Come on Limerick! County roars as hurlers chase All-Ireland glory in Croker
Limerick is bursting with pride and passion ahead of Sunday’s decider against Galway
BILLIONS will tune in for the World Cup final on Sunday night but for the people of Limerick and Galway the biggest game on earth throws in hours earlier at 3.30pm in Croke Park - the All-Ireland senior hurling final.
Dairy farmer Roger Mulqueen puts it best on the side of a bale of silage in his latest fun agri-installation (pictured above) for the Limerick hurlers - “The World Cup has Messi, we have Sean Finn!”. Bruff Bord na nÓg players and mentors descended on his farm in Crean in their jerseys and waved flags and hurleys to show their passion for John Kiely’s men this week
A sixth All-Ireland since 2018 would be the flake in a 99 ice-cream which will be needed in Dublin on Sunday as temperatures are expected to hit 24 degrees in and around Jones’ Road.
The scramble for tickets is ongoing with competitions being entered, club secretaries plagued and third cousins twice removed in Cavan being contacted. Limerick GAA is giving away two highly sought-after tickets each to the winners of a competition for the best decorated house and business in green and white. It will be judged by a man who knows a thing – or five – about winning All-Irelands, former Limerick captain Declan Hannon. Deadline is 12 noon this Thursday.
Planes, trains and automobiles are being commandeered to get to Croker. Roger actually got two train tickets from Charleville to Heuston from a Cork fan who no longer needed them - perhaps what Joe Canning, married to Limerick woman Megan Hoare, said to Dónal Óg Cusack about hype on RTÉ was right! (I digress).
A big screen is being set up in the city centre for those who can’t get a golden ticket.
The All-Ireland final is like a reversal of 2018 with Limerick now being the hunted and Galway the hunters. Back then Limerick were the young upstarts full of youth, innocence and hope while Galway were the experienced team full of guile and clout. That victory in 2018 meant the world to Limerick fans after 45 years of unlimited heartbreak followed by eight years of almost constant pleasure.
Ex-Limerick dual star Conor Fitzgerald, who is married to Galway camogie great Aislinn Connolly, says Galway are a “serious side” and there will be very, very little in it but hopes “Limerick are going to come out on the right side”.
“We've lived our dreams for the last eight years and I mean that genuinely. I speak for myself, our family as a whole and people that absolutely love the GAA - we've had the time of our lives supporting Limerick, and they absolutely owe us nothing.
“They've given us so many great days. John (Kiely) and the team have given us so much enjoyment over the years, and we're so lucky to have been able to live through this period and to have enjoyed it. Please God, Limerick will do the business,” says Conor.