IN PICTURES: Boherlahan Dualla GAA celebrate a remarkable weekend in Semple Stadium

The hurlers of Boherlahan Dualla remembered their great victory in the county senior hurling final of 1996 when they were honoured at Semple Stadium on Sunday, which was perfectly honoured with the current crop of hurlers clinching the FBD Insurance Intermediate Hurling Championship county title afterward.

The 1996 champions were feted by the County Board and the Tipperary Star before the county final and were saluted by the attendance in front of Ardán Úi Riain.

It was a fitting tribute to a bunch of players who surprised the pundits on that day in 1996 and brought great distinction to the parish of Boherlahan and Dualla. It was a day of reminiscence and recall as the players gathered together early for a reception in the Dome, sponsored by the County Board before the game.

And, there was a lot to remember. Boherlahan Dualla had gone into the final against Toomevara on October 27, 1996, as underdogs, with the bookies rating them 9/4.

The betting seemed to be right at the interval as Toomevara, playing against the breeze, led by five points. And things got worse after the interval. Although Boherlahan-Dualla resumed well with two points, Toomevara came back with a goal and a point to put seven points between the sides.

But the deficit seemed to spur on the midmen. A number of points and a goal by Philip O’Dwyer renewed their hope and they eventually drew level. Then in the dying minutes, Liam Maher sent over the bar to give Boherlahan Dualla victory and a huge feeling of relief that brought a great outburst of celebration from their supporters in the 10,000 crowd.

That desire to celebrate was all the greater in the context of the long wait the supporters had to endure. The last man from the club to receive the Dan Breen Cup was Philly O’Dwyer in 1941, and the last time the club had appeared in a final was in 1953 when they suffered defeat at the hands of BorrisIleigh.

It was a huge occasion for captain, Philly Ryan, when he received the cup from county chairman, Sean Fogarty, before a sea of euphoric blue and gold. It was an immensely satisfactory result for manager, Martin O’Dwyer and fellow selectors, Kieran Maher, Willie Joe Dwyer, and trainer, Donach O’Donnell. The Man of the Match award went to David Ryan.

These were great memories to resurrect on Sunday and every player could look back and reflect on his performance on that glorious day in 1996, what a lift it gave to the parish, and what celebration there was when they arrived back at the community hall in Boherlahan village later that day.

The celebrations were special again on Sunday and were added to when the current Boherlahan Dualla intermediate team scored an exciting victory over Golden Kilfeacle in the county final which preceded the senior game. It showed that the game hurling was strong in the parish and that future senior glory might be in the offing.

Later in the day, both teams celebrated a great occasion at the Anner Hotel with dinner and the presentation of framed photographs to the 1996 team. The end came with an entertaining speech from captain, Philly Ryan and a powerful rendition of The Boys of Boherlahan from Philly, Conor Gleeson, and David Ryan, the chorus of which got a rousing delivery from the remainder of the team.

To see the jubilant celebrations throughout a special day for Boherlahan Dualla GAA, click the >arrow> or 'Next' buttons.