Julie Helen: 'Come on Cork...and Come on Conor Bowe'

The hunt for tickets to the All Ireland Senior Hurling Final started the second both semi-finals were over.

Mum and Dad had been to both matches and made a weekend of it. What an idea, what a weekend to enjoy together with a healthy smattering of rivalry thrown in.

It was extra lucky and joyous that both parents got the outcome they would wish for.

The rivalry, though always good-natured had now ramped up to a new height.

The first time that Cork and Tipperary will ever, in all the history of the GAA, meet in the ultimate game of the year is a huge deal in our house because Dad is a true Rebel and Mum hails from Tipp and she will never let us forget it.

When I was a teenager, both teams enjoyed success and it never really occurred to me that with the way things used to be, both Cork and Tipp couldn’t make it out of Munster to make it to the final and go head to head.

Back in the day, if we were heading to Croke Park to support Cork, Mum would often milk the cows to facilitate Dad to go. The sting in the tail would be that she might have hidden all the red and white jerseys and paraphernalia we had prepared for the day so we would have to go on a hunt for them before settling off. We always seemed to find them just in the nick of time.

Both my parents gave us a love of hurling and I’m so grateful for that.

The last couple of years have been extra special because my first cousin Conor Bowe has been on the team and the panel for Tipperary.

Mark Coleman, on the Cork team, is also a second cousin, just showing what a connected place Ireland is. I don’t know Mark, my Dad’s clan is huge and once you get as far as second cousins it gets tricky to keep track. I’ll always mention it while watching him play though.

One of Conor’s winning jerseys hangs proudly, signed and framed, in our kitchen which he gifted my Mum. It was a brave move to hang it in a Cork kitchen but I love that it’s there. Family comes first always and I can still hear Conor as a little toddler shouting “up the Rebels” on repeat after we bold cousins hoodwinked him into it and he had no notion of the gravity of what he was saying as a Tipp man.

As he grew, he knew everything about every game ever played and he told us with great confidence that some day he would play for his county and somehow I always believed he would. 

Through passion, hard work, grit and determination he made that dream come true and he has lived and breathed it for so long.

Watching him on TV has been so surreal and against Cork you’ll always hear, “Come on Cork, Come on Conor Bowe!” I can rationalise wanting both to be successful and have a good day, I’ll always be a Rebel at heart though, born and bred here and proud to be.

Conor will be on the extended panel for the game on Sunday. His achievement will live long in our family history, no matter what happens.

It is such a lovely opportunity for my parents to both be going to the All Ireland to shout for their counties. They have their tickets and the excitement is building.

Come on Cork! Come on Conor Bowe!