Diarmuid Lyons and Andrew Lyons, right, of Scoil Mhuire agus Íde, Newcastle West, Limerick, ahead of their Masita All-Ireland Post Primary Schools C Hurling Final against Boyne CS Trim, Meath, during the Masita All-Ireland Post Primary Schools Finals Captains Call at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile.
By John Harrington
The presence of Scoil Mhuire agus Íde, Newcastle West, in Friday’s Masita GAA Post Primary Schools Michael Cusack Cup (Senior C Hurling) Final suggests the rising tide of Limerick hurling is lifting all boats.
The school draws its players from the traditional football heartland of West Limerick, but in recent years hurling has gotten stronger and stronger in clubs like Newcastle West, Feohenagh-Castlemahon, Monagea, St. Kieran’s, Knockaderry, and Tournafulla.
It’s clear Limerick’s continued success since winning the 2018 All-Ireland Final has really risen the profile of hurling throughout the county, not just in the traditional hurling areas
Scoil Mhuire agus Íde manager, Kevin O’Brien, very much from a hurling stronghold himself as a leading player with Patrickswell, has been struck by the changing demographics in the county
“I definitely see the domino effect of the success the Limerick county team has had,” he says.
“In clubs like my own club Patrickswell it's always been there and you take it for granted but there has been parts of Limerick that didn't have hurling clubs that actually do now.
“That's happened since the breakthrough of the Limerick senior hurlers and it's been great to see.
“I actually did my placement in Newcastlewest before I went back there, and even the change since I did my placement until now in terms of the interest in hurling has definitely been significant.
“There's still a lot of work to do to climb up through the grades but hurling is definitely on the right path in that part of the county.”
The Scoil Mhuire against Íde, Newcastlelwest hurling team.
Scoil Mhuire against Íde boast some very promising individuals who have already represented their county such as Diarmuid Lyons, Patrick Cagney, Fionn Meehan, Diarmuid Mullaney, and Gavin Dorgan, but it is the collective work-ethic of the entire group that has been the key to reaching Friday’s Final.
“The most positive thing has been that we have 42 lads on the panel and they've all really bought into it and gelled together as a group,” says O’Brien.
“We've two teams in the Limerick colleges competitions and our 'B' team had a good win there recently. It's been a big squad effort and I feel like all 42 of them have developed and come on which is great.
“Most of the team is there again next year. 13 of the starting 15 in the Munster Final are all eligible again next year so we probably weren't envisaging this level of success this year.
“It just came from a pure buy-in and a push from the lads. We scraped through the group stages where we won one, drew one, and lost one, but we've gotten on a bit of roll since and the year really took off.”
Whatever happens in Friday’s Final against Boyne CS, Trim, O’Brien is hopeful that the foundations are now in place in the school to raise their standards more and more in the coming years.
“We're hoping that will push on the first years and the second years coming in and looking at it and seeing it," he says. "If they can see it ahead of them then they can aspire to it themselves.
“What we're ultimately trying to do is create a hurling school in West Limerick that people can come to and play the game at a high level, so we want to push up the grades.
“From what I can see and from my own experience, hurling at schools level can give lads an extra chance to make county panels and that sort of thing. Ultimately that's a goal for us, to get more lads playing for Limerick.”
Friday, March 14
Masita GAA Post Primary Schools Michael Cusack Cup (Senior C Hurling) Final
Scoil Mhuire & Ide Newcastle West v Boyne Community School, Trim, Banagher 1pm.
You can watch a live stream of the match here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WL9dAgNiQg
