Limerick’s Graeme Mulcahy has announced his intercounty retirement. The 34-year-old forward made his debut in 2009 and spent many years playing off-Broadway with Limerick before they became hurling’s standout performers.
Mulcahy was the longest-serving player on Limerick’s 2024 panel and made 65 senior championship appearances over his 16-year intercounty career.
He experienced the lows of the 2010 season, when a player strike cast a cloud over the Treaty county, but Mulcahy was also central to the county’s glorious All-Ireland triumph in 2018, the county’s first senior success since 1973.
The second stage of his Limerick career was medal-laden and he walks away with five All-Ireland senior titles, seven Munster senior hurling championships and three National Hurling Leagues.
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Still, the Kilmallock clubman looks back at the 2018 breakthrough success as the pinnacle of his days in green and white.
“After 16 seasons, I have decided that the time is right for me to announce my retirement from intercounty hurling,” said Mulcahy.
“To have been entrusted to represent Limerick by the numerous management teams and sharing the dressingroom with all my past and current team-mates has been a great honour. I leave with fantastic memories, lifelong friends and an immense pride in what we have achieved.
“The highlight of my playing career was undoubtedly being a part of the team that ended the 45 years wait to bring the Liam MacCarthy Cup back to Limerick.
“Coming back to the county with the cup is something I will treasure forever. I will always be very grateful to John (Kiely) and his management team for allowing me to play a part in that.”
Mulcahy had struggled to nail down a starting spot in recent years but was regularly introduced off the bench by Limerick manager John Kiely.
He started their 2020 All-Ireland final win over Waterford, came off the bench in the 2021 victory over Cork, lined out from the off in the 2022 decider triumph over Kilkenny and was introduced as a sub against the Cats in the 2023 final.
During the 2024 championship, Mulcahy featured against Tipperary in the Munster round-robin and also appeared late on in Limerick’s provincial final victory over Clare.
Mulcahy paid a special thanks to his family, including wife Laura and their two daughters, as well as his local club and the wider community in Kilmallock.
In his pomp, Mulcahy’s trickery and score-taking abilities made him one of the most threatening forwards in the game and over the course of his career he scored 10-83.
And yet, speaking in 2021, Mulcahy admitted there were periods before all the glory arrived when he feared the mountain top of the small-ball code would remain out of reach for him.
In particular, after a disappointing campaign in 2017 during which Limerick’s championship amounted to two defeats – against Clare and Kilkenny – Mulcahy wasn’t sure what the future held.
“For me personally, I think I was taken off against Clare at half-time and only featured against Kilkenny for maybe five minutes,” he recalled at the time.
“So definitely after that year and just reflecting on that year, certainly I thought that maybe things mightn’t happen for me and that this might be the end of my intercounty career.”
But after talking to Kiely during that off-season, Mulcahy spent the winter rehabbing a groin problem and returned the following year in fighting shape. He scored 1-2 in the 2018 All-Ireland final and finished the season as a Liam MacCarthy winner and All Star.
Kiely and his back room team paid tribute to Mulcahy, adding to the statement released by Limerick GAA: “The Limerick Senior Hurling Management want to express our appreciation to Graeme for his 16 years of service to the Limerick Senior Hurling team.
“He was a tremendous example to those around him by way of his commitment, dedication and relentless work rate on and off of the field.
“Graeme wore the jersey with pride and distinction throughout his amazing career. His leadership in the dressingroom and desire to always put the team first were aspects that most never get to see but without which a team cannot be successful.
“Graeme leaves with a catalogue of wonderful achievements and memories that he can savour for years to come with Laura, Róise and Aislinn.”
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