Is this the longest commute in GAA? A Mayo hurling club thinks so
The captain of Mayo’s Tooreen Hurling Club - yes, a purist hurling club from the heart of football country - is showing immense commitment to his club.
Stephen Coyne will line out against St Patrick’s Ballyragget in the AIB GAA All-Ireland Intermediate Hurling Club semi-final this Saturday having put his career in Australia on hold.
Stephen has been living in Melbourne last 10 years with his wife and their newborn son JJ, and he booked an open-ended ticket for himself from Melbourne in the hope his club would take him back.
Just so you know, this is the second time he has done this, but this time he has come back without his young family to lead Tooreen into an unprecedented All-Ireland campaign.
For the small club, winning a Connacht title has been their greatest achievement since their foundation in 1957, and Stephen has displayed incredible commitment to the Tooreen cause for a second time.
Here's his story.
AIB will be live-streaming the game at 1.30pm on Saturday via AIB.ie/GAA and AIB GAA’s Facebook and YouTube pages.
