County Tipperary Contae Thiobraid Árann
Coat of arms
Country	Ireland
Province	Munster
Dáil Éireann	Tipperary North Tipperary South
EU Parliament	South
County seat	North: Nenagh South: Clonmel
Area
• Total	4,303 km2 (1,661 sq mi)
Area rank	6th
Population (2011)	158,652
• Rank	11th[1]
Car plates	North: TN South: TS

County Tipperary (Irish: Contae Thiobraid Árann) is a county of Ireland. It is located in the province of Munster and is named after the town of Tipperary. The area of the county does not have a single local authority; local government is split between two authorities. In North Tipperary, part of the Mid-West Region, local government is in the care of North Tipperary County Council. In South Tipperary, part of the South-East Region, local government is in the care of South Tipperary County Council. The population of the county is 158,652 according to the 2011 census.

Geography and political subdivisions[link]

The Galtee Mountains seen from the Glen of Aherlow.

Tipperary is the sixth largest of the 32 counties by area and the 11th largest by population.^[2] It is the third largest of Munster’s 6 counties by size and the third largest by population. The region is part of the central plain of Ireland, but the diversified terrain contains several mountain ranges: the Knockmealdown, the Galtee, the Arra Hills and the Silvermine. The southern portion of the county is drained by the River Suir; the northern by tributaries of the Shannon which widens into Lough Derg. No part of the county touches the coast. The centre is known as 'the Golden Vale', a rich pastoral stretch of land in the Suir basin which extends into counties Limerick and Cork.

Baronies[link]

Cahir on the banks of the Suir

There are six historic baronies in North Tipperary: Eliogarty, Ikerrin, Ormond Upper, Ormond Lower, Owney and Arra and Kilnamanagh Upper, with a further six lying in South Tipperary: Clanwilliam, Kilnamanagh Lower, Iffa and Offa East, Iffa and Offa West, Middle Third, and Slievardagh.

Civil parishes and townlands[link]

Parishes were delineated after the Down Survey as an intermediate subdivision, with multiple townlands per parish and multiple parishes per barony. The civil parishes had some use in local taxation and were included on the nineteenth century maps of the Ordnance Survey of Ireland.^[3] For poor law purposes, District Electoral Divisions replaced the civil parishes in the mid-nineteenth century. There are 199 civil parishes in the county.^[4] Townlands are the smallest officially defined geographical divisions in Ireland; there are 3159 townlands in the county.^[5]

Towns and villages[link]

Lough Derg

Roscrea

Landscape in the Knockmealdowns

Cahir Castle

Ardfinnan Castle, Ardfinnan.

• Ballina - Béal an Átha
• Bansha - An Bháinseach
• Borrisokane - Buiríos Uí Chéin
• Borrisoleigh- Buiríos Ó Luigheach
• Cahir - Cathair Dún Iascaigh or An Chathair
• Carrick-on-Suir - Carraig na Siúire
• Cashel - Caiseal
• Castleiney - Caisleán Aoibhne
• Clonmel - Cluain Meala
• Clonmore - An Cluain Mhór
• Clonoulty - Cluain Ultaigh
• Cloughjordan - Cloch Shiurdáin
• Drom - Drom
• Dundrum - Dún Droma
• Emly - Imleach Iubhair
• Fethard - Fiodh Ard
• Golden - An Gabhailín
• Hollyford - Áth an Chuillinn
• Holycross - Mainistir na Croiche
• Horse and Jockey - An Marcach
• Killenaule - Cill Náile
• Kilmoyler - Cill Mhaoileachair
• Knockgraffon - Cnoc Rafann
• Lisronagh - Lios Ruanach
• Littleton - An Baile Beag
• Lorrha - Lothra
• Loughmore - Luach Magh
• Milestone - Cloch an Mhíle
• Nenagh - An tAonach
• New Inn - Loch Cheann
• Newport - An Tulach Sheasta
• Ninemilehouse - Tigh na Naoi Míle
• Rearcross - Crois na Rae
• Roscrea - Ros Cré
• Rosegreen - Faiche Ró
• Rossmore - An Ros Mór
• Templemore - An Teampall Mór
• Thurles - Durlas
• Tipperary Town - Tiobraid Árann
• Toomevara - Tuaim Uí Mheára
• Two-Mile Borris - Buiríos Léith
• Upperchurch - An Teampall Uachtarach'

