Former Limerick hurler wins fourth county medal - 30 years after first
Garryspillane were 3-10 to 0-15 winners against St Kieran’s in the Premier Junior ‘C’ decider in Rhebogue
GARRYSPILLANE were among the winners last weekend as the Limerick club hurling season came to an end with nine county finals from Senior to Junior ‘C’.
The Bouncers were 3-10 to 0-15 winners against St Kieran’s in the Premier Junior ‘C’ decider in Rhebogue.
Former Limerick player Donie Ryan was in goals for the south Limerick men - and just two months shy of his 50th birthday, added a fourth county medal at adult level to his collection.
And even more remarkably, the four county title wins came in four different decades.
It started when a teenage Donie was part of the Garryspillane team who won the 1996 Intermediate Hurling Championship, defeating Mungret-St Pauls in a replay.
He was part of the black and amber men who won the club’s first and only SHC title, scoring a goal in the historic success over Kilmallock.
Over a decade later in 2018, Ryan was again in the winners circle, as he scored 0-8 as the Bouncers beat Bruff in the Premier IHC decider.
Last Friday saw a junior medal join the senior, premier intermediate and intermediate ones in the Ryan household. That Donie has gone from goal-scorer to goalkeeper is another part of the tale for the Garryspillane legend.