WATCH: The Marty Party is coming to Limerick

THE LIMERICK hurlers have set the bar in the sport, according to the voice and face of GAA in Ireland, Marty Morrissey.

“I think Limerick have brought hurling to a new level and that's not said lightly,” smiles the broadcaster this Monday evening as he soaks in the atmosphere in the city’s White House bar.

The proud Clare man has crossed the border to chat with the Leader ahead of his upcoming gig, The Marty Party. And, while relaxing Treaty-side, he talks all things hurling, music and, in general, just has “the craic”.

But first to “The Marty Party!”

It’s a saying that has taken its place in the dialect of the Irish, and the most cherished man in GAA is coming to Limerick to prove that, yes, “there’s no party like a Marty party!”.

On Friday, March 10 next, the man himself will, once again, cross the boundary lines into Limerick to host his brand new variety show which features music, dance, laughter and a multitude of prizes to be won!

“So, basically it is a variety show with a 21st century twist, as I call it,” laughs Marty, “an old-fashioned variety show with a 21st century twist!”

A self-confessed fan of Ed Sheeran, Westlife and indeed “all sorts of music” Marty is promising “a bit of everything” on the night.

With a huge fanbase across the country, many of Marty’s fans are GAA folk and he can be sure to expect a few of them in the audience on March 10.

And, it seems, the Banner man has a certain grá for the three-in-a-row All-Ireland champions.

“I think they're brilliant, to be honest with you,” he asserts. “They genuinely are and they're a good bunch of lads. And John Kiely is a super manager and Paul Kinnerk is a great coach and a great thinker of the game.”

While he’d clearly love his home county to be climbing the steps of the Hogan Stand more often, Marty says Limerick “richly, richly deserve their success”.

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“So we've (Clare) won one in a row while our neighbours are doing three and four, four outta five. But it's the whole infrastructure around Limerick I love and it's a great time to be from Limerick and richly, richly deserved. They deserve all the accolades that have been thrown at them, and I like them.”

Back in July, the RTE Sports commentator grabbed a lift on the Limerick team bus for the latter part of their journey home to the Gaelic Grounds after they achieved the three-in-a-row. And in 2018 he was MC for their homecoming ceremony after their first All-Ireland victory in 45 years.

“They're very helpful to me, I don't find them big-headed. I don't find them swanning around the place. I find them very decent and good people, and I'm very, very much a big fan of Limerick hurling and a big fan of John,” he says.

While not one to rest on his laurels, when he isn’t travelling the length and breadth of the country to GAA matches, Marty has been working on ensuring his comedy show is a night not to be missed for audiences.

“We have loads of local stars and national stars,” he points out before listing Eurovision winners Paul Harrington and Charlie McGhettigan.

“We've got Clodagh Lawlor from down the road in Clare. We have the Galway Tenors, we have Limo O'Connor, a fantastic musician - he’s in the Guinness Book of Records for button accordion.”

There is also a choir coming down from Mayo, “and I have a lovely group, a new group that are selling out concerts in Donegal, Onóir, they're fantastic. So I think the people in Limerick, people in the Tipp area, and Clare and Kerry, wherever they come from, will enjoy it.”

Also on the night there will be giveaways including flights from Shannon Airport to European destinations and Marty will be reunited with his good friend, former co-host Bernard O’Shea.

“Bernard is now living in Castleconnell. He's moved from Dublin and he's going to join me for the five shows. And we just have a bit of banter and craic. It's all about craic. It's all about fun. It's all about music!”

Cairde, a group of young guys who got together during Covid will also feature. “They started doing these videos and they went viral,” says Marty.

“They ended up on Good Morning America dancing from the Cliffs of Moher. They ended up in The White House on St Patrick's Day. So they're joining me now for the next three shows. They weren't available for the first two. And Ceol are a new ballad group that Nathan Carter put together.”

And, interestingly, it seems Marty doesn’t only have the GAA to thank for his celebrity status.

The Marty Party has become synonymous with Marty Morrissey since his stint on a dancing show on RTÉ in 2018.

“I remember when I was doing Dancing with the Stars and Anna Geary decided to put the group that were doing it, like Deirdre O’Kane, Bernard O’Shea, Jake Carter, Tomás O’Leary and Rob Heffernan, all that gang, into a WhatsApp group.

“And she called it ‘The Marty Party’ and all the papers seemed to get on it and it kind of became trendy. But if I go to a match in Tyrone or Mayo or I'll go to a Limerick hurling game, do you think they'll ask me about hurling?

“Not at all. They'll say, ‘Marty, give us a few steps. Have a Marty Party.’ I'm seeing this has really caught on. So anyway, I decided, I wonder should we have a bit of fun? Because from doing MCs around the country at various events, I kind of enjoyed the banter and the craic,” he recalls.

Marty has solidified himself as a household name in Ireland - some might even say TV heart-throb - as he has become a regular on our screens for various reasons.

“Mario Rosenstock and Oliver Callan were essentially taking the p*** out of me at every opportunity and I was there outside Croke Park with my beautiful pink shirt, my beautiful white teeth, my hair all over the place. And I'm saying instead of saying,‘Marty Morrissey RTÉ News Croke Park’, I say, ‘I'm Marty and I like to party’. Which is absolutely true because the boys knew it,” he continues.

While proud of his West Clare roots and being raised in the Bronx, he has always had a fondness for Limerick that dates back to long before the multiple All-Ireland wins of recent years.

“Limerick is special because for me, when I was a child, we went shopping in Limerick,” he recalls.

“So it was always kind of dear to the family and dear to our heart. So I'm hoping that Limerick people would come out on the 10th of March and support and all the tickets are available at the University of Limerick Concert Hall, but I will say this much, I think you'll go home happy with a step, a hop in your step and a smile, which I think is the most important thing - that you go home with a smile and it is a night out for family and have a bit of craic”.

Tickets for The Marty Party on March 10 are available from uch.ie