History[link]

The Rock of Cashel, seat of the Kings of Munster

Tipperary was one of the first parts of Ireland to be shired during the 13th century following the Norman invasion of Ireland.^{[citation needed]} For local government purposes the county is divided into the counties of North Tipperary (county town: Nenagh) and South Tipperary (county town: Clonmel). This division dates back to the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898, with the county's two "ridings" having had separate assize courts for much longer. The use of riding for the divisions was an historical misnomer, since the word derives from the dividing of an area into three parts. The expression "riding" has been discontinued for official purposes since 2002 (Local Government Act, 2001 section 10 and schedule 5).

Local government and politics[link]

The area of the county is now covered by two local administrative authorities: North Tipperary County Council and South Tipperary County Council. They rank equally as first level Local administrative units (LAU) of the NUTS 3 Mid-West Region for Eurostat purposes. There are 34 LAU 1 entities in the Republic of Ireland. Both local authorities are responsible for certain local services such as sanitation, planning and development, libraries, the collection of motor taxation, local roads and social housing. On 26 July 2011, the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government Phil Hogan announced the proposed merger of North Tipperary County Council and South Tipperary County Council.^[12] The county is part of the South constituency for the purposes of European elections. For elections to Dáil Éireann, the county is part of two constituencies: Tipperary North and Tipperary South. Together they return 6 deputies (TDs) to the Dáil.

Culture[link]

Hurling team in Semple Stadium, Thurles - Home of Tipperary GAA.

Tipperary is sometimes referred to as the "Premier County", a description attributed^{[citation needed]} to Thomas Davis, Editor of The Nation newspaper in the 1840s as a tribute to the nationalistic feeling in Tipperary and said^{[citation needed]} that "where Tipperary leads, Ireland follows". Tipperary was the subject of the famous song "It's a Long Way to Tipperary" written by Jack Judge, whose grandparents came from the county. It was popular with regiments of the British army during World War I. The song "Slievenamon", which is traditionally associated with the county, was written by Charles Kickham from Mullinahone, and is commonly sung at sporting fixtures involving the county.^[13]

Irish language[link]

There are 979 Irish speakers in County Tipperary attending the five Gaelscoileanna (Irish language primary schools) and two Coláisti Gael (Irish language secondary schools).^[14]

Economy[link]

Magners, Tipperary's most famous export

The area around Clonmel is the economic hub of the county: to the west of the town the manufacturers Bulmers (brewers) and Merck & Co. (pharmaceuticals). There is much fertile land, especially in the region known as the Golden Vale, one of the richest agricultural areas in Ireland. Dairy farming and cattle raising are the principal occupations.^{[citation needed]} Other industries are slate quarrying and the manufacture of meal and flour.

Tipperary is famous for its horse breeding industry and is the home of Coolmore Stud, the largest thoroughbred breeding operation in the world.^{[citation needed]}

Tourism plays a significant role in County Tipperary - Lough Derg, Thurles, Rock of Cashel, Ormonde Castle, Ahenny High Crosses, Cahir Castle, Bru Boru Heritage Centre and Tipperary Crystal are some of the primary tourist destinations in the county.

Transport[link]

Thurles railway station

Road transport dominates in County Tipperary. The M7 motorway crosses the north of the county through Roscrea and Nenagh and the M8 motorway bisects the county from north of Two-Mile Borris to the County Limerick border. Both routes are amongst some of the busiest roads on the island. The Limerick to Waterford N24 crosses the southern half of Tipperary, travelling through Tipperary Town, Bansha, north of Cahir and around Clonmel and Carrick-on-Suir. Tipperary also has a number or railway stations situated on the Dublin to Cork, Dublin to Limerick and Limerick to Waterford rail lines.

