It was ironic, but apposite, that Limerick started their All-Ireland journey on Easter Sunday (April 17th) this year. Fans travelled to Cork for the 4pm clash with the Rebels not knowing what to expect. The team had been well below par in the preceding League campaign; beaten comprehensively by Cork, Wexford and Galway, eking out a draw with Clare, and had to rely on a win against Offaly in the final round to retain their Division One status. Was the glorious odyssey that stretched back to 2018 coming to an end, or was there an Easter rising on the cards?
Happily, by 5.30pm that evening the doubts had been banished. Although Cork raced to a 1-2 to 0-0 lead after five minutes, Limerick eventually prevailed by a comfortable 11-point margin. There was also enough of the skill, teamwork, and determination of last year on show to whet supporters’ appetite for another assault on the Liam MacCarthy mountaintop, and a record-making third successive title. In John and Paul, our trust was renewed.
However, the subsequent campaign through Munster, and on to the All-Ireland semi-final, has not been one for the faint-hearted. While the team continued to justify its glittering status as one of the greatest of modern times, there’s no doubt that the pursuing pack is getting closer and is improving tactically and physically. Although the early promise of Waterford as serious contenders faded on the vine, Tipperary, Clare and Galway presented big challenges.
In particular, the Munster final, against Clare, was universally acclaimed on of the great games of modern times. Fuelled by a next-door-neighbour tribal rivalry, and drenched by torrential rain, Clare played with demonic zeal. It was a bone-cruncher from start to finish, with both sides evincing skills that made a mockery of the conditions. Level 15 times, it took extra time for Limerick to finally shake off the dogged Banner.
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And then on to Sunday week last, the semi-final against Galway, and another heart-stopping struggle. Once again, our heroes found themselves embroiled in a do-or-die battle. They may have beaten the Tribesmen in the final of 2018, and the 2020 semi-final, but this was a much more even, intense affair; the teams were level ten times, and still tied with four minutes to go. But once again, Limerick showed why they are now serial champions as they ground out a three-points win.
So while we Limerick fans continue to luxuriate in that still-unfamiliar glow of hurling greatness, never was the Shakespeare line that “uneasy lies the head that wears a crown” so relevant. Remember too, last year’s title was won after just four games (Munster semi-final and final; All-Ireland semi-final and final), whereas our heroes will be contesting their seventh game of this campaign next Sunday. Yes, we’ve endured some mighty close shaves, but still stand on the brink of hurling immortality.
Across Limerick city and county preparations for Sunday are in full swing. With a return to a 82,000+ capacity Croke Park, many more families are planning their trip to Jones’s Road this year. The Limerick county board organised fundraising, match-preview dinners in Adare on Monday night and on Wednesday in Castletroy. The county and city alike are green-clad in flags, bunting and banners; though truth to tell much of these trappings has been in place for the last couple of years.
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And while Covid is not quite in the rear-view mirror yet, plans are also being completed for a post-match banquet for the team on Sunday night, and a homecoming early next week. Back in August 2018, when this glorious adventure began, over 60,000 people thronged the Gaelic Grounds for a Monday night homecoming — a ritual that Covid ruled out after the triumphs of 2020 and last year.
Yes, Limerick people everywhere are on a sustained high. And last week’s remarkable JP McManus charity golf event in Adare further embellished the mood. As a county normally consigned to the shadowlands of cool, compared to the likes of West Cork, Kerry, Connemara and the Sunny South East, our hurling glories — allied to this golfing spectacular — have put a real pep in the step of Limerick people. How cool was it to see Hollywood great Bill Murray and former world number one golfer Adam Scott rocking up for the semi-final in Croke Park clad in Limerick hurling jerseys!
Nor is it an accident that JP is an indispensable link between both glories. He has been a passionate supporter of Limerick hurling all his life, and today’s team is sponsored by his Adare Manor hotel.
All that remains now in Limerick’s path to hurling immortality is the team that mounted a slick ambush on us in the 2019 semi-final, the one reversal in a possible five-in-a-row titles. But we have the dubious “advantage” of knowing what Kilkenny and their ageless manager, Brian Cody, will do to derail us. In that clash three years ago, the Cats began in a frenzy of physicality, hooking and blocking. After 19 minutes they led by nine points. Thereafter Limerick staged a heroic fightback, but ultimately lost the game by a single point.
You wouldn’t need to be a hurling clairvoyant to predict that Limerick will face a similar blitzkrieg on Sunday. In fact, the same playbook was deployed by Cody and his team in the trouncing of a very fancied Clare team two weeks ago in their semi-final. And while Limerick’s brilliant team are rated favourites by many respected hurling pundits, there isn’t even the slightest chance that our players and mentors will underestimate the enormity of the battle they face.
I am confident however that our Brains Trust, led by Kiely and Kinnerk, along with their stats, conditioning and psychological personnel, will devise a plan to withstand the challenge, and to write the most glorious chapter ever in Limerick’s hurling history.
But there won’t be any repeat of last year when we trounced Cork, and in the process registered the highest score ever by a team in an All-Ireland final (3-32). On Sunday, a point will do!
Stephen O’Byrnes is a public relations consultant and former journalist. He comes from Kildimo-Pallaskenry, home of Limerick’s Kyle Hayes.
