Adele, David Guetta and Rihanna in the mix at unforgettable party for Limerick hurlers!
Masters of Munster: Now Limerick hurlers gear up for All-Ireland semi-final
WHAT do you get when you throw Adele, David Guetta and Rihanna into the mix, add a Kyle Hayes take on King of the Road and a Darragh O’Donovan impression of Graeme Souness?
A Munster final celebration unlike any other!
Limerick cemented their status as the masterminds of Munster on Sunday afternoon landing a seventh provincial title in eight years, and they were going to relish it!
Three hours after Darragh O’Donovan channelled his inner Graeme Souness to plant a Treaty flag on the pitch at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh in Cork as the Shannonsiders made Munster final history, the victorious side stopped at the first pub you come to as you cross the border back into Limerick – The Village Inn at Ballyorgan.
“He said to me, ‘go on Nuala, take in the cup with you’,” recalled proprietor Nuala Mee this Tuesday of the moment manager John Kiely proudly entered her bar holding the Mick Mackey Cup.
Arriving around 7pm, the players and management enjoyed “a few sociables, shall we say!”
“They barely fit in here - the size of them!” Nuala smiled.
Videos posted online show Limerick’s hurlers serenading the regulars with classic tunes, from Adele’s ‘Someone Like You’ to David Guetta and Rihanna’s mix ‘Who's That Chick?’ not forgetting Kyle Hayes’ solo run of ‘King of the Road’.
While celebrations were ongoing this Tuesday, the hurlers’ focus will soon switch to a semi-final date in Croke Park, confirmed for July 5 at 4pm. Limerick will likely face the winner of the quarter-final tie between Dublin and Clare, with these two playing on June 20 at 7pm.
Tickets will go on sale for Limerick’s game after this encounter. And unlike the Munster final, they will almost certainly go on general sale for the All-Ireland semi-final, with Croke Park holding north of 82,000 people.
Speaking of Limerick fans, John Kiely praised them just after the final whistle on Sunday. To the hilt.
"The support was just incredible,” he noted.
And in the crowd, former Limerick captain David Breen of Na Piarsaigh, now a physiotherapist at Liverpool FC, cheered on the Treaty. David was joined by his colleague at Liverpool, Conor Bradley – himself a Tyrone man, and former Liverpool goalkeeper, Caoimhin Kelleher, a huge fan of The Rebels.
Much has been said and written about the emotion displayed by John Kiely at the final whistle. It was raw. Almost primal. And it wasn’t just John.
Diarmaid Byrnes blessed the turf. Peter Casey appeared to spend more time in the air than on the ground. And Sean Finn – surely the most expressive face in hurling – didn’t disappoint the photographers. There was picture after picture of pure, unfiltered elation.
There was one exception: little Ogie. It was all simply too much for him. Not even his famous dad, Cian Lynch, lifting the Mick Mackey Cup could soothe his soul.
Because when you’re a toddler, all you want is your dad all to yourself.
With four weeks before he leads the Limerick men out again, you’ll have plenty of that precious time now, Ogie.