The first back-door All-Ireland hurling final produced an epic finish.
Cork and Kerry can be a heated rivalry, and there’s always a little bit of needle when Dublin face Meath, but there can’t be many more passionate rivals as Clare and Tipperary. The fact that they share similar colours just makes the blood boil even further for supporters of the Banner or the Premier.
In 1997 they clashed twice in what was an epic summer of hurling action, with St Josephs Doorabarefield’s Jamesie O’Connor central to all the drama.
The wing forward was a key figure on the Clare side of the mid 1990s which claimed two All-Ireland titles, and he’s the focus on this week’s Laochra Gael documentary on TG4 with a special emphasis on that infamous September afternoon in Croke Park.
Clare had beaten Tipperary in the Munster final in July but because of the introduction of the back door that season for the very first time Tipperary arrived at the All-Ireland final with vengeance on their mind.
In a fantastic game, the sides were level with just seconds to go when O’Connor,who had scored six points already in the game, took a pass from Colin Lynch and slotted over the winning score to hand Clare just their third All-Ireland title.
The day and the winning point are vividly recalled in the show with contributions from former teammates Cyril Lyons and Seanie McMahon
Laochra Gael Tuesday TG4 8pm