Sports[link]

County Tipperary has a strong sporting history and is home to the Gaelic Games of Hurling, Gaelic football, Camogie and Handball. It nurtures the ancient game of hurling and since the 19th century its teams have regularly been champions of Ireland. Horse racing takes place at Tipperary Racecourse and Clonmel Racecourse.

Places of interest[link]

Galtee Mountains

• Ahenny High Crosses
• Kilcash Castle (also Ireland's oldest church in Kilcash)
• Ormonde Castle, Carrick-on-Suir
• Athassel Priory
• Cahir Castle
• Coolmore Stud
• Dromineer
• Fethard
• Galtymore - a munro, and the highest mountain in County Tipperary (919m).
• Glen of Aherlow
• Glengarra Wood
• Holy Cross Abbey
• Lough Derg
• Mitchelstown Cave
• Nenagh
• Redwood Castle (Castle Egan)
• Rock of Cashel
• Slievenamon - Sliabh na mBan - mountain associated with many Irish legends (721m)
• Thurles.

See also[link]

• List of civil parishes of North Tipperary
• List of civil parishes of South Tipperary
• Vehicle registration plates of Ireland
• List of abbeys and priories in the Republic of Ireland (County Tipperary)
• Tipperary Hill, a neighbourhood in Syracuse, New York, United States, inhabited by many descendants of County Tipperary.
• Lord Lieutenant of Tipperary
• High Sheriff of Tipperary

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: County Tipperary

• Tipperary Institute
• County Tipperary Historical Society
• A website dedicated to the genealogical records of the county. It offers fragments of the 1766 census, the complete Down Survey, as well as a ream of other useful information
• Score for 'Quality of Life' in County Tipperary
• Gaelscoil stats

v t e Counties of Ireland The counties are listed per province Connacht Galway Leitrim Mayo Roscommon Sligo Munster Clare Cork Kerry Limerick Tipperary (North Tipperary · South Tipperary) Waterford Leinster Carlow Dublin (Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown · Fingal · South Dublin) Kildare Kilkenny Laois Longford Louth Meath Offaly Westmeath Wexford Wicklow Ulster Antrim† Armagh† Cavan Donegal Down† Fermanagh† Londonderry† Monaghan Tyrone† Italics denote non-administrative counties. Brackets denote non-traditional counties. †denotes non-administrative counties of Northern Ireland

v t e Places in North Tipperary County town: Nenagh Towns Borrisokane Cloughjordan Nenagh Newport Roscrea Templemore Thurles Villages Ballina Ballingarry Borrisoleigh Borrisokane Castleiney Dromineer Faddan More Holycross Horse and Jockey Lagganstown Littleton Lorrha Loughmore Milestone Portroe Puckane Rearcross Silvermines Terryglass Toomevara Two-Mile Borris Upperchurch Baronies Eliogarty Ikerrin Kilnamanagh Upper Ormond Lower Ormond Upper Owney and Arra List of townlands in County Tipperary Category:Mountains and hills of County Tipperary Category:Rivers of County Tipperary Category:Geography of North Tipperary Baronies of Tipperary

v t e Places in South Tipperary County town: Clonmel Towns Cahir Carrick-on-Suir Cashel Clonmel Fethard Tipperary Villages Ardfinnan Ballingarry Ballyclerahan Ballylooby Ballyporeen Bansha Boytonrath Cappawhite Clogheen Clonoulty Coalbrook Cullen Donohill Dualla Dundrum Emly Garranlea Golden Gortnahoe Hollyford Husseystown Killenaule Kilsheelan Kilmoyler Lisronagh Marlfield Mullinahone New Birmingham Newcastle New Inn Newtown Ninemilehouse Rosegreen Rossmore Skeheenarinky Baronies Clanwilliam Iffa and Offa East Iffa and Offa West Kilnamanagh Lower Middle Third Slievardagh List of townlands in County Tipperary Category:Mountains and hills of County Tipperary Category:Rivers of County Tipperary Category:Geography of South Tipperary Baronies of Tipperary

Coordinates: 52°40′N 7°50′W / 52.667°N 7.833°W / 52.667; -7.833

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (September 2011)

