It’s hard to believe it’s now twelve years since that famous afternoon in Thurles when Loughmore-Castleiney edged Nenagh Éire Óg by a single point, 1-17 to 1-16, to lift the Dan Breen Cup once again. The roar that day when Liam McGrath’s goal hit the net could have been heard from Templemore to Two-Mile-Borris. It was the sound of a proud parish climbing back to the top of Tipperary hurling.

That 2013 team was pure Loughmore. Six McGraths started, two pairs of brothers and two cousins, and all of them left their mark. Noel McGrath, only a few years removed from his All-Ireland breakthrough with Tipp, delivered a second-half performance that still lives long in the memory. He clipped over seven points in all, six of them after the break, and seemed to be everywhere when it mattered most. His cousin Liam grabbed the vital goal midway through the second half, a high catch, quick turn and bullet finish at the Town End that swung the match for good.

The day began with a lovely touch of history. The 1988 championship-winning side were paraded before the New Stand, their wing-back that day, Pat McGrath, watching his nephews carry on the family legacy. Pat had scored the decisive goal twenty-five years earlier in a replay win over Borris-Ileigh. In 2013, it was Liam who repeated the trick. Some symmetry that was.

Loughmore’s selectors that day, Declan Laffan, Seamus Bohan and company, had their work cut out at half-time. Their side had shot eleven wides in the opening thirty minutes and trailed by 1-7 to 0-6. Nenagh had started like a train, with Pearse Morris, Paddy Murphy and the Heffernans all firing. Murphy’s 11th-minute goal, poked home from a breaking ball, looked like the spark to end Nenagh’s long wait for glory.

But if there’s one thing that defines Loughmore hurling, it’s stubbornness. Bohan later recalled that at half-time the message was simple: keep shooting, keep believing, but steady the hand. “Composure was what we looked for,” he said. “We were creating chances, we just needed to calm down.”

With the breeze at their backs in the second half, the red and green began to stir. John Meagher at centre-back was immense, mopping up ball after ball and driving them forward. Noel McGrath took over completely around the 40-minute mark, firing five points in six blistering minutes. The momentum had shifted and Nenagh began to wilt under the pressure.

Then came the turning point on 44 minutes. Meagher floated a perfect delivery into the danger zone. Liam McGrath rose between two defenders, caught it clean, spun, and rattled the net. For the first time, Loughmore were in front. The crowd rose as one.

From there to the finish it was pure heart and grit. Evan Sweeney landed a beauty on 58 minutes to stretch the lead to two, but Nenagh refused to go away. They piled on in injury-time, with Paddy Murphy and Mikey Heffernan both coming close. In the final frantic seconds, Heffernan’s shot was smothered and cleared, and the whistle finally came. Loughmore-Castleiney were county champions again.

The scenes afterwards summed up what the club means to its people. Families, neighbours, cousins, generations all wrapped in red and green. For Noel and Liam McGrath, and indeed for the extended McGrath clan, it was more than a win, it was heritage being honoured in the best possible way.

They went on to represent Tipperary in Munster that year, meeting Na Piarsaigh of Limerick in the provincial quarter-final, but nothing could match the magic of that Sunday in Semple. It was the day the parish came together once more and proved that Loughmore hearts never stop beating.

Tipperary SHC Final, 2013

Loughmore-Castleiney GAA crest — Loughmore-Castleiney

Nenagh Éire Óg GAA crest — Nenagh Éire Óg

Team	Score
Loughmore-Castleiney	1-17
Nenagh Éire Óg	1-16

Scorers — Loughmore-Castleiney

Noel McGrath 0-7, 0-2 frees
Liam McGrath 1-2, 0-1 free
Aidan McGrath 0-2, 0-2 frees
Cian Hennessy 0-2
Evan Sweeney 0-1
David Kennedy 0-1
Ciaran McGrath 0-1
Tomás McGrath 0-1

Scorers — Nenagh Éire Óg

Michael Heffernan 0-7, 0-3 frees, 0-1 penalty over
Paddy Murphy 1-2
Pearse Morris 0-3
Tommy Heffernan 0-2
Ritchie Flannery 0-1
Andrew Coffey 0-1