Yesterday's final group matches took the total attendance for the ten Munster SHC round-robin matches to 270,723.
This eclipsed last year's previous benchmark of 266,684 by 4,039 – an even more impressive number considering Waterford's two home games returned to the new-look Walsh Park this year, with fewer than 24,000 in attendance for the visits to Cork and Tipperary.
In contrast, last year Waterford's two 'home' matches against Limerick and Clare were played at the much larger FBD Semple Stadium and attracted a combined attendance of 34,587 – over 10,000 more than this year's Deise tally.
Despite the Walsh Park factor, the overwhelming PR success of the Munster Championship has continued unabated.
And it looks like new records for attendances and tickets will be broken on Sunday, June 9, when Limerick and Clare resume the Munster finals for the third successive season.
Last year's decider brought 43,756 people to the TUS Gaelic Grounds, bringing the total attendance for the 2023 Munster SHC to 310,440.
The permitted capacity of Semple Stadium for this year's final is likely to be around 44,000, as the clash between Tipp and Cork there last Sunday attracted 43,972 spectators.
Another full house in Thurles would take the total attendance for 2024 to somewhere between 214,000 and 215,000 – a new Munster record.
Last year's Munster GAA accounts showed the 2023 provincial SHC receipts were €5,391 million.
Now that attendance totals have increased slightly and ticket prices have also risen (general booth tickets for round-robin games have increased to €30), that total appears to be beaten as well.
The only caveat concerns calculations regarding how many OAP, student and youth tickets were sold at significantly lower prices this year.
In parallel with Limerick's quest for a record five straight All-Ireland appearances this year, John Kiely's team are also aiming to become the first county to win six consecutive Munster crowns.
Their red-hot rivalry with Clare has fueled public interest in the competition and serves as a positive antidote to spectator apathy elsewhere in some of the less successful provincial championships.
For example, Dublin's total dominance of Leinster football has led to a dramatic drop in attendances.
Their three provincial appearances this year, against Meath, Offaly and Louth in the final, were all hosted by Croke Park and recorded a combined attendance of just 66,515 – in stark contrast to Leinster's heyday when Dublin regularly came close to filling the GAA headquarters came, with its capacity of 82,300, for Leinster finals and even some semi-finals.
2024 Munster SHC visitors
Clare v Limerick (Cusack Park): 20,055
Waterford v Cork (Walsh Park): 11,973
Cork v Clare (SuperValu Páirc Uí Caoimh): 36,814
Limerick v Tipperary (TUS Gaelic Grounds): 33,475
Waterford v Tipperary (Walsh Park): 11,966
Cork v Limerick (Páirc Uí Chaoimh): 41,670
Clare v Waterford (Cusack Park): 19,893
Tipperary v Cork (FBD Semple Stadium): 43,972
Limerick v Waterford (Gaelic Grounds): 31,487
Tipperary v Clare (Semple Stadium): 19,418
Total (10 games): 270,723
Average attendance: 27,072