St Josephs's Tulla created hurling history with victory over Ardscoil Rís in Saturday's Harty Cup final at the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick.
It was a remarkable achievement for the small East Clare school in the premier Munster colleges hurling competition. Prior to the 2021/22 campaign, they had never won a game in the Harty Cup.
As they had been for the whole competition, Tulla went into the final as underdogs against five-time champions Ardscoil Rís, but won 0-17 to 0-14.
Following the game, losing manager Niall Moran - the former Limerick hurler - visited the Tulla dressing room to tell of his admiration for the Clare team.
"I'm coming in here since I was five-years-of-age, and I walked the pitch as a small lad, and I walked the pitch as a big lad. It's the longest walk I've ever made in my life," said Moran.
"Ye are amazing. Ye are impeccable. You're gathered from clubs in east Clare, clubs that are on their knees. Some of the clubs that have been on their knees over the last few years.
"For us, we started on a journey back in '10, and Limerick was on its knees. From that grew a little acorn, and grew the tree that's there now.
"There are clubs in east Clare - Tulla, Feakle, the Mills, Broadford, Whitegate, Inagh - clubs that need ye boys. Ye are the oxygen for the rest of ye're days.
"This [competition] means the world to us. You might think, 'Jesus, the Ardscoil boys would think they'd have won', but we never thought we'd win anything.
"The way ye played all the way through it, that didn't come as a surprise what happened today. We are broken-hearted. There are very few things that anyone cares about in life that break your heart.
"There are lads here who've had broken-hearted times all the days. For the two boys from Feakle, and your managers, things were never easy there. They never had it easy there.
"Embrace every moment over the next two or three days. Ye didn't need to win a Harty medal to be what ye are. Ye were that all the way through. The only thing now is, it bonds ye for the rest of ye're days.
"We're not gone yet. Ye're not gone yet, unfortunately! Enjoy every moment.
"I'm so thrilled from the bottom of my heart. I love hurling, I love schools hurling. I am so thrilled that somebody else got to experience what we got to experience.
"Remember one thing: Ye are needed. You're 17, 18, 19 - all those clubs need ye in time to come. You're forever enshrined, along with the three boys, in this competition's history, not along your schools history. The underdog story."
Niall Moran speech after Tulla win Harty Cup hurling final
Video: Clare TV
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