Tipp goes 'Blue and Gold' crazy for big match
Painting their houses and sheep blue and gold, writing rap songs in praise of the team and re-spraying cars in the county colours are just some of the extraordinary lengths that Tipperary supporters have gone to in an effort to show their support for the team ahead of Sunday's All-Ireland Hurling Final.
The big match has gripped the imagination of people across the county, as Tipp go in search of their 26th title against a Kilkenny team which is trying to go where no other county hurling or football team has gone before by winning five All-Ireland championships in-a-row.
Kilkenny are the red hot favourites to succeed and are currently quoted at 5/2-on by one leading bookmakers chain. Tipp, who are also seeking revenge for last year's final defeat by the same opponents, are a 9/4 chance.
Despite their outsiders tag Tipp people have rallied in support of their team, which has made a great recovery from its 10-points Munster Championship defeat by Cork at the end of May.
A rap song especially written for the team and supporters is proving a huge hit on the video sharing website YouTube where up to last night, Tuesday, it had attracted more than 35,000 hits.
The Premier Rap was written by John O'Brien, from Cahir, and performed by his band Johnny B and The Boogie Men. It's available as a CD single and proceeds are being donated to a very worthy cause, the Chernobyl Children's Project.
The band have been invited to perform the song on Saturday night's Up For The Match programme on RTE.
Meanwhile the Walsh family in Carrick-on-Suir have shown their devotion to the cause by painting their house in Ard Mhuire blue and gold.
And the Murphy family in Monroe House, Ardfinnan, have also pledged their undying support for their county by dyeing five sheep on the family farm in the county colours.
For the past couple of weeks streets, housing estates, villages, roads and town centres throughout the county have been decorated with blue and gold flags, bunting and banners in impressive displays.
Sunday's match will be played in front of a sell-out 82,000 attendance at Croke Park, where fences have been erected at the terrace at Hill 16 in an attempt to prevent pitch invasions at the conclusion of big matches, as a health and safety precaution.
The Tipp team will be announced at 9 o'clock on Thursday night. They had a late injury scare during a training trip to Carton House in Kildare last weekend when midfielder Brendan Maher picked up a wrist injury. However he's expected to be fit.
The selection is expected to be along the same lines as the team that beat Waterford in the semi-final.
The team, led by manager Liam Sheedy and captain Eoin Kelly, will travel to Dublin on Sunday morning and will carry with them the best wishes of Tipp people everywhere, as they try to bridge a nine-year gap since the county last lifted the Liam McCarthy Cup.
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Weather for Clonmel
Wednesday 08 February 2012
Today
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