2015 U21 glory helped spark Limerick senior hurlers rise says Barry O'Connell

BARRY O'CONNELL believes Limerick’s All-Ireland U21 triumph in 2015 laid the foundations for the county to make their breakthrough at senior level.

O'Connell featured on that All-Ireland U21 winning Limerick team alongside the likes of Sean Finn, Mike Casey, Diarmaid Byrnes, Gearoid Hegarty, Darragh O'Donovan, Cian Lynch, Peter Casey, Tom Morrissey, Barry Nash and Seamus Flanagan.

“It was the breakthrough All-Ireland success for a lot of that group. It just gave a lot of us the mentality that we could make the breakthrough. There had been Munster victories at minor level leading up to it, but it was great to get over the line in style.”

Limerick produced a ruthless performance to defeat Wexford 0-26 to 1-7 and claim their first All-Ireland U21 hurling title in 13 years.

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“The majority of the starting team broke onto the senior team and it probably gave them the appetite to make it at senior. It was just such an enjoyable time.”

O'Connell vividly remembers the scenes on the pitch after the full-time whistle.

“I remember the night in Thurles that we won, there was a big pitch invasion. I think the seniors were out a bit early that year, we got a great following and it just gave lads the appetite that they wanted this for next ten to fifteen years to plough on at senior. The majority of that group have led the line for seniors since.”

O'Connell, who was part of the Limerick squad in 2018, describes manager John Kiely as a ‘straight shooter’.

“First I think he is a gentleman, he’'s just very fair. He enjoys it if you need a bit of a telling to, he'll do that. He's a great man manager too, if one fella needs a kick up the arse, he will do that.

“If another fella needs the arm around the shoulder, he's a great judge of that. He's just a fantastic fella to work with. I think he's just a straight shooter as well, there's no bullshit with him. When lads are putting so much time into it they just want honesty, they get that with John,” added O'Connell.

Competition for places is what keeps this groups so hungry, according to O'Connell.

“That winning habit seems to be driving the lads, they just want to win more and more, I suppose just probably get the best out of themselves. When they look back, they want to be able to say they reached their full potential and won as much as they can.

“Shane (O'Brien) and Adam (English) have broken into it, John (Kiely's) given them their opportunity. It's so competitive, the competition in the group drives it.”

O'Connell made the transfer from Kildimo-Pallaskenry to Toomevara in Tipperary and he still has fond memories of winning the All-Ireland in 2018 with the Shannonsiders.

“It was brilliant, 45 years, it was incredible to be involved the aftermath of it was amazing. The bus across the city with the homecoming and everything that came after it was brilliant.”

Training in the TUS Gaelic Grounds throughout the summer of 2018 is something which the Kildimo-Pallakenry clubman enjoyed.

“As the summer went on, we were just building and building. We got out of Munster and we were training in the Gaelic Grounds all summer, training in nice weather.

“You are in amongst it with the best players in the country, that's my biggest memory of it. You were goin g out in training games and you were marking Diarmaid (Byrnes) or Declan (Hannon). The standard of the training games was so high and the intensity was unreal.”

Since 2018, John Kiely's side have gone on to win five All-Ireland titles and six Munster championships and even O'Connell finds it hard to envisage what has happened in Limerick hurling.

“You wouldn't have envisaged it taking off as much as it did with the four-in-a-row. There was a real good feel good factor about it, it was just such an enjoyable time.”

In 2018, O'Connell was part of extended squad and he feels that you have nothing to lose in that situation.

“You're going into training with nothing to lose, you were putting the head down trying to get yourself up the pecking order and trying to break into the 26. If you weren't breaking in, you were still pushing the lads ahead of you. The lads on the bench there at the time, it was pushing them hard and they were excelling then as well, it was just a big group effort really.”

It comes as no surprise to him to see clubmate Kyle Hayes perform impressively in the number six role.

“We've seen the last seven or eight years how good Kyle is, his versatility to be to play anywhere on the pitch but he really looks at home at six. He's an incredible asset at number six. Hopefully he can go the summer without any injuries or niggles. He's an incredible pillar there at centre back.”

Hayes started out his inter-county career with Limerick in attack.

“He possibly would have played six sooner only for how good Declan is. Declan (Hannon) is not only one of the best centre backs to play for Limerick, but one of the best centre backs to play the game. I do think Kyle was always destined to go in there at some stage. He just keeps the whole thing intact there at the back.”