Limerick's bid for seventh Munster title in a row shattered in dramatic penalty shoot-out loss to Cork

LIMERICK'S dream of an historic seventh Munster senior hurling title in a row were shattered in a dramatic 3-2 penalty shoot-out final defeat to Cork in front of an official attendance of 43,580 at the TÚS Gaelic Grounds on Saturday evening.

It was the first time in the long and storied history of the Munster senior hurling championship and Liam MacCarthy Cup that a game was decided by a penalty-taking competition.

The sides had been tied, Limerick 2-27 Cork 1-30, at the end of extra-time in a nail-biting decider.

While Diarmuid Byrnes and Aaron Gillane scored their penalties, Limerick failed to convert three other attempts, from Barry Murphy, wide, Tom Morrissey, saved, and Declan Hannon, wide, as the Leesiders bounced back from their 16-point defeat at the same venue in the round robin phase of the provincial championship just three weeks earlier to deny Limerick's bid for a 26th provincial title at this level. Sport, eh. It continues to make fools of us so often.

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While Darragh Fitzgibbon's opening penalty for Cork was brilliantly saved by Limerick netminder Nickie Quaid, Conor Lehane, Shane Kingston and Alan Connolly all found the back of the net with their efforts as the Leesiders claimed their first provincial title at this level since 2018 and with it the Mackey Cup.

It was a cruel way for Limerick's bid for an unprecedented seventh provincial title on the bounce and 26th overall to end, but the Shannonsiders must quickly switch their focus to an All-Ireland quarter-final clash on June 21.

This was Cork’s first championship win over Limerick in the TUS Gaelic Grounds since 2019 when they had seven points to spare in a Munster round robin tie.

GOAL LIMERICK
47mins: LIM 2-13 COR 1-16
Shane O'Brien hammers it home to level the game in the 47th minute.#rtegaa
@rte2 & @rteplayer
Saturday Sport on @rteradio1
Updates: https://t.co/cI3G1IS4wg pic.twitter.com/KDCFinjzvN

— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) June 7, 2025

This was also a first defeat for Limerick manager John Kiely who has had a stunning record in league, provincial and All-Ireland finals during his tenure. In his role as senior hurling manager manager, Kiely had overseen a stunning run of 14 final wins in a row for Limerick prior to Saturday night.

On an overcast, blustery evening, Cork won the toss and opted to play with the strong breeze for the opening 35 minutes.

The Rebels had played into the teeth of the wind three weeks earlier and found themselves chasing a substantial deficit at half-time.

Visitors Cork settled first and got off to the better start, firing over the opening three points of the contest, through Patrick Horgan, after just 20 seconds of play, Seamus Harney and Horgan again, this time from play.

However, Limerick settled to their test and replied with a hat-trick of points of their own from the industrious Tom Morrissey, Aidan O'Connor, and Morrissey again after he was set up by Barry Nash on eight minutes. 

In between, Adam English had a blast for goal, but Cork 'keeper Patrick Collins was up to the task and repelled the effort. 

Diarmuid Healy then fired over two points for Cork to edge the visitors into a 0-5 to 0-3 advantage. 

The Rebels were 0-7 to 0-4 to the good after 16 minutes when Shane Barrett fired over.

English was denied a Limerick goal on 20 minutes, but the Shannonsiders did find the back of the net soon afterwards when the influential Lynch found O'Connor.

The Ballybrown clubman, in his first senior championship start, rounded his marker before batting the sliotar past Collins and into the net for a tonic goal which tied the scores, 1-5 to 0-8.

GOAL LIMERICK
20mins: LIM 1-05 COR 0-08
The first goal of the game as Aidan O'Connor bats it home.#rtegaa
@rte2 & @rteplayer
Saturday Sport on @rteradio1
Updates: https://t.co/cI3G1IS4wg pic.twitter.com/dBOiKo484I

— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) June 7, 2025

It looked like a score that would ignite Limerick, and David Reidy followed up with a point to put John Kiely's charges in front, 1-6 to 0-8.

But Cork, who were a transformed side in the opening half from the one which succumbed tamely at the Ennis Road venue three weeks earlier, hit back with a point from Tim O'Mahony, while it took a smart save from Nickie Quaid to deny Brian Hayes raising a green flag in the 24th minute.

Aaron Gillane, then struck for his first score of the contest in the 25th minute to have the home side back in front. 

However, wind-assisted Cork outscored their hosts 1-5 to 0-3 in the 10 minutes leading up to half-time. 

The goal arrived in the 26th minute from Shane Barrett who racked up 1-3 from play in that opening half. Barrett's goal came courtesy of a sweetly struck ground shot.

Barrett chipped in with two points from play while, in reply, Adam English, Gearoid Hegarty and Darragh Fitzgibbon raised white flags for the home side.

There was an incursion onto the pitch at half-time by members of both management teams in the direction of match referee Thomas Walsh. 

