‘You have to enjoy all of the days like this’: Limerick and Kilkenny fans relish Croke Park spectacle

Limerick fans relished the spectacle of witnessing a fourth hurling title at Croke Park on Sunday – and are already hungry for more.

New supporters and experienced ones alike braved the rain for Sunday afternoon’s All-Ireland hurling final against Kilkenny.

Jim Butler, a Limerick fan living in Cork, was at the match in the Hogan Stand and said the green and whites didn’t disappoint. He said that although he is “exiled in Cork”, he has been able to “keep the chest out and the shoulders back a bit over the last few years” after successive wins.

“It’s unbelievable to have a team like this, I never thought I would see anything like it. Hopefully they have one or two more All-Irelands in them,” he said.

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“I was a bit concerned about the result in the first half,” he said. “But the one thing I had in the back of my mind was, I might be panicking and people around me in the stand might be panicking, but that team is incredible, they do what they do and they never panic. Being three points down at half-time, Kilkenny threw everything at us and were brilliant, they had a great chance.

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“Funnily enough when Kilkenny got their second goal, Limerick got two or three points on the trot and I thought they would kick on and go up gear. That’s when I started relaxing a bit.”

Paul McElroy, originally from Laois but now living in London, travelled alongside his two sons, Cian and Ciaran, for the decider which saw Limerick win their fourth consecutive Liam MacCarthy Cup.

“We’ve flown over from London, it’s the boys’ first All-Ireland,” said McElroy. The poor weather was “absolutely not” a deterrent, he added. “You have to enjoy all of the days like this.” McElroy said that he had beginner’s luck securing the tickets, saying he was fortunate to find them on Ticketmaster at a late stage.

By contrast, Regina Kiely, from Kilmallock, Co Limerick, said she only secured tickets last Thursday despite being an All-Ireland regular. Kiely travelled to the match alongside her children Harry and Charlie, her sister Karen Scanlon, Scanlon’s daughter Faye and Angela McCarthy, mother of Karen and Regina. “We were here last year in the sweltering heat,” said Ms Kiely, referencing Limerick’s triumph 12 months ago.

“We came up yesterday [Saturday] and had our winning celebrations last night. We’ll head home after the match, Sunday is a school night.”

Given the rain, the family were dressed in green ponchos, Limerick’s colours, bought from the vendors around Croke Park. “The colour was very important,” joked her sister, Kiely. “We had to rummage around the bag until we found the right ones.”

As well as ponchos, bucket hats were the defining fashion feature of the Croke Park crowd. Despite being designed for sunny weather, Kiely said that her Limerick-branded hat had its use on Sunday. “It keeps the rain from dripping down on to my glasses,” she said.

Emma Walsh, from Wexford, said she has come to “every All Ireland in the last five years”. Despite being from Wexford, she supports Kilkenny. “My mam came home from a session in the pub with a Kilkenny flag and I’ve been a fan ever since,” she said. “Dad said don’t get in the paper saying you’re from Wexford but support Kilkenny.”

Walsh is alongside Jack Pearce who is carrying a large stuffed cat upon his shoulders. “That’s Brian Cody,” said Walsh. “I bought him back in 2014 for €50 and he’s been at every match since. I also used to have a chicken called Henry Shefflin.”

Walsh’s mother, Bernie Whelan, said that she used to go to school in the local area and that her sports days were held at Croke Park. “That was years ago,” she said, “before Croke Park was what it is now”.

Back in Kilkenny, those who didn’t travel to Dublin were not showing any outward confidence in the fight to stop opponents Limerick winning four All-Ireland senior hurling final titles in a row, despite Kilkenny having 36 titles of their own.

Kilkenny streets in the city, towns and villages were ghosted by fans who packed pubs, restaurants and hotels to watch the hotly anticipated match, with screams of excitement when Kilkenny scored the first point of the match within a minute of kick-off by Paddy Deegan.

When Kilkenny secured its first goal after six minutes, followed by another point, fans watching the match in O’Driscoll’s bar, husband and wife Declan and Amanda Reddy, smiled saying: “It’s going our way but let’s hope it’s not to early and they lose their energy and focus. Everyone is agreeing it will be a tight game with a final score of two to three points between the sides. Kilkenny are so hungry for a win. They’ve had a drought for too long.”

[ All-Ireland Hurling Final: By the numbers ]

Despite losing, the county still clings tightly to the honour of holding the winning of All-Ireland senior hurling title winners more than any other county in Ireland.

“We may not be loud and exuberant about being in the final but the calm, controlled and calculating mindset is what will win the team and fans another title,” added Noreen Hayes from St Canice’s Parish in the city.

On the other side of the country in Limerick, fans were out early in Pery Square in the city, bedecked in green and with rain ponchos on.

“You can’t have everything the way you want it. The weather is against us but hopefully the result will be favourable to us,” said Thomas Hartigan, who took shelter under a gazebo in the nearby People’s Park.

Hartigan is in his late 40s and for the majority of his life, Limerick’s hurling dominance was not something that he ever expected but he savours it as the good times come.

“John Kiely has done a right job in charge and while we have him, it’s important to remember that we enjoy the success and even the losses that might come. It’s a golden team so celebrate them and what achievements come.”