Tipperary Tiobraid Árann
—  Town  —
Tipperary Main Street
Tipperary Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 52°28′26″N 8°09′43″W / 52.474°N 8.162°W / 52.474; -8.162Coordinates: 52°28′26″N 8°09′43″W / 52.474°N 8.162°W / 52.474; -8.162
Country	Ireland
Province	Munster
County	South Tipperary
Dáil Éireann	Tipperary South
EU Parliament	South constituency
Elevation	102 m (335 ft)
Population (2006)[1]
• Town	5,065
• Urban	4,415
• Environs	650
Irish Grid Reference	R889358

Tipperary (Irish: Tiobraid Árann) is a town and a civil parish^[2] in South Tipperary, Ireland. Its population was 4,415 at the 2006 census.^[3] It is also an ecclesiastical parish in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly, and is in the historical barony of Clanwilliam. The town gave its name to County Tipperary.

Location and access[link]

The town is situated on the N24 route between Limerick City and Waterford City. A railway station follows a line of the same route and has three services a day to Waterford via Cahir, Clonmel and Carrick on Suir. Three trains a day also operate to Limerick Junction which has numerous services to Cork City, Dublin and Limerick. There is no train service to/from Tipperary on Sundays. Tipperary railway station opened 9 May 1848.^[4]

Amenities[link]

It is home to Tipperary Racecourse [1] which is located at Limerick Junction. It has a large agricultural catchment area in west Tipperary and east County Limerick and was historically a significant market town. Today, it still boasts large butter making and milk processing industries. The town is sometimes erroneously believed to be the county seat; this honour belongs instead to Clonmel.

History[link]

Panoramic view of Tipperary and surroundings

In Irish, 'Tiobraid Árann' means 'The Well of the Arra' - a reference to the river which flows through the town. The well itself is located in the townland of Glenbane which is in the parish of Lattin and Cullen. This is where the river "Arra" rises. Little is known of the historical significance of the well.

The town is a medieval foundation and became a population center in the early 13th century. Its ancient fortifications have disappeared but its central area is characterized by a wide streets radiating from the principal thoroughfare of Main Street.

There are two historical monuments in the Main Street, namely the bronze statue of Charles Kickham (poet and patriot) and the Maid of Erin statue erected to commemorate the Irish patriots, Allen, Larkin and O'Brien, who are collectively known as the Manchester Martyrs. The Maid of Erin is a freestanding monument, erected in 1907 it was relocated to a corner site on the main street from the centre of the main street in 2003. It is composed of carved limestone and the female figure stands on a base depicting the portraits of the three executed men. The portraits carry the names in Irish of each man. She is now situated on stone flagged pavement behind wrought-iron railings, with an information board. This memorial to the Manchester Martyrs is a landmark piece of sculpture now located in a prominent corner site. The choice of a female figure as the personification of Ireland for such a memorial was common at the time.^[5] It is a naturalistic and evocative piece of work, made all the more striking by the life-like portraits of the executed men.^[6]

The first engagement of the Irish War of Independence took place at nearby Solloghead Beg quarry on 19 January 1919 when Dan Breen and Seán Treacy led a group of volunteers in an attack on members of the Royal Irish Constabulary who were transporting gelignite.

The town was the site of a large military barracks of the British Army in the 50 years before Irish Independence and served as a military hospital during World War I.^[7] During the War of Independence, it played a pivotal role as a base from which the Black and Tans went on local sorties in their campaign of terror against the people of the town and district^{[citation needed]}. On 30 September 2005, Mary McAleese, President of Ireland, in a gesture of reconciliation, unveiled the newly refurbished Memorial Arch of the barracks in the presence of several ambassadors and foreign emissaries, military attachés and town dignitaries; a detachment of the Local Defence Force, the Number 1 Irish Army Band and various ex-service organisations paraded. In a rare appearance, the Royal Munster Fusiliers banner was carried to mark the occasion. However, given the notoriety of the place in the folk memory, there was only a small representation of townspeople in attendance. The Arch is the only remaining porch of what was the Officers mess and has panels mounted bearing the names of fallen members of the Irish Defence Forces (on United Nations service), and American, Australian and United Kingdom armed services.^{[citation needed]}

