Cork footballer Tommy Walsh savours Sigerson Cup glory with UL

Another special occasion at Croke Park for the Walsh family this year.

A month on from Aidan helping An Ghaeltacht to All-Ireland IFC glory, his younger brother Tommy played a key role for University of Limerick as they claimed Sigerson Cup glory on Wednesday night.

They defeated UCC in the final by three points, 0-17 to 1-11. It was a deserved victory for David Power’s charges as they won the famous competition for the first time.

“That’s it, I suppose,” Tommy says when told that it's another historic occasion for the Walsh family from Kanturk.

“Two teams I suppose we wouldn’t have imagined playing with this time last year. It has all happened very quickly.

“I missed the league with UL and despite that, David [Power] was so welcoming. He was so easy going as well. There were no real tactics or anything. A lot of it was just freedom. I suppose with National League and stuff on, it was just kind of getting the bodies right and David facilitated that.

“That’s the way he wanted to be, kind of very easy going. I’m delighted for him today because he’s such a great fella and so sound.” 

Tommy was playing in the Sigerson Cup for MTU Cork until he made the move to UL in 2025.

“Moving to UL was always kind of the pathway, it was four years in MTU Cork and hopefully do a Masters in UL,” the Cork footballer said.

“I got the opportunity and I just went for it. Myself and David Buckley, we've been together all the way up, did the same course below in Cork and then the post-grad in UL.

“It has been a great journey, wouldn't change it for the world, it has been brilliant.

“This has been a great experience. I wouldn't have known anyone coming in at the start, only the Cork lads.

“We've been on a bit of a journey, especially the last three games. I suppose, we kind of came back from the dead in the quarter-final, then the heroics last week in the semi-final.

“It has been a great experience and it's something we will all remember. It’s only once in a lifetime that everyone gets to play with fellas from other counties and it's great.” 

It was an impressive performance from UL against UCC given the huge occasion with this final played in Croke Park for the first time since 1985. It didn't faze the Limerick outfit. 

“The one thing we said actually before the game was just control the game. It was all about control today. I suppose we just wanted to play with a bit more structure, something we weren’t able to do in previous games.

“Finals can be cagey at times but we felt if we kind of clicked at all, we’d have a great chance, and that we’d be there coming down the straight with an opportunity and that’s what happened.” 

Tommy put in another solid performance continuing his strong recent form where he has excelled for the Cork senior footballers.

He does admit he found it ‘strange’ coming up against some familiar faces playing for UCC. 

“It was strange alright, but I suppose I would have been an MTU Cork man originally. It was definitely strange though, especially coming up here to Croke Park for the final.

“We’ve got friends, Conor Daly, Jacob O’Driscoll and others playing for UCC. It was a nice kind of thing playing against UCC. It only happens once really.”