Noel McGrath Had Madcap Buildup To Tipperary Semi-Final After Birth Of Daughter

Tipperary champions Loughmore-Castleiney continued their county title defence in impressive fashion this afternoon, overcoming Holycross Ballycahill on a scoreline of 1-18 to 0-15 in Thurles.

Loughmore-Castleiney were seen as big favourites coming into this game, coming up against a relatively inexperienced opposition. In saying that, the contest was a hard fought one.

Holycross would put in an excellent performance, although Loughmore's wealth of experience at this level would pay off in the end. They will now prepare for a county final over the coming days, with the club hoping to win back-to-back Tipperary senior titles for the first time in their history.

There is no shortage of talent in the Loughmore-Castleiney, but Noel McGrath remains pivotal to their fortunes on the field of play.

The Tipperary legend was in imperial form once again this afternoon, despite his preparation for the fixture having been less than ideal. McGrath and his wife Aisling welcomed their second child in recent days, with their baby girl being born on Friday morning.

Speaking to RTÉ after the game, Noel McGrath summed up how frantic his buildup to this particular match was.

Sure look, it's fairly surreal so it is. I was going to bed Thursday night and by the time I got to bed, I didn't really know where I was going to end up.

It was a great two days. We had a little girl born yesterday morning at around eight o'clock. I got myself somewhat right for today and thankfully we got over the line then.

I'll enjoy the rest of tonight and tomorrow, and we'll enjoy her and this little boy (his son) over the next few days...

I got a small bit (of sleep) yesterday actually. A good friend of Tipperary, John Ryan in the Pembroke Hotel in Kilkenny looked after me for a few hours yesterday.

I got home last night and a good night's sleep. The adrenaline will get you through a lot as well, one night isn't going to knock you too much.

You just have to get on with it, you have no other choice. When you get here then you have to be professional and do the job.

You have to respect your teammates by being right when you get here in such a big game.

This was certainly an ideal way to cap off what has been a magical few days for Noel McGrath, with his rest over the remainder of the weekend set to be a well earned one.

After that point, his focus will quickly switch towards a Tipperary county final over the coming weeks.

SEE ALSO: Cork Star's Injury Update Makes Semi-Final Heroics Even More Remarkable

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