Limerick All-Ireland hurling champs add another award to the trophy cabinet

THE three-in-a-row All-Ireland hurling champions have been named Limerick Persons of the Month.

Team captain Declan Hannon accepted the award on behalf of the team with Mike O’Riordan, Secretary of the County Board at a presentation at the Clayton Hotel.

The team were nominated for the award for their heroic efforts on the pitch that saw them crowned All-Ireland champions for the third time in four years.

Last July, they defended their title, against Kilkenny, in Croke Park winning by 1-31 to 2-26 to claim their first ever three-in-a-row honour.

To mark the historic occasion, the team have been awarded Persons of the Month, an accolade they have previously received for their All-Ireland wins in 2018, 2020 and 2021.

Speaking at the presentation, Mike O'Riordan said he was “delighted” to accept the award on behalf of the team.

“It is great to accept this and we would like to thank the sponsors and everyone for their support.

“Limerick is an unbelievable county for sport. It is fantastic the way the supporters come out in droves to follow the teams”.

Mike said that the board are building on the success of the senior team by supporting young players moving up the ranks.

“The lads are unbelievable ambassadors for us and when you see the amount of kids going to games and their involvement in clubs it is great, from under four and six right up to adult age.

“There is a great buzz around the county and we are building on that.

“We are building more facilities and looking at various different projects that will be coming to fruition over the next number of months”.

Wolfe Tones confirm outdoor stadium concert for Limerick GAA grounds this summer

Mike went on to speak about how the team are ambassadors for young people across Limerick and beyond.

“They are a fantastic group and they have a fantastic management team over them.

“Every time they go on the field of play they are representing their county with distinction and even at other events they attend they are always promoting Limerick, their locality and the GAA”.

The secretary of the board went on to speak about the new split season which was passed at a GAA congress in 2021.

It means that the season will be split between inter-county and club by stipulating that the All-Ireland senior finals will be played on or before the 29th Sunday of the year.

This means that the first half of the year is reserved for inter-county games while club championships take place in the second half of the calendar year.

“The split season is untested,” Mike stated. “We have only had one season of it so far so I would say over the next number of years there will be some tweaks here and there”.

The Limerick Person of the Month  award is jointly sponsored by the Limerick Leader/Limerick Live, media agency Southern, and the Clayton Hotel.

Pictures: Adrian Butler - Video: Meghann Scully