Limerickman wins All-Ireland Nickey Rackard hurling championship title with Donegal

FORMER Ahane hurler Richard Ryan paved the way for Limerick in Croke Park last Sunday.

Four minutes from the end of the Nickey Rackard Cup final he crashed home a goal into the Hill 16 end to secure All-Ireland hurling championship glory for Donegal.

The Ballybofey based Garda is in his first season with Donegal.

Ten years ago Ryan was a county minor hurler alongside his Ahane colleague Dan Morrissey and current Limerick captain Declan Hannon.

Still a teenager he started for Ahane in the 2011 Limerick SHC final against Na Piarsaigh.

His progress followed onto the county U21 panel and in 2014 he was on the scoresheet in Thurles as Limerick and Tipperary played out an epic extra time clash in the Munster IHC.

Then work took Ryan away from hurling with Ahane and Limerick and to Kildare and now Donegal.

Hurling remains central to Ryan.

“I can’t imagine there is a better way to settle into somewhere new. When I started hurling with Naas I got to know everyone and every club around the county - I knew people all over the place. It’s the same up here, the first person I was in contact with in Dungloe was a solicitor and I’ll probably come across him through work as well,” explained Ryan to LeaderSport.

”It has helped me to slot in. Even around Dungloe already I know an amount of people that I would not know otherwise,” he said.

A goal scoring All-Ireland winner in Croke Park on Sunday, there was no time to celebrate.

BOOM RITCHIE RYAN

The winning score for @officialdonegal #GAABO #NickyRackard pic.twitter.com/BKi14JfWo9

— Spórt TG4 (@SportTG4) November 22, 2020

This Monday, Ryan had his first official day as a Garda in Ballybofey, Co Donegal after his transfer from Newbridge, Co Kildare.

His time in Kildare saw him hurl with Naas and from 2016-18 he also lined out with the county team – Joe Quaid was manager.

Ryan has a Kehoe Cup medal from his time with the Lillywhites and in 2017 lined out alongside current Limerick hurler David Reidy with the Leinster side.

But earlier this Summer, Ryan followed his heart to Donegal.

The local hurling team is Dungloe.

“It’s their first year with an adult hurling team and we played junior championship and got to the county final - we were beaten and probably should have won. Shortly after I got pulled into the Donegal set-up,” recalled Ryan, who had scored nine points in the semi final and eight in the county final.

”It was such a short year, it was just match after match for me. I was still driving up and down from Limerick and to work in Kildare so the only reason I was able to do it was because the season was so short,” he said of joining up with Donegal.

The Nickey Rackard is the fourth tier of the All-Ireland SHC.

Wins over Longford and Armagh secured a semi final against Tyrone and eventually last Sunday’s final against Mayo.

A four game run to an All-Ireland title – Ryan scoring a goal in all but one of the games.

”It’s been great. The hurling community up here is fairly small. A few good games and lads get to know your name. It’s not like Limerick where there was once 16 senior clubs, although that whittled down now - up here six senior clubs I think and then four or five junior clubs,” he said of his whirlwind title run.

”There are some great clubs up here - Setanta would be the main hurling club and had nine or 10 on the county team,” he explains.

What of Croke Park? 

”My first time playing in there - it was great, just incredible. In a way it was easier there there was nobody there - you didn’t have a crowd to worry about. It was just like a regular club field because there was no pressure,” he said.

His goal came in the 66th minute.

”The time it came was vital because it was so tight - we had just gone two points up. That helped to put it to bed. We went eight points down at one stage and ended up winning by six - a fair turnaround.”

Last Sunday, Donegal won the Nickey Rackard Cup, Kildare won the Christy Ring Cup and now a Limerick Liam MacCarthy Cup win would seal a memorable trio for Ryan.

”It’s hard to know what way it will go - Limerick should get through. Especially after last year - if they lose it will be another year passed, Hopefully they do it,” said Ryan of his native Limerick.