Famous people from Tipperary[link]

Australian bushranger Ned Kelly's father, John, was from Tipperary. In 1840, John 'Red' Kelly, then aged 21, stole two pigs ('value about six pounds') and was transported to Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) for 7 years.^[8]The police superintendent in charge at Ned Kelly's arrest at Glenrowan in 1880 was John Sadleir. He had emigrated from Brookville House, just south of Tipperary town in 1852.^[9]

Seán Treacy died in a shoot-out with British soldiers in Talbot Street, Dublin in October 1920.

Alan Quinlan the Munster Rugby player was born in Tipperary in 1974. (Limerick Leader, 2010). [2] retrieved 2010-10-06

Dr. Liam Hennessy, renowned exercise physiologist, strength & conditioning coach, and former international athlete, is from Tipperary.

In song[link]

Welcoming signs on roads entering the town quip "You've come a long way..." in reference to the World War I-era song written by Englishmen Harry Williams and Jack Judge (whose grandparents came from Tipperary) "It's a Long Way to Tipperary", which became popular among the British military as a marching song. The U.S. Army, also at this time, included a song by John Alden Carpenter called The Home Road in its official 1918 song book which includes the lyric, "For the long, long road to Tipperary is the road that leads me home."^[11] A song of remembrance is "Tipperary so far away" which commemorates one of its famous sons, Seán Treacy (see above). In an address to the people of Ballyporeen on 3 June 1984, Ronald Reagan, President of the United States of America, quoted a line from this famous song--" And I'll never more roam, from my own native home, in Tipperary so far away." There are other songs also with a Tipperary theme such as "Tipperary On My Mind"; "Slievenamon"; "Goodbye Mick"; "Galtee Mountain Boy"; "Katy Daly" (actually an American song) and "Forty Shades of Green", written by Johnny Cash.

Gary Moore's Song "Business as Usual" tells about him and his love: "I lost my virginity to a Tipperary woman." On Seventy Six The Band's 2006 release Gone Is Winter, the song "Carry On" also states that it is "a long way to Tipperary." Shane MacGowan's song "Broad Majestic Shannon" includes the lyric "Heard the men coming home from the fair at Shinrone, their hearts in Tipperary wherever they go".

See also[link]

• List of towns and villages in Ireland

References[link]

1. ^ "Census 2006 – Volume 1 – Population Classified by Area" (PDF). Central Statistics Office Census 2006 Reports. Central Statistics Office Ireland. April 2007. http://www.cso.ie/census/documents/census2006_volume_1_pop_classified_by_area.pdf. Retrieved 2011-06-11. 
2. ^ Placenames Database of Ireland - Tipperary civil parish.
3. ^ Irish census 2006
4. ^ "Tipperary station" (PDF). Railscot - Irish Railways. http://www.railscot.co.uk/Ireland/Irish_railways.pdf. Retrieved 2007-09-07. 
5. ^ MacDonagh, Oliver (1986). Ireland and Irish-Australia: studies in cultural and political history. Routledge. pp. 133. ISBN 978-0-7099-4617-5. http://books.google.ie/books?id=R8kOAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA133&dq=%22in+the+nineteenth+century+she+is+shaped+both+by%22&hl=en&sa=X&ei=i5ART5eoNIOZhQeqnPCFAg&ved=0CDIQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=%22in%20the%20nineteenth%20century%20she%20is%20shaped%20both%20by%22&f=false. 
6. ^ http://www.buildingsofireland.ie/niah/search.jsp?type=record&county=TS&regno=22108050
7. ^ O'Shea, Walter S. (1998). "A Short History Of Tipperary Military Barracks". http://tipperarybarracks.webs.com/. Retrieved 17 September 2011. 
8. ^ Ned Kelly: A Short Life by Ian Jones (Lothian, 2003) pp1-3.
9. ^ ' Recollections of a Victorian Police Officer' by John Sadleir (George Robertson,Melb.,1913)
10. ^ http://www.cso.ie/census and www.histpop.org. Figures include environs of Tippperary. For a discussion on the accuracy of pre-famine census returns see JJ Lee “On the accuracy of the pre-famine Irish censuses” in Irish Population, Economy and Society edited by JM Goldstrom and LA Clarkson (1981) p54, and also “New Developments in Irish Population History, 1700-1850” by Joel Mokyr and Cormac Ó Gráda in The Economic History Review, New Series, Vol. 37, No. 4 (Nov., 1984), pp. 473-488.
11. ^ US Army Song Book, 1918, issued by the War Department Commission on Training Camp Activities and compiled with the assistance of the National Committee on Army and Navy Camp Music, for free distribution to all Officers and Men in the Army, p13

