IN OCTOBER 2007 the Turloughmore minor team were staring at defeat on Galway county final day.
Trailing by six points against a St Thomas team, a flare of hope went off when Gary Burke got in for a goal with four minutes of normal time left. The action continued until deep in injury-time when they won a 20-metre free.
Daithi Burke was summoned upfield from his centre-back berth. He had broken a bone in his finger a fortnight before but shook off that ailment to play and unleashed a drive that flew to the net past a crowded goalmouth.
The strike rescued a draw for Turloughmore in swelling their total to 3-10, deadlocked with their opponents tally of 2-13. Given what we know about Burke’s graduation through the ranks, then the assumption of responsibility, the execution under pressure and the demonstration of persistence on that day 13 years ago may not prompt much surprise.
Still though. Fair dues to the youngster.
After all he was only 14 at the time, a few weeks shy of his 15th birthday.
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A month later Turloughmore won that minor replay by a point. It rounded off a prosperous 2007. In between they had won the U16 title against the same opponents, again by a point and again with Burke protecting the central defensive corridor.
Today brings Turloughmore and St Thomas back together for another final, this time on the biggest stage in Galway hurling. Burke is captain, the marquee name in their ranks, striving for a breakthrough. Those underage wins may have hinted at a golden future but the ultimate success has stayed stubbornly out of reach.
This is Turloughmore’s first Galway senior final outing in 30 years and they have not lifted the title in 35 years. That’s a recurring issue for a club with an illustrious history. For a time they could largely do no wrong as they completed six-in-a-row from 1961-66.
In contrast St Thomas have developed the knack of winning. They burst to the fore in 2012 and journeyed all the way to Croke Park to earn the mantle of the country’s best club hurling outfit. It was not an isolated feat. They have never lost a Galway senior final. Today they chase a fifth crown, all earned in this decade, and aim to emulate the great Portumna and Athenry sides of late by winning three-in-a-row.
Both teams reaped a good crop from that minor instalment. David Burke, James Regan, Bernard Burke and Conor Cooney are familiar figures who have been central characters in the St Thomas narrative.
Eight Turloughmore players from their recent semi-final victory over Loughrea came off that minor side. It is Burke who has been the shining light. He has developed into a defender par excellence, anchoring the Galway rearguard as they ended their Liam MacCarthy Cup wait in 2017. The following year they were foiled in the final by Limerick but Burke still collected his fourth All-Star on the bounce, a testament to his relentless consistency.
And the most impressive feat is how he switches easily to thrive elsewhere. Turloughmore is not the only club title bid of 2020 he has concentrated on. Last Sunday this year’s double dream ended when Corofin fell short in the semi-final, last year it had been Turloughmore’s hopes who were scuppered at the last four stage.
Corofin’s staggering run of 49 games unbeaten in the Galway championship arena concluded but Burke had been a critical component in placing them at the top for so long. Those exploits have helped secure a striking set of All-Ireland medals – minor (Galway hurling ’09), U21 (Galway football ’13), senior county (Galway hurling ’17) and senior club (Corofin football ’15, ’18, ’19 and ’20).
He has not been a bit-part player either for Corofin. When their team produced a flawless exhibition in the 2019 final against Dr Crokes, it was Burke who was chosen as man-of-the-match. When they have sought inspiration he has popped up, like the decisive goal that ended St Brigid’s challenge in the Connacht semi-final in November 2017.
Even after summers in Galway hurling colours, he has marched on through the winter and into the following spring as Corofin cast a shadow over the club landscape. His father Gerry was a midfield powerhouse at the age of 39 for the Corofin team that reached the All-Ireland summit in 1998. There is no resentment at having restricted access to his son, simply gratitude that he keeps joining them.
“Daithi’s a machine, he comes back into our group, welcomed every time,” remarked Gary Sice after the 2018 final win over Nemo Rangers.
Michael Farragher sang from the same hymn sheet last December.
“He’s a machine. That’s the only way to explain him. He never seems to pick up many knocks. He’s very fortunate in that. He doesn’t really speak a whole lot, he just works, he’s a workhorse. Up and down, box to box and he’ll always be spotting danger at the back and he’ll always try and get forward and pop a point or lay it off to get a score. He’s vital to us, having come back from the hurling. That has to be a tough transition for him but he always seems to manage fairly well.”
Micheal Donoghue saw Burke at the peak of his powers during his spell as Galway boss.
“Obviously he plays a massive part for us, but he’s just so natural,” outlined Donoghue back in May 2019.
“That’s the only way I can describe it. For both codes he looks completely at home and just really impressive. In fairness to him, he trains really hard and he’s just a good pro.
“His level of consistency is incredible, for both teams. Yeah, Daithi’s a bit of a freak.”
Away from the All-Ireland glories, there is an assortment of other honours with Galway hurling teams and a scattering of successes with Corofin.
The remaining mission then is to get Turloughmore to the top. They have ploughed plenty energy into it and thought creatively. James Horan came on board in 2017, a leftfield selection but a transformative one as he utilised his Mayo football expertise to create a strong environment in the club and reshape their approach.
Joe Hession has been a constant in manager roles with Barry Cullinane, who achieved All-Ireland U21 wins in both codes back in 2005, alongside him. Francis Forde was one of Turloughmore’s best exponents as a player and then cultivated a coaching reputation first with St Rynagh’s in Offaly and then the Galway seniors with Donoghue. His native club drew him back in at the end of last year, he brought Cyril Donnellan along to add another layer to their management team.
The raw materials are clearly there. An U14 team that won Féile na nGael in 2010 spawned county U21 winners in 2016 and 2017. Ronan Burke, Kevin Hussey and Fergal Moore are long-serving names with Galway senior experience while Conor Walsh, Sean Loftus and Sean Linnane are rising stars in that regard. Their intermediate team have reached semi-finals for the last two years.
They have had their setbacks, mired in player eligibility rows over summer registration with clubs in the United States twice in the last six seasons.
And the frustration has been heaped on by today’s opponents. Last September they drew 0-8 apiece in the group stages, then St Thomas manufactured a five-point win in late October’s semi-final. That replicated a couple of other championship losses at the hands of the Peterswell men since 2015.
A strong sense of familiarity then and yet already this Turloughmore crew have broken new ground in reaching a final.
The common consensus when they beat Loughrea a fortnight ago was that Burke was the outstanding player on show in Pearse Stadium.
A madcap year began in January with Corofin celebrations in Croke Park and a Halloween battle with Galway against Wexford is fast looming into view.
But first there is Turloughmore business to attend to.
Team captain, the midfield engine and striving to add a prize he craves to a glittering honours list.
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