'I've never experienced anything like it': O'Brien thrilled with win
Less than 60 seconds after the restart Shane O’Brien won possession of the sliotar. After beating the Na Piarsaigh defenders he rifled the ball past Shane Dowling
GRAEME Mulcahy described it as one of the best goals ever in a county final.
Less than 60 seconds after the restart Shane O’Brien won possession of the sliotar. After beating the Na Piarsaigh defenders he rifled the ball past Shane Dowling.
For all the finals ‘The Bull’ has played in for school, college and county this was his first county senior final in the green of Kilmallock.
And he stepped up when he was needed most as his side took a narrow lead into a second half where they faced a stiff breeze.
“I've never experienced anything like it,” he told LeaderSport after the 3-19 to 1-22 win against the defending champions.
“I think the beautiful thing about the club is that 30 seconds after the game, you meet everyone that you meet uptown every day of the week. Kilmallock is such a big hurling town.
“It's very big to people. You go into a shop, you can't avoid it. Hurling is the main topic there. I'm just so happy for everyone else in the club as well that they get to experience a day like this as well.”
While O’Brien has an ever-growing medal collection, he was too young to tog out last time Kilmallock won the Daly Cup back in 2021.
“My first year was ‘22. I couldn't play in ‘21 when the boys won it. I'm just delighted to get my first one anyway.”
While it was a great year for O’Brien, Kilmallock had stunning success too - this senior title will sit nicely in the trophy cabinet alongside minor and U16 titles that will also winter in the south Limerick town.
“We got relegated in the league this year and there were probably question marks about the club,” O’Brien said. “We were playing a lot of B grades in U14 and U16. To be honest, a lot of (the belief) goes down to the minors this year. They went unbeaten in the minor and they won the minor championship. That gave a lot of confidence to a lot of people in Kilmallock that Kilmallock was coming again.”
Captain Graeme Mulcahy added that a tough start to 2026 makes this win all the sweeter.
“It's been five years since we won a final - to get here was the aim, to win is a bonus,” he said. “We got relegated in the league so to win a county was unreal for us.”
Robbie Egan added: “We said it was going to be a battle and that's what it proved to be.”
Oisin O’Reilly described the post-match feeling as “surreal”.
“Five years since we won a county, four years since we were in a final, it's hard to put into words.”