History-makers Tipperary produced an assured display to inflict a remarkably easy 3-13 to 1-10 defeat on Galway at Croke Park.

Appearing in their first quarter-final, Liam Kearns' confident charges were too strong and too clever for the Connacht champions as they sauntered through to their first semi-final since 1935 much more comfortably than the final scoreline suggests.

Tipp's first championship win over Galway in 114 years was secured by a tremendous team display, with Michael Quinlivan netting in the first half and Conor Sweeney adding a second-half brace of goals with 29,251 looking on at GAA HQ. Next up for the beaten Munster finalists is a date with either Tyrone or Mayo in three weeks for a place in the 2016 All-Ireland senior football championship final!

Eight days on from their superb Qualifier victory over Derry in Breffni Park, the winners led by 1-8 to 1-5 at the end of an entertaining opening period, having hit 1-6 without reply between the 17^th and 28^th minutes to transform a three-point deficit into a six-point lead. Quinlivan netted from close range late in the first quarter but Damien Comer's terrific injury-time major brought Kevin Walsh's men briefly back into contention.

Danny Cummins and Shane Walsh (free) pointed for the Tribesmen in the sixth and eighth minutes respectively and Eamon Brannigan became the third member of their full-forward line to register after Brian Fox opened Tipp's account.

Cummins drilled a close-range effort over the bar after midfielder George Hannigan hit the woodwork at the other end but the Premier County then took over completely: they netted through Quinlivan in the 17^th minute when the full forward reacted quickest to palm to the net from a yard out after Bernard Power dealt with Hannigan's low shot.

A Quinlivan brace and a Kevin O'Halloran '45' after Power denied Philip Austin edged the Munster county three ahead, 1-4 to 0-4.

O'Halloran (when a goal was on), Conor Sweeney and Quinlivan brought Tipp's scoring run to 1-6 without reply and Paul Conroy fashioned his team's first score in 18 minutes before placing Comer for a blistering goal in injury time at the end of the first half, a score which halved the deficit and gave the Connacht champions a much-needed boost.

Walsh's free was cancelled out by one from O'Halloran at the start of the second half and Power thwarted Quinlivan - who was clean through but struck his shot too close to the Galway goalkeeper - before Tipp pounced for their second three-pointer: a rapid counter-attack culminated in an excellent first-time, 41^st-minute finish from Sweeney low to the bottom right corner off his left foot. Quinlivan quickly added a point to make it 2-10 to 1-6.

O'Halloran replied to a Walsh free and the game was done and dusted when Sweeney drifted in under the high ball to emphatically fist his second goal in five minutes - 3-11 to 1-7 and double scores after 46! Robbie Kiely sliced over the score of the match off the outside of his right boot from the right wing before Walsh (free) and winning captain Peter Acheson (whose goalbound effort deflected and looped over the bar) swapped scores.

Cummins delivered the losers' first score from play in the second half some 26 minutes after the restart and the westerners also got another late consolation through substitute Paul Varley, but their run without a win at Croke Park has now gone to 15 years as Tipperary in stark contrast prepare for a place in the last four. The Tipp supporters didn't want to go home after the final whistle and who would blame them?

But they will be back. For a semi-final, as will their hurling counterparts

Tipperary - E Comerford; C McDonald, A Campbell, C O'Shaughnessy; B Maher, R Kiely (0-1), J Feehan; P Acheson (0-1), G Hannigan; J Keane, K O'Halloran (0-4, 2f, 1'45), B Fox (0-1); P Austin, M Quinlivan (1-4, 0-1f), C Sweeney (2-2). Subs: A Maloney for J Keane, S Leahy for B Maher, M Dunne for G Hannigan, M Hanley for M Quinlivan.

Galway - B Power; E Kerin, D Kyne, D Wynne; L Silke, G O'Donnell, G Bradshaw; P Conroy (0-1), T Flynn; G Sice, J Heaney, E Brannigan (0-1); D Cummins (0-3), S Walsh (0-4f), D Comer (1-0). Subs: A Varley for G Sice, P Varley (0-1) for J Heaney, E Tierney for E Brannigan, P Sweeney for A Varley (BC), P Cooke for S Walsh, E Hoare for P Conroy (BC).

Referee - C Lane.

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