The emotion, together with the singing, poured out of the Constitution dressing-room and into the corridor, where people came and went, exchanging bear hugs and backslaps. Michael Bradley, their co-coach, looked utterly drained as he took the plaudits and congratulations, but his empathy for Garryowen was clearly genuine as he broke off a radio interview to shake hands with Tom Tierney as his Munster A scrum-half walked by.

"Both sides were down to their last drop of energy," he said, and he might have been talking for himself as well. "We just shaded it on the day, but it could gone either way really to be honest."

It's no surprise that Ireland's former captain and most-capped scrum-half should quickly emerge as a coach above the norm, though playing, it would appear, is far less stressful than coaching.

"Winning as a player is different, I suppose because it's more individual. To a degree, even though you're in a team you're in total control of the events of the day on the pitch. As a coach, I would not recommend it as a career," he added smiling. "I think it's fraught with danger, high blood pressure and guaranteed heart attacks by the age of 3540. I think I'll take up squash."

By bridging an eight-year gap, Bradley became the first man to captain and coach AIL winning sides. "In the intervening years Limerick clubs won it. Munster rugby generally is all about respect, and the first few years were fine because we were one of the winners.

"But then memories started fading, and it's important for Constitution or any Cork side that the flag flies. We have tremendous respect for Limerick rugby and hopefully they'll have some for us now after this."

The typically ebullient Frankie Sheehan was both thrilled and a bit sheepish about his man-of-the-match award. It could have gone to many, and Bradley singled out several of his players and Garryowen's David Wallace, before giving special mention to David Corkery and his stirring charge at the start of the second period of extra-time.

"We knew they would kick it long, and Dave said he'd take the ball into the Garryowen pack and set it up, and we'd ruck over it. Instead, he decided to take on all their forwards, and all their backs, and bring the ball up to the halfway line. That guy had a magnificent game again today and he just epitomises what is needed to win this league."

In the flush of success and with his first senior medal of any hue, Corkery said: "That rates number one, without doubt. To win it in the style that we did, I've never, ever experienced emotions like it. I saw my dad was roaring crying, my girlfriend was crying, and that rarely happens.

"There wasn't a dry eye in the dressing-room either. It certainly compares with my first cap in Australia. My decision to go to Constitution now is justified - for once I've made the right decision in my life."

The Constitution party had all departed hurriedly and happily for their train home, and one helluva party, with hardly a soul having emerged from the losers' dressing-room further down the corridor.

When they did, they did so individually, either staring into blankness or the ground, with watery eyes and avoiding all eye contact. Unlike last year's "histrionics and tears", this time there was pin-drop quietness, caused, according to Killian Keane, by the shock factor.

"They deserved to win it, I wouldn't have any qualms about that," he admitted. Of his touchline conversion to win the game in regulation time, Keane said: "Normally I'd fancy that. I don't mean that as a boast. I don't know what I got, two out of five?"

For such an eminently likeable, articulate and ever-helpful person, that seemed an unfairly tough cross to bear. Ironically, he admitted that he struck his drop goal attempt in injury time very well, but Brian O'Meara got a hand to it.