Stateside support for Tipp
September 03, 2010Tipperary supporters all over the world will be tuning into the All-Ireland hurling final as the Premier County attempt to stop Kilkenny's bid for an historic five-in-a-row.
In New York, where there is a large and proud Tipperary community, the County Tipperary National and Benevolent (N&B) Association is gearing up for the big day and the prospect of Liam Sheedy's side bringing the Liam McCarthy Cup back to the Premier County for the first time in nine years.
"I'm not travelling over myself, but you can be sure that our Association will be well represented in Croke Park," says Tipperary N&B Association of New York president Regina O'Dwyer-Pena.
"My dad Sean O'Dwyer, who is 81, is having eye surgery on the Friday before the final, and our big concern is that he will only be able to see the final with one eye. Hopefully, both eyes will be in perfect working order and he'll be able to enjoy the game."
Regina, whose great passion for all things Tipperary was instilled in her by her Golden-born father, was elected president of the Tipperary N&B Association of New York in November 2009 in succession to Martin Dunne. A member of the Association since 2000, she had previously served as secretary and vice-president.
Formed in 1880 as the Tipperary Men's Association and boasting 164 members, the Association is a non-sectarian and non-profit organisation. It was established to cultivate and spread a spirit of friendship and good citizenship among its members and to render, as far as practicable, assistance to members in need.
In 1919, the Tipperary Men's Association decided to procure a charter, which was granted in February 1923 to what is now known as the Tipperary N&B Association of New York. Since then, men and women of Tipperary extraction meet on the first Thursday evening of the month to welcome new members, address the needs of the Tipperary community and act upon them on an as needed basis. In recent times, these meetings have been held in The Green Tree, Riverdale, Bronx.
Each year, the Association awards scholarships to worthy students and hosts a banquet and golf outing. The banquet takes place in the middle of March to coincide with St. Patrick's Day and is the Association's chief fundraising event.
The Tipperary N&B Association of New York banner features the Rock of Cashel and Charles Kickham, the famous Irish republican who was born in Mullinahone in 1828.
Regina, who is married to George Pena (who's of Spanish descent) and has two teenage children, Kelly-Ann (18) and Ryan (15), is fiercely proud of her Irish roots.
"I was brought up with a proud sense of Tipperary heritage. Growing up in an Irish culture, I was an Irish dancer and musician. My dad won nine New York senior hurling championship medals with Tipp, so the GAA was also part and parcel of my upbringing."
Not surprisingly, many of the Tipperary N&B Association and the Tipperary hurling club membership overlap. With 24 New York SHC titles to their name, Tipp are one of the oldest and most successful GAA units in the Big Apple. Down through the years, the club has provided a valuable sporting and social outlet to thousands of Premier County natives who have been forced to emigrate to New York in search of work.
Regina has been delighted with the turnaround in Tipperary's fortunes since their devastating loss to Cork in the first round of the Munster championship.
They have shown tremendous character to bounce back from that 10-point defeat, and they've done so without Liam Sheedy having to carry out major surgery. They got the show back on the road with a 3-24 to 0-19 demolition of Wexford at Thurles and continued their rehabilitation with a 0-21 to 1-12 defeat of Offaly in Portlaoise.
However, the jury remained out on Tipp until they edged out Galway by 3-17 to 3-16 in a classic All-Ireland quarter-final at Croke Park. It took a point from the ice-cool Lar Corbett in the first minute of injury-time to decide what has been the game of the championship to date. Tipp led by 2-8 to 1-9 at half-time thanks to goals from Eoin Kelly and sub Seamus Callanan, but Galway overturned the deficit to lead by two points entering the closing stages.
But Liam Sheedy's charges showed their mettle when John O'Brien, Gearoid Ryan and Corbett shot late points to give them a dramatic win.
Tipp's best performance so far came in their 3-19 to 1-18 defeat of Munster champions Waterford. Eoin Kelly had a rare off-day with his frees, but more than made up for it with two goals. John O'Brien also impressed with a six-point haul on a day when 3-15 of Tipp's total came from play.
"It was hard to see a way back for them after the Cork defeat, but these boys are made of stern stuff and they have come back stronger than ever. They gave a marvellous display against Waterford in the All-Ireland semi-final so I'm very hopeful for the final. They seem to be hitting top form at just the right time," she enthuses.
The big question on everyone's lips is: can Tipp stop Kilkenny from becoming the first team in either hurling or football to complete a five-in-a-row of All-Ireland wins? And after losing last year's final in heartbreaking and somewhat controversial circumstances to the Cats, Regina feels they won't be lacking in motivation.
"Whatever about stopping the five-in-a-row, last year's defeat provides Tipp with an even bigger incentive to win. I have a good feeling about this final. I think Tipp are going to do it."
She added: "On behalf of the Tipperary N&B Association of New York, I would like to wish Liam Sheedy and his players every good wish in their bid to win the All-Ireland. We look forward to seeing Liam McCarthy over here in New York at our annual banquet next March." Tweet
