Padraic Maher says "I do" on Thursday and the honeymoon is in Pairc Ui Chaoimh on Saturday!

Tipperary hurling legend Padraic Maher will say "I do"  to Claire on Thursday as he gets married by the coast in county Clare but then the mood changes, as he switches on to game time mode to patrol the sidelines for Tipperary against Cork in the Munster senior hurling championship on Saturday evening!

A whirlwind week for the Tipperary selector who will no doubt take it all in his stride. Paudies younger brother Ronan is expected to play for Tipp in Saturdays game but he will be entrusted with minding the wedding rings on Thursday, as he is the best man on the day.

Speaking this morning at the Dillon Quirke GAA grounds in Clonoulty at the launch of a new Dillon Quirke Foundation fundraiser, the Tipperary senior hurling manager Liam Cahill said that a few of his players will go to the wedding on the west coast of Clare on Thursday:

"I'd like to take this opportunity to wish Paudie and his wife-to-be Claire the very best. A big day for them. I imagine the players will attend alright but they will mind themselves obviously with the match coming against Cork on Saturday." the Ballingarry native said.

Paudie isn't the only big GAA personality with a family wedding during the intercounty season as Clare hurler John Conlan's brother got married last Saturday before he took the field against Limerick. The Clare hurler picked up the player of the match award for his five star performance and Liam Cahill is hoping some of the attendees at Paudies wedding play the same way:

"Whatever John Conlon took at the wedding, if we could get the same for our boys t'would be great!!

"I think all our players will come back in good fettle. That's the joys of it. Nobody knew, I suppose Paudie least of all, that this was going to clash with him being part of our management team come Munster championship so look we are happy to work around it and we will make sure everyone is in good form for Saturday," the All-Ireland winning minor, Under 20 and Under 21 manager said.

Liam Cahill brought the six time All-Star winner Paudie into the Tipperary management panel when he took over the job. That was just a few weeks after Paudie finished up playing due to a neck injury. The county manager Liam Cahill isn't heading to the wedding on Thursday but will be in Dr. Morris Park instead that evening as the rest of the Tipp team have training in preparation for a tilt at Cork on Saturday evening.

 
Liam Cahill wasn't the only intercounty manager in Clonoulty today as Davy Fitzgerald, Pat Ryan and John Kiely attended for the launch of the Circet All-Ireland GAA golf challenge, an event that will take place this autumn. Speaking today about Dillons passing, Liam Cahill said Dillon is still very much in everybody's minds: 

"Still hard to believe. Still a very raw time in the lives of everybody, none more so than Dillons family but for the whole GAA community it was a really tough number of months. A tough time as well for players on the Tipp panel who knew Dillon so well."

A big week for all involved between todays launch, the wedding on Thursday and the big match on Saturday. We wish Paudie and Claire the very best going forward.