• Denis G. Marnane (1985) A History of West Tipperary from 1660 - Land and Violence.
• Martin O'Dwyer (2001) Tipperary's Sons & Daughters - Biographies of Tipperary persons involved in the National struggle.
• William Nolan & Thomas G. McGrath (1985) Tipperary History & Society
• David J. Butler (2006) South Tipperary 1570-1841, Religion, Land and Rivalry.
• Walter S. O'Shea (1998) A Short History of Tipperary Military Barracks (Infantry) 1874-1922

External links[link]

• Tipperary Institute
• TippNet is a development activity of Tipperary Institute.
• Tipperary railway station
• ireland360.com
• Tipperary Musical Society

Liam Sheedy (born 24 October 1969 in Portroe, County Tipperary, Ireland) is an Irish former hurler and manager. He played for his local club Portroe and was a member of the Tipperary senior inter-county team from 1997 until 1999. Sheedy served as manager of the Tipperary senior team from 2007 until 2010.

Playing career[link]

Club[link]

Sheedy played his club hurling with his local club in Portroe and enjoyed some success. The highlight of his club hurling career came in 1990 when he captured a county title at intermediate level with Portroe.

Minor, under-21 & junior[link]

Sheedy first came to prominence on the inter-county scene in the early 1980s as a member of the Tipperary under-16 team. He won a Munster title at this level before later joining the county minor team. Here he enjoyed much more success, winning a Munster title with the team in 1987.^[1] Sheedy later lined out in the All-Ireland final with Leinster champions Offaly providing the opposition. It was a disappointing day for Tipp as Sheedy’s side lost by 2–8 to 0–12.^[2]

Two years later in 1989 Sheedy was a key member of the Tipperary under-21 team. That year he collected a Munster title in that grade following a 5–16 to 1–6 trouncing of Limerick.^[3] The subsequent All-Ireland final pitted Tipperary against Offaly. On this occasion Sheedy ended up on the winning side as Tipp won by 4–10 to 3–11.^[4] This victory gave him a coveted All-Ireland under-21 medal. In 1990 Sheedy captured a second consecutive Munster title in the under-21 grade following another heavy defeat of Limerick.^[5] He later lined out in a second consecutive All-Ireland final. On this occasion Kilkenny were the opponents, however, Sheedy’s side were defeated by 2–11 to 1–11 on this occasion.^[6]

By this stage Sheedy had also joined the Tipperary junior hurling team. He captured a Munster title in this grade in 1989 following a 2–14 to 2–8 defeat of Cork.^[7] He later lined out in the All-Ireland final with Galway providing the opposition. It was a successful day for Sheedy as Tipp defeated the men from the west by 0–12 to 0–8 to take the All-Ireland title.^[8] Two years later in 1991 Sheedy added a second Munster junior title to his collection after an exciting draw and a replay with Cork.^[9] After a defeat of Kilkenny in the ‘home’ All-Ireland final Tipp later took on London in the All-Ireland proper. A 4–17 to 1–5 trouncing gave Sheedy his second All-Ireland medal at junior level.^[10]

Senior[link]

While still a member of both the Tipperary under-21 and junior hurling teams Sheedy joined the senior team. He made his debut in 1989 in a National Hurling League game against Dublin. In spite of this Sheedy was still not chosen on the Tipp senior team in the championship until 1997.

