Search

22 Oct 2025

Remembering 1994 - when Limerick defeated Clare in the Munster SHC final

Remembering 1994 - when Limerick defeated Clare in the Munster SHC final

Limerick captain Gary Kirby celebrates with the Cup as he is lifted shoulder high following their thrilling 1994 Munster senior hurling final win over Clare at Semple Stadium, Thurles

THE GREEN and white of Limerick mingling with the yellow and blue of Clare has long been a common presence at the Munster Senior Hurling Championship final.

The Limerick hurling drought from 1973 to 2018 has long been documented, the ‘boys in green’ going 45 years without an All-Ireland title, but through many a disappointment over the decades, the Limerick men provided a more than a glimmer of hope to the county in the early to mid-1990s.

Limerick appeared in four Munster Finals in the ‘90s, winning two and losing two. They found themselves up against the ‘Banner’ of Clare twice in the finals of the 90s.

The match-up between Limerick and Clare in 1994 is regarded as one of the more memorable Munster Finals between the sides or indeed of any of Limerick’s Munster Final appearances.

The sun was shining and thousands from Limerick and Clare made the trip to Semple Stadium where they piled into the stands of Tipperary’s GAA grounds.

The match started off on a positive note for Limerick as captain and Patrickswell man, Gary Kirby took the opening score before Clare quickly equalised.

Much of the first half was back and forth but consistently, Limerick appeared to be the stronger of the two teams, taking their points at every opportunity.

The second half is where Limerick really hit their stride holding an more than 10-point lead on Clare for a good portion of the half.

An early goal chance for Clare in the second half was brilliantly saved by Joe Quaid, cousin of former Limerick goalkeeper Tommy Quaid, and father of current goalkeeper, Nickie.

Some of the best known hurling names on the pitch during the Munster final between Clare included TJ Ryan and Ciarán Carey.
Two late goals, one from a free, saw Clare bounce back into the game but it wasn’t enough to stop the tide of the Limerick hurlers.

The final score in the game was Limerick 0-25, Clare 2-10 and saw Limerick win their 17th Munster Championship. The team currently have 23 titles to their credit.

This Sunday, Limerick once again face their long-time rivals of Clare in the Munster Championship Final. A lot is at stake for both teams. Limerick could clinch their fifth Munster Championship win in a row and Clare has the chance of toppling the Limerick giants in their own home.

Throw-in at the TUS Gaelic Grounds in Sunday's Munster senior hurling final is 1.45pm.

To continue reading this article,
please subscribe and support local journalism!


Subscribing will allow you access to all of our premium content and archived articles.

Subscribe

To continue reading this article for FREE,
please kindly register and/or log in.


Registration is absolutely 100% FREE and will help us personalise your experience on our sites. You can also sign up to our carefully curated newsletter(s) to keep up to date with your latest local news!

Register / Login

Buy the e-paper of the Donegal Democrat, Donegal People's Press, Donegal Post and Inish Times here for instant access to Donegal's premier news titles.

Keep up with the latest news from Donegal with our daily newsletter featuring the most important stories of the day delivered to your inbox every evening at 5pm.