By John Harrington

Expect a huge crowd of East Clare hurling fanatics to descend on McDonagh Park, Nenagh, on Saturday when St. Joseph’s, Tulla play St. Kieran’s Kilkenny in the Masita Ireland Post Primary Schools Croke Cup SH ‘A’ semi-final.

They’ll travel in hope of witnessing another piece of history being inked by a team that has really captured the imagination of their local hurling hinterland.

Before this campaign began, St. Jospeh’s had never won a single game in the Harty Cup. So to win the provincial competition outright by beating such renowned hurling nurseries as St. Colman’s, CBC, De La Salle Waterford, and Ard Scoil Rís along the way has been a remarkable sporting journey for all involved.

They now face the most famous hurling academy of them in all in Sunday’s All-Ireland semi-final, but by now nothing feels like too big of a challenge for this St. Josehph’s team and their management.

“It has been a bit of a roller-coaster ride since our first game on the 10th of November against De La Salle,” says St. Joseph’s coach, Tomás Kelly.

“It's been a special journey for everyone involved. For the whole school community, for the players, for the team management, the staff, the school management. It's not just even the school, it's the whole East Clare community rowing in behind us as well. It's just been amazing.

“The positivity that it's brought to the area, the messages of good will that we've got, the support we've got from local clubs and local businesses, it's just been unbelievable.

“All that has chipped into the pot for what's been an unbelievable experience for us all. It's just been a special year so far. But there's no point finishing now.”

12 of the St Joseph’s starting 15 in the Harty Cup Final came from just three clubs – Tulla, Feakle, and O’Callaghans Mills – with Crusheen, Clooney-Quin, and Broadford providing the remaining three.

They’re drawing from a smaller pool of players than most Harty Cup winning teams historically have, but even though they weren’t regarded by many as contenders at the outset of the competition there was a quiet confidence in their own ranks they could make a splash.

“We've known they've been a special group since first year,” says Kelly. “They've won all the way up along. They won a first year Clare championship and that would be a fair achievement for us. They were beaten in an U-15 'B' Final after extra-time. They won two U-16½ 'B' Championships. So, look, in one way it is a little bit of a surprise to us, but in other ways its not.

“I know the school had never previously won a game in the Harty Cup previously, but the school has had a proud tradition in hurling. It may not be at the 'A' level or the Harty Cup grade, but the school has that proud tradition in hurling in Munster, winning 'B' titles and 'C' titles.

“Sometimes you'd have to pinch yourself when you say you're Harty Cup champions. You might wake up and you'd say to yourself, 'God, did we just win the Harty Cup?'”

St. Joseph’s don’t just have a good crop of young hurlers, they’ve created an environment that allows them to fulfil their potential.

Significant investment went in to upgrading the school’s sports facilities in recent years, including the installation of an all-weather pitch, and the coaching team working with the players is of the highest calibre too.

Kelly is also a coach with the Clare U-20s and 2021 Clare SHC finalists Inagh-Kilnamona, Terence Fahy is Clare U-20 manager, while recently retired Galway hurler, Aidan Harte, is the third wise man in the set-up.

“It all comes from the likes of the late John Stack who would have pushed hurling in the school,” says Kelly. “The expertise that Terence Fahy brings since he joined from Castlecomer, the one thing that comes to mind about him is that no stone is ever left unturned.

“Then you have Aidan Harte coming in from a high performance environment with the Galway hurlers and he's been a massive boost to us since he joined the school just over three years ago. To have that kind of high-performance insight has been really special for us.

“We’re very fortunate with the crop of players we have. All these lads want to do is hurl. They're going to school and they have to get an education, but if you put training on five evenings a week they'd go to training.

“The hurling is in their lifeblood and it's part of their DNA really with these lads. They can't get enough hurling. They've had a brilliant year ever since we got back on the horse at the start of October. It’s been the culmination of a lot of things this year.”

These St. Joseph’s players have a relentless appetite for work, a steely mental resolve in pressurised situations, and a very high level of technical ability so they’re very much an all-round impressive team.

The prospect of playing St. Kieran’s of Kilkenny in an All-Ireland semi-final is usually a daunting one for their opponents, but it’s a challenge that St. Joseph’s are positively relishing as they eye up another big scalp.

“Yeah, it is,” says Kelly. “We came up against a lot of big names this year. When you look at St. Colman's, Fermoy, De La Salle Waterford, you look at CBC Cork, yuou look at Ard Scoil Ris.

“I suppose the biggest game of all in Colleges, the two biggest names, are St. Flannan's, Ennis, and St. Kieran's of Kilkenny.

“St. Joseph's, Tulla, mightn't meant much in the grand scheme of things when it comes to Croke Cup hurling, but we're delighted to be there at the minute.

“We've had to refocus. Let's call a spade a spade, winning a Harty Cup was a huge occasion and there was an outpouring of emotion. It's been a job to refocus, but we're happy enough where we are. We've got back on the horse in the past two weeks and we're happy enough where we are.

"We've one or two guys that are trying to shake off bits of colds and flus and a couple of injuries but we're hopeful we'll have everyone fit for Saturday."

Saturday, March 5

Masita All-Ireland Post Primary Schools Croke Cup {SH “A”} Semi-Finals

St Joseph’s Tulla v St Kieran’s College Kilkenny

McDonagh Park, Nenagh, 1pm (Live streamed on TG4 YouTube)

Good Counsel College v Ardscoil Rís, Galtee Rovers GAA Club, Bansha, Tipperary, 3pm (Live streamed on TG4 YouTube)