That year he lined out in his first provincial decider. Clare provided the opposition on that occasion, however, it was an occasion to forget for Sheddy as Tipp lost a close and exciting game by 1–18 to 0–18.^[11] The introduction of the new ‘back-door’ system resulted in both Clare and Tipperary meeting for the second time in the first all-Munster All-Ireland final. The game itself was one of the best of the decade. Clare were well on top for much of the game, however, Liam Cahill and Eugene O’Neill scored twice for Tipp in the last ten minutes. John Leahy missed a goal chance in the last minute. At the full-time whistle Clare were deserving winners by a single point – 0–20 to 2–13.^[12]

Sheedy added a National League medal to his collection in 1999; however, success in the championship still eluded him.^[13] He lined out in the National League final again in 2000, however, Tipp lost out to Galway. After failing to make an appearance in the championship that year Sheedy retired from inter-county hurling.

Management career[link]

Early managerial career[link]

Shortly after his retirement from playing, Sheedy became involved in team management. In 2000 he took charge of the Tipperary intermediate hurling team and enjoyed some initial success. He guided his team to the Munster title in this grade in 2000 following a 1–19 to 0–15 defeat of Cork.^[14] Sheedy’s side later qualified for the All-Ireland final where Galway were the opponents. Tipp were successful on that occasion and trounced the men from the west by 2–17 to 1–10 to take the All-Ireland title.^[15] It was Sheedy’s first major success as a manager.

In 2005 Sheedy took charge of the Tipperary minor hurling team. His first season in charge was an unsuccessful one. In 2006 things didn't seem to be better as Tipp lost the Munster final to Cork. Tipp, however, later reached the All-Ireland final via the 'back-door system.' Galway provided the opposition on that occasion; however, Tipperary won the game by 2–18 to 2–7.^[16]

Managing Tipperary[link]

2008: League & Munster titles[link]

Sheedy’s performance as manager of the Tipperary minor team brought him to the attention of the county board when they were looking for a successor to Michael 'Babs' Keating as manager of the county senior team. In spite of a number of high profile names being mentioned, including Davy Fitzgerald and Declan Ryan, Sheedy was appointed manager in September 2007.^[17][18]

Sheedy's term in charge of the Tipperary senior team got off to a good start. In early 2008 his side breezed through the Waterford Crystal Cup before defeating Waterford by 3–13 to 0–13 in the final.^[19] Tipp were undefeated in that competition. In the National Hurling League Tipp's run of success continued. Sheedy's side defeated Laois, Offaly and Limerick and drew with Galway and Clare to come second in Division 1B. The team later defeated Waterford in the quarter-final and Kilkenny in the semi-final of the competition, resulting in a league final showdown with Galway. The final was a tough, competitive game with Tipp preserving their unbeaten record in 2008 by defeating Galway on a score line of 3–18 to 3–16.^[20] Sheedy's next competitive game in charge was a Munster semi-final showdown with Cork on June 8. The omens pointed to a Cork victory as Tipp hadn't defeated Cork in the championship in Cork since 1923. On this occasion, however, Tipp broke the hoodoo and defeated 'the Rebels' by 1–19 to 1–13.^[21] Tipperary later continued their unbeaten run with a 2–21 to 0–19 defeat of Clare in the Munster final.^[22] It was Tipp's first provincial final victory since 2001 and it gave the team a save passage into the All-Ireland semi-final. Waterford, the perennial losers at this stage of the competition over the last decade, provided the opposition on this occasion, however, it was a different story for the men from the Déise. At the full-time whistle Waterford had broken their semi-final hoodoo and defeated Tipp by 1–20 to 1–18.^[23]

After the success of his first term in charge Sheedy was unanimously appointed for a second term for the 2009 season.^[24]

2009[link]

