Tommy Quaid, who was laid to rest at the age 41 in Effin yesterday, kept goal for the Limerick hurlers for 18 years. It wasn't the most glittering period in the county's history and maybe his performances deserved a better showcase. But he won Munster medals in 1980 and '81, NFL medals in 1984 and '85 and an All Star at the end of his career in 1992.

Eamonn Cregan, currently manager of the Limerick seniors, played with Quaid for eight years as their careers overlapped.

"My first memory," he says, "is of Tommy coming on instead of Paul Kennedy who was injured for a League quarter-final against Kilkenny in the spring of 1976. His selection came out of the blue but he played very well and we knew we had an up-and-coming 'keeper.

"He was an excellent hurler and played outfield for his club Feoghanagh and if you wanted to beat them, you had to stop him scoring. I remember when we (Claughaun) were playing them in a championship match, the fella marking him came off saying, `I never want to go through that again'.

"Tommy was forever young in goal. He never went stale because playing outfield for his club kept him fresh. Goalkeepers are a breed apart. If they make a mistake, everyone remembers it and their confidence has to be superior.

"He said in an interview with Martin Kiely that although he had an All Star, what he had really wanted was an All-Ireland medal. He went on to say that he hoped one day to coach Limerick to an All-Ireland."

That wish came true in poignant circumstances last Saturday in Thurles. The Limerick intermediate team which he had coached all year won a first All-Ireland at any grade for the county since 1987. At halftime, Tommy Quaid passed away in Cork University Hospital where he had been for four days after an accident at work. Players weren't told until afterwards and his young sons, Thomas and Nickie, represented their father at the match.

"Tommy came from a big, extended family," says Eamonn Cregan. "Hurling was in their blood. He's going to be a big loss to everyone."