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05 Feb 2026
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05 Feb 2026
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FORMER Limerick senior hurling manager Tom Ryan has had his inter-county return blocked.
Limerick GAA’s executive officers have voted against proposing Ryan as the county’s new intermediate hurling manager.
Tom Ryan looked poised for a return to the Limerick hurling fold when a five-man selection committee returned with the Ballybrown man as their nominee for the vacant intermediate role.
However, this Monday night the officers at the top table of Limerick GAA voted against Ryan and his back room team.
They did however, vote in favour of the new U-21 management, which includes Ryan as a selector.
A special County Board meeting has been called for this Thursday evening to rubber-stamp Carey’s management.
Carey will have three selectors - Mark Foley, Liam O’Donoghue and Ryan.
However, there is no intermediate manager role for Ryan.
“I am really, really shattered - I am in personal shock,” Ryan told LeaderSport this Tuesday.
“I’m so disappointed - not for Tom Ryan but for Limerick hurling. This was only a minor role but I had great expectations for the job,” explained Ryan.
“A lot of work had already gone into it with the selection committee and I had a great team of selectors organised - some high calibre hurling people.”
Ryan was to be joined by Pat Howard, Jimmy Carroll, Tony Roche and Don Flynn.
“This was about Limerick hurling, not Tom Ryan. I wanted to try and get players ready for the senior players. A good inter-county team needs a pipeline and that’s what I wanted to do.”
While “upset”, Ryan will now work as a selector to Ciaran Carey’s U-21 management.
“They run the show,” he said of the County Board officers.
“I have to move on. I don’t want to get into any arguments and I will accept the decision of the board,” said Ryan.
“I will work away with the U-21s and continue to do whatever I can do for Limerick hurling. With the U-21s, we have to try and upgrade players and find new players,” said Ryan, who led Limerick to the heartbreaking All-Ireland final defeats of 1994 and 1996.
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