David Kennedy and Loughmore Castleiney were stunned when defender Eddie Connolly was diagnosed with a brain tumour.

It emerged after the club's Tipperary SHC semi-final victory that Connolly was seriously ill and would need an operation and this news left his team-mates - who on Sunday won the Premier County SHC final - devastated.

Former Tipp and current Kildare county star David Kennedy reflects on how the bombshell left the team feeling deflated:

"Eddie's my next-door neighbour and I was fierce down in the dumps over it," he says in The Irish Times.

"We had a Mass on Wednesday and that was very emotional as well and we went training afterwards and we didn't know what the story with Eddie was - he didn't know himself - but we trained and it was the best thing we could have done, therapy for everyone and me personally.

"Eddie had his operation on Saturday and word came out that it had gone well and the mood lifted and the sense of relief amongst everybody - outside of the GAA club as well.

"We trained again on Wednesday and Eddie was down there and had a big, pink woolly hat on and we had a good laugh at that.

"The mood was good and people enjoyed it and it put into perspective that at the end of the day it's only a hurling match and your health is everything. But it's nice to know Eddie is going to get his county medal." Tweet

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