It will be ‘up with the sun’ for Limerick fans in Vancouver

WHILE some Limerick fans will rise with the dawn on Sunday to travel to Croke Park, some of the Treaty County’s most committed fans will be getting up that early simply to watch it on TV, almost 5,000 miles away!

It will be a 7.30am throw-in for Billy Noonan (37), originally from Caherdavin and living in Vancouver, Canada for the last eight years.

He will be up at 5am to watch “the big dance” with Irish friends at the Irish Heather Shebeen in the city.

“Games are usually early morning so my weekends are planned around Limerick lately,” he explained.

“Last few finals have been great craic here although it makes you homesick all the same.

“My in-laws are Canadian and I have them hooked on the hurling too. They are slightly fascinated by it to be honest.”

Online registration open for free Big Screen watch party in Limerick

Meanwhile, it will be an extra-special weekend for Castletroy brothers Cian (28) and Alan (25) Costelloe, as their parents, John Costelloe and Geraldine Stack, will be arriving to visit just in time to watch the final as a family.

They plan on watching the match at home, as John and Geraldine will be flying in the Saturday before.

For Cian, his real love of hurling developed since moving to Vancouver almost two years ago. “Growing up, I didn't go to a huge amount of games,” he said.

“I remember going to Munster finals and stuff like that, we went up to Croke Park once I think against Kilkenny, but since moving here I'm living with a lad that's hurling mad from Clare so we watch all the matches together. We were driving to white water rafting on the weekend and we had the Limerick match on the radio.”