NEVER give up in sport, ever. You want evidence — just look to Tipperary’s Paul Curran, full-back for tomorrow’s All-Ireland semi-final against Waterford.

But it could have been very different for the Mullinahone star.A few years ago Curran had had enough of warming the bench while big Philly Maher was an automatic in the number three shirt. College almost over, his bags were packed, he was headed for sunnier climes for the summer. National League final of 2003, first intervention.

“It was my last year in college and I had opted out of the panel. I had planned on going to America, Boston, I had the J1 visa.

“Then Phillip got injured, I was asked to come in to do a training session, but sure they knew once I came in there was no way I was going to America. From then on really...”From then on, the Mullinahone star has been an ever-present on the Tipp 15, or at least he was, until fate again intervened last year.

First, however, there was that 2003 All-Ireland semi-final against Kilkenny, wrong end of a 3-18 to 0-15 point beating.“I was full-back that day, I suppose we just weren’t battle-hardened. Even in our training games we weren’t geared up to it, not compared to this year where we have 33 lads all fighting, so that when the pressure came, we weren’t able for it.”

More disappointment was to follow, including two Munster final losses to Cork, 2005 and 2006.
“It doesn’t be long going. Even if we had won either of those Munster finals though I don’t know would we have had the belief to beat Kilkenny. Cork had the set-up, Kilkenny had the set-up, but the turning point for Tipp was the 2002 All-Ireland semi-final, when we lost to Kilkenny (four points). Nicky English left, Tipp went down, but it would have been interesting to see what would have happened if he had stayed on.”

Corner-back when Maher made a brief return, Paul then made the full-back slot his own, as much at home there at the beginning of last year as Phillip had been in 2003, Declan Fanning now the frustrated one on the bench; then came that next intervention, early last year.

Last weekend the Kickham Country weekend took place in Mullinahone. In spite of inclement weather, it was one of the best in a big number of years.

Highlight of the weekend was the return to the parish of his birth of Seamus Freeman, the newly appointed Bishop of Ossory. Bishop Seamus offered a Mass of thanksgiving in St Michael’s church for his elevation to Episcopal ranks.

The Mass was also the anniversary Mass for Charles J. Kickham and his biographer James Maher. The Mass was celebrated by Bishop Freeman, Fr McGrath PP and Fr Thomas Aherne, a native of Mullinahone who had returned for the day and was also responsible for the diocesan choir, which sang during Mass. 

Speaking at Mass in St. Michael’s Church, which was full, the bishop spoke on the need for vocations. Afterwards as part of the Kickham weekend Bishop Freeman gave the oration at Kickhams grave.

2008 is the 150th anniversary of the foundation of the Fenians and both history lectures on Friday and Saturday nights dealt with this topic. The Kickham bus tour this year embraced the Callan area, taking in the new memorial erected to James Hoban, the architect who designed the White House in Washington.

Unfortunately the open air poetry reading in Killaghy Castle had to be moved indoors due to heavy rain. In true theatrical tradition, the show went on with broadcaster Leo Cullen as guest poet.