The famine is finally over, the long years of waiting have passed,
Forget all the tears and the heartbreak, it’s time to start cheering at last,
Liam McCarthy’s come home to Tipperary, we’ve missed him, we won’t say a word,
But we’ll carry him down, through famed Thurles town,
With the boys that won Tipp’s Twenty Third.
With Big Ken Hogan from Lorrah, John Heffernan, O’ Donovan too,
Noel Sheehy and young Conal Bonner, all staunch Tipperary men true,
Paul Delaney, Dick Stakelum, John Kennedy, Bobby Ryan, Colm Bonner, Joe Hayes,
They all had a say, they showed Tipp the way,
Left the great Antrim team in a daze.
Chorus
It’s a team for your record books, that won league and Championship too,
A team all blessed with good looks, and all of them single bar two,
They said they’d do it for Babs, you know was just one of the lads,
We’ll hang them on the wall, they’re the greatest of them all,
The boys that won Tipp’s Twenty Third.
The third of the Bonner’s from Cashel, John Leahy, John Cormack as well,
and the cute little fox in the corner as John Leamy from Golden can tell,
On the wing was young Cleary from Nenagh, Aiden Ryan if we were in need,
When we wanted a score, Declan Ryan tossed them ‘oer,
To put Babs’ young babes in the lead.
When we come to O’ Connell from the famed little place in the south,
With English, the genius from Lattin, the greatest sure there was no doubt,
Pat McGrath, Declan Carr and John Madden, made up the rest of the side,
They’ll forever remain in Tipp’s hall of fame, they brushed all of Ireland aside.
Chorus
– John O’ Connell (brother of Donie’s) wrote and recorded this song as a tribute to Tipperary’s successful twenty-third All – Ireland in 1989.