Limerick sweep Cork aside to join pantheon of hurling giants

This is Limerick’s golden age of hurling. The defending champions reclaimed the Liam McCarthy Cup by visiting a monsoon of scores on their illustrious neighbours Cork on a balmy afternoon in the capital.

They may need to buy another copy of Limerick You’re a Lady to add to the Croke Park in-house LP collection. It could be getting plenty of spins on the loudspeakers in the years to come.

Right now, John Kiely’s team stands in splendid isolation. This is Limerick’s 10th senior hurling All-Ireland and their third in just four seasons. It was an absolute procession, finishing with a record scoring total of 3-32 to 1-22.

“From our perspective it was like trying to stop the tide with a bucket,” admitted Cork manager Kieran Kingston yesterday evening as Treaty cheers rang out across Dublin.

John Kiely: ‘We trusted our own players and focused on what was important to us’

---

Limerick 3-32 Cork 1-22: Limerick player ratings

---

Tone deaf Limerick are suddenly entering all time conversations

---

Kieran Kingston: ‘It was like trying to stop the tide with a bucket’

---

After the icy silence of last December’s closed house All-Ireland final, this felt more like old times. Around Croke Park, familiar noises bounced around the familiar buildings along Dorset Street.

Limerick play a progressive brand of hurling but this engagement has a rich past: the old colours of Cork and Limerick, with its century of entanglements and rivalries and stories.

Past masters

Cork are past masters at these All-Ireland days but returning to a hurling final for just a second time in 16 years, their supporters didn’t try to hide their excitement. Maybe, too, it was the excitement of being out with friends before a big game again. The hurling final was the biggest public gathering since the pandemic started, and the 40,000 ticket holders made their big day out count.

There will be none of the raucous homecoming scenes of normal years but Limerick’s hurling splendour has made the lockdowns and hardships easier for the county.

“Listen, it was great to have the crowd here and many family members and club members,” said Kiely.

“Incredibly great to have that happen and we got a lovely hour where everybody stayed. There’s a lot of babies arrived recently in our camp. It was like a maternity ward there for a while.”

Life goes on. Another hurling championship closes and Limerick are on top still.