Covid stops the crowds but can’t stop the passion -  Leonardo da Vinci of Limerick GAA’s new masterpiece

If one photo (below) captured the excitement before the All-Ireland in 2018 it was the one taken by Mike Cowhey on Roger Mulqueen’s farm in Crean, Bruff.

Instead of hanging off the rafters they were hanging off silage bales in a display dedicated to Sean Finn and Paul Browne. If it was to be recreated now Bruff Gardaí would be asking them to socially distance and don masks instead of jerseys.

So in a way, Roger’s 2020 sculpture (main picture) captures the isolation of 2020 but the passion for the Limerick hurlers remain. It’s a silage shrine to Sean Finn.

Like a wrist-y hurler, Ian Gardiner, agricultural contractor, expertly manoeuvred the bales and then Roger and his nephew, Oisin, aged 17, set to work with their paint brushes.

“Oisin is six foot eight so he came in very handy! I was beaten by the rain a few times so I had to repaint them again. A local carpenter, Stevie Kelleher, made the hurley. The other night the hands blew off and the helmet blew off with the wind but the hurley never stirred. It wouldn’t break on the field of play I can tell you that!

“The arms are two steel beams nailed in – it was fair hard to get them in – and two rain shutters would you believe. The helmet is a milk bucket painted green,” said Roger.

Sean Finn passed by it on Sunday.

“He was called into a photo but he wouldn’t because he was afraid that my mother (Bridie) would give him a hot whiskey! He took it well. He says the face is like Zoolander.

“Sean is a gentleman. We had him in 2018 for a couple of weeks after the final delivering timber around here. Every place we went to they wanted a photo with him and he always obliged. It made their day,” said Roger.

The Leonardo da Vinci of Limerick GAA hopes his display will be lucky for the hurlers like it was in 2018.

“It would be great to win it. It seems to be all bad news the whole year. The hurlers have given us all a lift. I went out for a meal on Sunday night and all the talk was about the hurling match,” said Roger.

And it’s not just people in Limerick and Ireland that have been given a lift.

“My cousins Tom Quirke and Mairead Quirke can’t come from Australia this year. They'll be watching it online at all hours. My friend Brian O'Connor is in Canada. They would have loved to come back but can’t,” said Roger, who also praises the handiwork of the O’Donnell / Daly family in Grange with their display featuring a sign “Covid-19; Limerick-20” and Mike Houlihan for painting his car green and white.

For more on the build up to the All Ireland final click here