Heroes' welcome for Limerick GAA stars as Adare celebrate historic football win

“IT’S a wonderful occasion. The celebrations will continue into Christmas and beyond!”

That’s according to Adare GAA chairman Joe Hannon, after an incredible win last Sunday in the senior county football final.

The young Adare side became the first ever senior team from the parish to emerge victorious in Limerick.

And celebrations in the pretty village were loud and proud on Sunday night, when the champions were welcomed like heroes home from war after making GAA history.

“Happy is not the word – I don’t know if I am in shock but I am overcome with happiness – happy for this bunch of lads,” said manager Harry Gleeson after the incredible victory.

“Those guys give you everything - they are young, they listen, they execute. I always see this as a jigsaw puzzle - there are so many pieces needed to get it right and I merely mind the box. I believed in them all the time and today they believed in themselves,” added the manager, who took over Adare two years ago.

Since the thrilling win, members of the team have visited some of Adare’s local schools.

And they got a warm reception at Shountrade, where dozens of children cheered to get a glimpse of their local GAA heroes.

After the win, an ecstatic captain Shane Doherty said that he wasn’t sure that they could do it.

“Some people expected this and said we would do it. To be honest I never believed it - I thought it was too good to be true,” he said.

A goal in injury time by Jack English cemented Adare’s position as county champions, a final that will go down in the history books in the GAA-mad village.

Adare, more famous for its days out on the hurling pitch, don’t usually get to too many football finals.

This one was their third one, and it proved to be third time lucky. In 2010, they lost to Monaleen by a couple of points. And back in 2002, they came even closer, when the game went to a replay.

See further coverage of the final in LeaderSport