'In enemy territory': Tipperary raised me, but Cork pays me!

Elaine Whelan

“You’re a brave woman wearing that in there.”

That is what was said to me when Tipp last faced Cork, and I passed through the turnstiles of Páirc Uí Chaoimh on the Blackrock end decked out in my blue and gold.

With my best friend, a devout Cork woman, beside me blending in with the rest of the crowd, I stuck out like a sore thumb. One drop of blue in a sea of red.

When Cork faced Dublin in the semi-final, I jumped out of my seat in celebration in Croke Park’s Cusack Stand with each of the seven goals scored for the Rebel side. The following day, it was rinse and repeat as I watched the Premier County send old rivals The Cats back home with their tails between their legs from my spot on Hill 16.

Up until that point, I wanted both sides to win their respective games. However, as Tipp began their winning celebrations, the penny dropped.

As a born and raised Tipperary woman who has since been converted into an honorary Corkonian, with years spent working in a newspaper that is an institution in the Rebel County, I was torn.

One county raised me, and one county pays me, as I always say. However, my blood runs blue not red, and it will be my brother’s hand-me-down Tipp jersey I don this weekend on Jones’ Rd.

Despite my debating and the ultimate slagging I am going to take when I return to the office on Monday morning if the Liam MacCarthy returns to the Leeside, I still consider myself blessed to have two places I can call home — rivalry aside.

Sarah O'Dwyer

Little did I think when I was a child, coming to matches in Cork, parking at the Rockies clubhouse, and cheering on the blue and gold, that I’d be living just a stones throw away from there, married to a Cork man a few years later. But, here I am.

I’ve been a Tipperary fan for as long as I can remember. I started going to inter-county matches when I was seven years old with my family.

That was in 2001, when Tipperary just happened to go all the way and win the Liam MacCarthy. The appetite for GAA hasn’t diminished for me since then.

I’ve been lucky enough to make it to Croke Park for all of Tipp’s big days since.

This is, however, the first time I’ve lived in “enemy territory” when Tipp are involved in a final. And, do you know what? It’s great craic.

Some of what’s great about the GAA is the comradery, but a big part of it is also the slagging and the banter.

I’ve my other half on the verge of disowning me due to my having two Tipperary flags up on the house.

We’d like to think we manifested this All-Ireland final pairing though. When we got married last November, our invites were in the shape of GAA tickets. We had the Tipperary and Cork crests. And now, we’ve got the real deal.

It will be a wonderful day out on Sunday, though, to travel up to Dublin to head along to our first All-Ireland final where both teams are involved. I’ve been to a couple over the last few years where Cork played, but now that we’ve got the two sides involved there is a real bite of additional excitement to the day.

Hopefully there’ll be many more for both of us, but this one will be special.