Limerick hurlers have history in their sights

There are thousands of green and white flags flying in the midwest wind this weekend as Limerick go for an historic four wins in a row - or their fifth All Ireland hurling title in six years, since they broke the 45 year old curse back in 2018.

The local papers and social media are full of the 'Limerick 4 Ever' messages and hashtags, and ‘Go fourth and conquer’ is the timely and apt headline on the local Limerick Leader Newspaper, which has literaly gone big on the green ink this week.

There is no doubting Limerick’s dominance in the past six years after a long famine of victories following their win in 1973, also against Kilkenny, but despite this superiority and skill, there is much anticipation and nervousness also, about going for a fourth win in a row.

At Na Piarsaigh club on the northside of Limerick, they have been busy with 150 young boys and girls attending a GAA Cúl camp all week.

It’s a club which has four players on the Limerick panel this year - Will O’Donoghue, the Casey brothers Mike and Peter, as well as Conor Boylan. And they have had eight club players involved in the team since 2018.

They are also the only Limerick club ever to have won an All Ireland club championship, another emblem of winning ways for them, and the roots of many a young hurlers dream.

Former chairman and club stalwart Timmy O'Connor has been watching those young players as they progressed and developed, many onto county level.

"This is where it all starts," he said.

This is the grassroots level, where you get young boys and girls playing hurling and camogie from an early age, developing their skills and a love of the game, and they hope they can advance to underage, minor and inter-county level.

"I was at the 1973 final when Limerick won,