Doon GAA welcomes home its Limerick hurling stars - and Liam MacCarthy!
Adam’s journey from teenage fan on Hill 16 - to fulcrum of Limerick team!
ADAM English was a teenager on Hill 16 when Limerick broke their 45-year drought to land the Liam MacCarthy Cup in 2018.
Now, he is a fulcrum of the Limerick panel, who have added five more All-Ireland titles since then.
"In 2018, I was 15 or 16 and like the lads here I was looking at at [Darragh] O’Donovan, Richie [English] and the lads. Now we are standing beside them with Liam MacCarthy. It’s pretty cool,” said Adam, whose pinpoint pass provided the goal for Aidan O’Connor to cap a lazarus-like comeback against Clare in the semi-final.
Adam shared the stage with fellow Limerick stars Eddie Stokes and O’Donovan, as hurling's holy grail made a return to their famous club of Doon.
There were joyous scenes as the players arrived in open-topped 4x4 cars, to the strains of The Green and White.
A separate car also carried Diarmuid Crowe, who helped the Limerick minor team make history last month by winning a first All-Ireland title since 1982, alongside selector Tom Murphy.
Asked if he ever thought as a teenager, he would be able to be part of a side winning the Liam MacCarthy Cup, Adam said: “I had dreams about it. That I played many All-Irelands on this field [Croke Park] in my imagination. So it’s nice to say I played in the ral thing and brought this trophy back.”
Although Limerick have dominated senior hurling for the last decade, it is the side's near misses which remain on their minds, admitted Darragh, citing the semi-final exits of 2019 and 2024.
Minor hurler Diarmuid said it is “unreal” to be able to bring the Irish Press Cup to Doon GAA club.
Asked how things have been since they became minor champions, he said: “It's been very cool. It’s nothing I am used to! So many people I wouldn’t know are stopping me! It was such a long wait that it is so cool we are the ones to win it."
Selector Tom said the future is bright for Limerick hurling.
"There is a brilliant academy structure. There are a good few young lads coming through from Doon,” he said.
Adam’s grandmother Anne O’Brien was bursting with pride at the final whistle in Croke Park, having also seen her other grandson, Fionn O’Brien, take part in a sevens game on the hallowed turf at half time.
"I couldn’t explain the excitement. We were nearly worse than the Mayo crowd," she laughed.