History made, it was Declan Hannon’s moment to savor it. He was about to enter the record books as the first man to lift the Liam MacCarthy Cup four times. The most decorated hurling captain of all time. The first to send Limerick to a match-3.
and it was the first All-Ireland hurling final to be played in July in temperatures that would give a kiln value for money – although that point was almost incidental in a game melted by the passion and courage of these two sides .
But as the magic of this moment shone in history and hung in the air, the Limerick captain chose to share it before reaching out to grab it.
Cian Lynch should have watched this momentous win from the sidelines after an ankle injury ruled him out. But in the moment of supreme triumph, the Limerick man was propelled from the dejection he’d missed, to a front and center position in his signature back baseball cap, lifting the cup with Hannon.
It was a gesture that did not go unnoticed among the sea of Limerick fans. “Pure class,” said one man in the crowd that followed from Croke Park, while another agreed, “What else would you expect from Hannon?”
It was 29.3°C in Phoenix Park, the meteorologists said, and it can’t be too far behind in Croke Park.
It was a day that would rival the Carnival in Rio. A day for vuvuzelas, for mirrored sunglasses, for denim cut-offs. A day for hats, flags and ice cream cones – everyone seemed to have one and then it turned out that some marketing strategists had been smart enough to give them away for free.
Sisters Eimear Ryan, Paula Donnelly and Emma Donnelly from Ballyneety celebrate Limerick’s win over Kilkenny at Croke Park. Photo: Steve Humphreys
The Limerick fan who had thought it would be a good idea to bring along a giant fuzzy green and white teddy bear seemed to bitterly regret her decision to have such an ever-warm companion on a day like this. to bring along. Even on the walk to Summerhill, well over an hour and a half before the throw-in, a Kilkenny father was already advising his young son about potential disappointment. “Maybe we should settle for whatever we get,” he advised him.
For those harking back to the quiet tradition of September All-Irelands, this strange July pilgrimage to Croker felt like a stifling march across the arid sands of the Gobi Desert. There were complaints, especially among the younger contingent. It was too much for the fans in the black Kilkenny replica 1916 jerseys. The ones in the white Limerick polo shirts fared better.
But as the sun set relentlessly on Hill 16, a blessed breeze blew over the Hogan Stand, and those in the Cusack found relief, too — though at least the circumstances were soon forgotten in the novelty of being back in a full-blown Croke Park. House.
Covid had seen a 50 percent capacity for the final last year and it was far from the same. This was how it was supposed to be—with a blistering sense of anticipation pulsing from the crowd as the Artane Band stood in the corner of the field, poised and motionless, waiting for the pageantry and then the roar that nearly followed Amhrán’s final notes. BhFiann.
Experts had predicted an epic clash, something special from the two best teams of modern times. This felt like even more. From the first Limerick point in the opening two minutes, the stage was set for greatness.
The battle cry of ‘Come on Limerick’ went up in the air
Gearóid Hegarty was like an octopus, scoring a goal after four minutes with the Limerick fans holding each other in ecstasy. Would it be like this? It was – they just didn’t know it yet.
Not that Kilkenny made it easy. The Cats’ claws were fully extended as they fought tooth and nail, coming back again and again, never lagging far behind, always posing a threat.
During halftime, Ukrainian Ambassador to Ireland, Larysa Gerasko, was presented with a special garland decorated in Ukraine’s blue and yellow to symbolize the friendship between our two nations.
Meanwhile, back from what sort of ‘control, Alt, Delete’ adjustments had to be made in the wake of the disastrous breakdown during the football semi-final between Galway and Derry, Hawkeye proved to be vital at least twice.
On the sidelines was the fiercely tense figure of Brian Cody, pacing, always alert, firing directions like a scattergun. If you count reps, this was his 19th senior final, but it could have been his first, he was that focused.
No manager has won more All-Irelands, but what was the point of 11 wins when it was the 12th that was desperately needed to bring Kilkenny back from an unknown famine that has now gone on far too long?
Daniel Ogelsby and Sophia O’Shea from Kilkenny with their friend Thade Shanahan from Limerick after the game in Croke Park. Photo: Steve Humphreys
Twice goals from Billy Ryan and Martin Keoghan helped bring them back up to par.
It was nail-biting and it was tense. Too tense for the Limerick fans who hissed “Jesus Christ” as another Kilkenny point came in and cut the screen at a young fan in the green and white furious gum.
The rallying cry went on “Come on, Limerick” as the score was 0-27 to 0-25 in favor of the Munster men.
If you could have stood still for a moment, you might have appreciated the sight of this beautiful game in fast and furious flow – the pinnacle of how it should be played – but who could? There was too much at stake for that.
However hard they fought, Kilkenny couldn’t get far enough from this evergreen, lithe and vibrant Limerick that seemed serenely immune to the pressure, immune to the scorching temperatures everyone had expected to wreak havoc, and ultimately, immune to a defeat. They made it look effortless.
Everyone dutifully participated Limerick You are a lady but it wasn’t until the cranberries To dream – now, rightly and rightly Limerick’s anthem – it sounded like it was beginning to dawn on me that the three-in-a-row dream had really come true.
Cody held up his hands resignedly. A realized dream was equivalent to another dream being crushed.
Speaking to RTÉ Sport afterwards, Cody described it as “a great battle”, although there may have been a touch of bitterness in his words when he said: “By most people’s predictions, we were not at the level to even have a have a chance of reaching an All-Ireland final. But I think our players just deserve fantastic admiration for the way they fought it.”
Every Kilkenny person should be proud of their achievements, he added.
But the credit goes to Limerick, even though they are planning a four-in-a-row in their dreams.