On 12 July 2009, Sheedy guided Tipperary to their second Munster title in a row with a 4–14 to 2–16 win over Waterford in Thurles.^[25] Tipperary went on to defeat Limerick in the All Ireland Semi-Final by 6–19 to 2–7 on 16 August 2009, to set up a final meeting with Kilkenny.^[26] Sheedy revealed that his side have used the memory of the 2008 All-Ireland hurling semi-final defeat to Waterford as a motivational tool for the semi-final in 2009, he said 'There was a lot of hurt in our dressing room this time last year, the 17th of August was anything but a nice day and it hurt a lot of us, We waited a year to get back up here and redeem ourselves.'^[27] In the final on the 6 September, Tipperary lost to Kilkenny by 2–22 to 0–23 in a match described as one of the best finals ever.^[28] After the game Sheedy commented on the game and Kilkenny saying "“I felt the lads really gave it everything. We just needed a goal at some stage to really kick on, push on. We’d one or two chances, but found PJ Ryan on a very good day today, but these lads have done everything I’ve asked of them in last eight months, everything I could possible want them to, so to just come up short is very, very disappointing, we knew we were facing the best team in probably the history of the game".^[29]

2010[link]

On 30 May, Tipperary started the 2010 Munster Championship with a quarter final defeat to Cork in Páirc Uí Chaoimh. Tipperary lost the game by 3–15 to 0–14, the county’s biggest defeat to Cork in 68 years.^[30] After the game Sheedy was criticised over the collapse to Cork by former manager Babs Keating who said that "I think if Liam and his selectors sat down with us at that stage for a couple of hours, they needn't necessarily have taken our ideas on board, that he could have taken a few shortcuts along the way and he'd be in a better position today than he is".^[31] On 3 July, in the All-Ireland SHC phase 1 qualifier, Tipperary comfortably won by 3–24 to 0–19 against Wexford at Semple Stadium to advance to the next phase of qualifiers.^[32] In the next round on 18 July, Tipperay defeated Offaly by 0–21 to 1–12 to advance to the quarter finals.^[33] On 25 July, Tipperary met Galway in the quarter final's at Croke Park. In what was generally described as the best game of the year so far, Tipperay won by 3–17 to 3–16 with a late winning point coming from Lar Corbett.^[34][35] In the semi final on 15 August at Croke Park, Tipperary defeated Munster rivals Waterford by 3–19 to 1–18 to set up a second All Ireland final in a row against Kilkenny.^[36] On 5 September, Sheedy managed Tipperary to win their 26th All Ireland title, beating reigning champions Killkenny by 4–17 to 1–18 in the final, preventing Kilkenny from achieving an historic 5-in-a-row.^[37] On 7 October 2010 it was announced that Sheedy would be stepping down from his position as Tipperary manager.^[38] Sheedy and his selectors, who found themselves working up to 16 hours a day during their three-year term, cited work commitments as the reason for stepping down and Sheedy thanked the board for their “top class” support.^[39] Sheedy was named the Philips Sports Manager of the Year for 2010.^[40][41]

Honours[link]

Player[link]

Tipperary[link]

• All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship:
  • Winner (0):
  • Runner-up (1): 1997
• Munster Senior Hurling Championship:
  • Winner (0):
  • Runner-up (1): 1997
• National Hurling League:
  • Winner (1): 1999
  • Runner-up (1): 2000
• All-Ireland Junior Hurling Championship:
  • Winner (2): 1989, 1991
• Munster Junior Hurling Championship:
  • Winner (2): 1989, 1991
• All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship:
  • Winner (1): 1989
  • Runner-up (1): 1990
• Munster Under-21 Hurling Championship:
  • Winner (2): 1989, 1990
• All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship:
  • Winner (0)
  • Runner-up (1): 1987
• Munster Minor Hurling Championship:
  • Winner (1): 1987

Manager[link]

Tipperary[link]

• All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship:
  • Winner (1): 2010
  • Runner-up (1): 2009
• Munster Senior Hurling Championship:
  • Winner (2): 2008, 2009
• National Hurling League:
  • Winner (1): 2008
  • Runner-up (1): 2009
• Waterford Crystal Cup:
  • Winner (1): 2008
  • Runner-up (1): 2009
• All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship:
  • Winner (1): 2006

Awards[link]

• 2010 Philips Sports Manager of the Year^[42]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Profile of Liam Sheedy

Teams[link]