Dillon Quirke (28 February 1998 – 5 August 2022) was an Irish hurler who played for Tipperary Senior Championship club Clonoulty–Rossmore and at inter-county level with the

Tipperary senior hurling team The Tipperary county hurling team represents Tipperary in hurling and is governed by Tipperary GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The team competes in the three major annual inter-county competitions; the All-Ireland S ...

Early life

Born and raised in Rossmore,

County Tipperary County Tipperary ( ga, Contae Thiobraid Árann) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary, and was established in the early 13th century, shortly after t ...

, Quirke's father, Dan Quirke, won an

All-Ireland All-Ireland (sometimes All-Island) refers to all of Ireland, as opposed to the separate jurisdictions of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. "All-Ireland" is most frequently used to refer to sporting teams or events for the entire islan ...

medal at under-21 level in All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship. He first played as a schoolboy in various juvenile competitions at Rossmore National School before later lining out as a student at Thurles CBS. Quirke lined out in all grades and was a member of the Thurles CBS senior team that beat St. Francis' College to win the Harty Cup in 2015, before losing the subsequent

All-Ireland final The All-Ireland Final may refer to: * All-Ireland Hurling Final, the last match to be played in the All-Ireland Hurling Championship (Senior, Minor and Under-21 levels) * The last match to be played in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship ...

to St. Kieran's College.

Club career

Quirke began his club career at juvenile and underage levels with Clonoulty–Rossmore. He won consecutive divisional championship titles with the club's minor team in 2014 and 2015, before winning a Tipperary U21AHC title after a defeat of

Thurles Sarsfields Thurles Sarsfields is a Tipperary GAA club which is located in County Tipperary, Ireland. Both hurling and Gaelic football are played in the "Mid-Tipperary" divisional competitions. The club is centred in the town of Thurles at Semple Stadium ...

in the final. Quirke scored two points from play when Clonoulty–Rossmore beat Nenagh Éire Óg in the 2018 Tipperary SHC final.

Inter-county career

Quirke began a two-year association with the Tipperary minor hurling team in advance of the 2015 Munster MHC. He was an unused substitute for the Munster final defeat of

Limerick Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...

, and again for the

defeat by

Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a city in the West of Ireland, in the province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay, and is the sixth most populous city on ...

. Again eligible for the minor grade in

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

, Quirke won a second successive Munster MHC medal from the substitutes' bench after a 17-point defeat of Limerick in the Munster final. He later won an

medal on the field after coming on as a substitute in the 1-21 to 0-17 defeat of Limerick. After a year away from the inter-county scene, Quirke was called up to the Tipperary under-21 hurling team for the 2018 Munster U21HC. After lining out at left wing-back in Tipperary's 2-23 to 1-13 defeat by

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

in the Munster final, he was in the same position when the result was reversed and Tipperary beat Cork in the subsequent

. Quirke was one of 12 under-21 players called up to the senior team's pre-season training panel in November 2018, however, he was later released from the panel. He was later recalled to the senior panel and made his first appearance in a 2-14 to 0-18 defeat by Limerick in

round 1 Round 1 may refer to: * ''Round 1'' (EP), a 2011 EP by C-REAL * "Round 1" (song), a 2010 song by Dalmatian * ''Round 1'', an album by Eraser vs Yöjalka * Round One Entertainment , stylized as ROUND1, is a Japan-based amusement store chain. ...

of the 2020 National League. Later that season, Quirke made his championship debut when he came on as a 73rd-minute substitute for

Jason Forde Jason Forde (born 22 December 1993) is an Irish hurler who plays for Tipperary senior Championship club Silvermines and at inter-county level with the Tipperary senior hurling team. He usually lines out as a left corner-forward. Playing caree ...

in an All-Ireland qualifier defeat of

. By 2022 he was a regular member of the starting fifteen and started all four games in Tipperary's unsuccessful

Munster Championship The Munster GAA Hurling Senior Championship, known simply as the Munster Championship, is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the highest inter-county hurlin ...

campaign.

Death

On 5 August 2022, Quirke collapsed and died while playing a Tipperary SHC match for his club against Kilruane MacDonaghs at Semple Stadium. The match was abandoned after he was taken to

Tipperary University Hospital Tipperary University Hospital ( ga, Ospidéal Ollscoile Thiobraid Árann) is a public hospital located in Clonmel, County Tipperary, Ireland. It is managed by South/Southwest Hospital Group. History The hospital has it origins in the Clonmel Un ...

. Tipperary GAA postponed the weekend's matches as a mark of respect.

President of Ireland The president of Ireland ( ga, Uachtarán na hÉireann) is the head of state of Ireland and the supreme commander of the Irish Defence Forces. The president holds office for seven years, and can be elected for a maximum of two terms.Constitu ...

Michael D. Higgins Michael Daniel Higgins ( ga, Mícheál Dónal Ó hUigínn; born 18 April 1941) is an Irish politician, poet, sociologist, and broadcaster, who has served as the ninth president of Ireland since November 2011. Entering national politics throug ...

and

Taoiseach The Taoiseach is the head of government, or prime minister, of Ireland. The office is appointed by the president of Ireland upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legislature) and the o ...

Micheál Martin Micheál Martin (; born 1 August 1960) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who is serving as Tánaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence since December 2022. He served as Taoiseach from 2020 to 2022 and has been Leader of ...

paid tribute. A

vigil A vigil, from the Latin ''vigilia'' meaning ''wakefulness'' ( Greek: ''pannychis'', or ''agrypnia'' ), is a period of purposeful sleeplessness, an occasion for devotional watching, or an observance. The Italian word ''vigilia'' has become gener ...

was held at his home club on 6 August. Tributes were also paid on television ahead of the camogie finals on 7 August. His funeral was held on 9 August in Clonoulty.

Career statistics

Honours

;Thurles CBS * Harty Cup: 2016 ;Clonoulty–Rossmore *

Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship The Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the FBD Insurance Tipperary County Senior Hurling Championship) is an annual hurling competition organised by the Tipperary County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Associati ...

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...

West Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship The West Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Tipperary Co-Op West Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship) is an annual hurling competition organised by the West Tipperary Board of the Gaelic Athletic Asso ...

: 2016, 2017,. 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 *Tipperary Under-21A Hurling Championship: 2018 *West Tipperary Minor A Hurling Championship: 2014, 2015 ;Tipperary *

All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship The GAA Hurling Under-20 All-Ireland Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Bord Gáis Energy GAA Hurling Under-20 All-Ireland Championship) is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (G ...

All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Minor Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Electric Ireland GAA Hurling All-Ireland Minor Championship) is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). I ...

Munster Minor Hurling Championship The Munster GAA Hurling Minor Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Electric Ireland Munster GAA Hurling Minor Championship) is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Assoc ...

: 2015,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Quirke, Dillon 1998 births 2022 deaths Clonoulty-Rossmore hurlers Tipperary inter-county hurlers Hurling backs Sports competitors who died in competition