KILKENNY goalkeeper Eoin Murphy married his long-term partner Gráinne McGrath last Friday in the run up to Christmas.
The couple only shared one photo from their big day to their Instagram followers but they both looked stylish as can be.
The snap was simply captioned with the date of 20.12.2024.
Among those to express their congratulations were TJ Reid and his wife Niamh.
Neither Eoin nor TJ are going anywhere from a Kilkenny point of view for the 2025 inter-county campaign.
In August, Mikey Butler insisted 37-year-old Reid was still ‘chomping at the bit’ to go back to the well one more time in pursuit of his eight All-Ireland.
The opportunity to regain the title of Championship hurling’s all-time top scorer may also appeal to the Ballyhale Shamrocks sharpshooter, who turned 37 in November.
He is now ten points adrift of Cork’s Patrick Horgan, who surged into the lead during the Rebels’ loss to Clare in the All-Ireland final.
Asked if he expects to hurl alongside Reid in 2025, Butler told SunSport: “That’s his decision to make but I’m sure we will see TJ.
“His track record and the way he looks after himself, it obviously speaks for itself at this stage.
“He’s as fresh as ever and he’s chomping at the bit to get back at it.”
One man who will not be contributing to the Kilkenny cause next season is Cillian Buckley, 32, who announced his inter-county retirement on August 1.
A debutant under Brian Cody at the age of 19, Buckley claimed three All-Ireland medals in his first four seasons on the panel.
The Dicksboro man was also twice an All-Star.
Paying tribute to the man whose last-gasp goal against Galway decided the 2023 Leinster final, Butler said: “Cillian is someone who will be missed.
“He won it all and he performed for Kilkenny year after year over such a long period of time.
“It was brilliant to be able to see him in training and how professional he is in his approach.
“He was always there early in the gym. He was certainly a role model to the likes of myself and the younger lads in Kilkenny.
“He’s a credit to himself and everyone connected to him.
“He worked extremely hard for everything he achieved and he’ll go down as a legend of Kilkenny hurling.”
Murphy, TJ and Richie Reid are now the only active Kilkenny players to have lifted Liam MacCarthy since Walter Walsh and Conor Fogarty have joined Buckley in calling time on their careers in the black and amber.