A trip to Tipp
EVEN diehard fans of the song Galway Bay must admit that Tipperary has us well beaten in the place names Top Ten. “It’s a long way to Tipperary” has been sung all over the world, including by the Red Army Choir in multiple performances.
The song came to fame during World War I when it was adopted by British regiments on their way to France and now people, who could hardly find Ireland on a map, much less Tipperary, will often sing it.
But for us at home, the Trip to Tipp became a byword for fun in the 1990s when thousands of music fans made their way to Semple Stadium in Thurles to flirt, drink, listen to a bit of music and generally have the craic.
Mention of Semple Stadium immediately conjures up images of epic Munster hurling finals, so you’d expect that when a visitor to Nenagh encountered a sculpture with a sporting theme it would depict a hurler, like the one beside the bridge in Kilkenny city.
But no. Like the song, Tipperary’s sporting reputation reaches internationally. A trio of life-size bronze statues in the centre of the town commemorates three Olympic champions with roots in the area.
Read the full feature in this week's edition of The Tuam Herald, on sale in shops and online here