Gearóid Hegarty: 'There is a lot more to life outside of hurling'

A five-time All-Ireland winner with Limerick, Gearóid Hegarty and the Treaty county have once again reached the business end of the hurling season.

After adding another Munster title to their tally, Limerick now play the waiting game ahead of their All-Ireland semi-final on July 7th.

For Hegarty, the three-time All-Star winner values the success Limerick have had over the years, and knows it will not last forever.

"The last few years have been so enjoyable, none more so than this year. This year has been, again, another brilliant year for us.

"We have so many great memories. After the Munster final again this year, we had a couple of great days enjoying ourselves. If you don't enjoy it, what are we doing here?

"The enjoyment for us is so so important. You have your couple of days, and then you are looking forward to going back training. After a day or two you are thinking 'I can't wait to go back training again', meeting the lads and preparing for the next day.

"That is how the year has flown so fast. You are just in that zone constantly when you are constantly trying to get better and enjoying yourself."

The 29-year-old knows what is required at this stage of the season to get over the line in vital moments of the season.

Should they go on to claim the Liam McCarthy Cup again this year, John Kiely's men will make history as the first team to win five All-Ireland hurling titles in a row.

However, with the benefit of experience, Hegarty says he now tries not to worry about the game as much, and says the Covid pandemic opened his eyes to not worry about the small things.

"I think Covid was a massive thing in terms of seeing the bigger picture. There is a lot more to life outside of hurling, and that is something that I