavilla Kickhams54297175671441
Knockshegowna105865452
Lattin-Cullen1313928324336
Lorrha-Dorrha45350428049179
Loughmore-Castleiney374071209017180
Marlfield553011636
Moneygall3016227443952
Moycarkey-Borris156101025097153510
Moyle Rovers13662714250
Moyne-Templetuohy5225399558118
Mullinahone24381896011221
Nenagh Éire Óg10764825013263203
Newcastle53550300
Newport3223760445677
Portroe2516725207943
Rockwell Rovers71740130
Roscrea11071932916016214
Rosegreen221010
Seán Treacy’s2311539243913
Shannon Rovers2713918179212
Silvermines2827545608189
Skeheenarinky52424180
Solohead25973614416
St Mary’s Clonmel5123494693437
St Patrick’s Drangan5133550
Templederry Kenyons3529288658752
Thurles Gaels27128622559
Thurles Sarsfields25020726131892431027
Toomevara9884620315372418
Upperchurch-Drombane4627795503498

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