Calm was restored and Cork retired to the dressing room with a four point interval lead 1-14 to 1-10. The advantage could have been bigger had the visitors not racked up nine wides during that opening 35 minutes. 

Despite playing with the aid of the stiff breeze in the second half, Limerick had only clipped a single point off the Leesiders advantage 10 minutes into the second half. 

Limerick sprung Shane O'Brien from the substitutes' bench in the 41st minute and the talented Kilmallock attacker had a big influence on the game over the next quarter.

O'Brien set up Adam English for a 42nd minute point. He then netted a tonic 46th minute goal, set up brilliantly by Aaron Gillane's deft touch with the boot for a beautifully-judged pass and Gearoid Hegarty's quick free.

O'Brien also rifled over a 53rd minute point from play, while Cork's first score from play in the second half didn't arrive until the 55th minute from Brian Hayes, a score which put the Rebels back in front.

The age old rivals traded points over the closing 15 minutes of the second half as both sides introduced a host of substitutes.

Healy and Hegarty traded points in the 65th and 66th minutes as the team remained deadlocked. 

Substitute Darragh O'Donovan then edged Limerick in front, 2-19 to 1-21 in the 69th minute. However, Patrick Horgan tied the scores once more in the 71st minute. 

There were three further minutes of injury time to come but neither side managed a further score and the Saturday evening crowd was treated to 20 minutes of extra-time. 

The sides simply could not be separated in general play. It was Limerick 2-22, Cork 1-25 at half-time in extra time.

That first period of extra-time saw a change of referee as stand-by official and linesman James Owens replaced Thomas Walsh who was struggling with cramp.

Limerick, backed by the breeze in the first period of extra-time, edged two in front with scores from substitute Declan Hannon and an Aaron Gillane free.

Cork hit back with three points on the bounce from Darragh Fitzgibbon (free), Shane Kingston and Conor Lehane to edge in front, before Aaron Gillane tied the scores once more from a free.

Both sides managed a further 0-5 each in the second period of extra-time. The great rivals were level five times during that 10-minute spell. 

Aaron Gillane had Limerick in front late on with a free. However, Cork's Darragh Fitzgibbon showed admirable composure to land an equaling '65 with the last puck of the game. 

The game was then settled in a dramatic penalty shoot-out with Cork edging the outcome 3-2.

SCORERS: Penalty Shoot-out: Limerick: Diarmaid Byrnes, Aaron Gillane. Cork: Conor Lehane, Shane Kingston, Alan Connolly.

SCORERS: Limerick: Aaron Gillane 0-9, (0-7 frees); Shane O’Brien 1-2; Alan O’Connor 1-1; David Reidy, Adam English 0-3 each; Tom Morrissey, Gearoid Hegarty 0-2 each; Diarmuid Byrnes (free), Darragh O’Donovan, Declan Hannon, Peter Casey 0-1 each. Cork: Patrick Horgan 0-7, (0-4 frees); Shane Barrett 1-3; Darragh Fitzgibbon 0-4 (0-1 free, 0-1 '65); Diarmuid Healy, Shane Kingston 0-3 each; Seamus Harnedy, Conor Lehane 0-2 each; Damien Cahalane, Tim O’Mahony, Alan Connolly, Brian Hayes, Eoin Downey, Tommy O’Connell 0-1 each.

LIMERICK: Nickie Quaid; Seán Finn, Dan Morrissey, Mike Casey; Diarmaid Byrnes, Kyle Hayes, Barry Nash; Adam English, Will O'Donoghue; Gearóid Hegarty, Cian Lynch, Tom Morrissey; Aaron Gillane, Aidan O’Connor, David Reidy. Substitutes: Shane O'Brien for O'Connor (41 mins), Peter Casey for Reidy, Cathal O'Neill for Tom Morrissey (both 54 mins), Darragh O'Donovan for O'Donoghue (64 mins), Declan Hannon for Byrnes, Barry Murphy for Mike Casey (both extra-time), Tom Morrissey for Hegarty (78 mins), Seamus Flanagan for Lynch (temp 90 +1 to 90 +3), Diarmuid Byrnes for Lynch (80 +4)

CORK: Patrick Collins; Damien Cahalane, Eoin Downey, Seán O’Donoghue; Cormac O’Brien, Ciarán Joyce, Mark Coleman; Tim O’Mahony, Darragh Fitzgibbon; Diarmuid Healy, Shane Barrett, Seamus Harnedy; Patrick Horgan, Alan Connolly, Brian Hayes. Substitutes: Robert Downey for O'Brien (53 mins), Tommy O'Connell for O'Mahony (58 mins), Shane Kingston for Connolly (64 mins), Robbie O'Flynn for Harnedy (67 mins), Conor Lehane for Horgan (70 + 2 mins), Niall O’Leary for S. O’Donoghue (72 mins); Brian Roche for D. Healy (half-time extra-time); Alan Connolly for Coleman (injured 84).

REFEREE: Thomas Walsh (Waterford)