Tag Archives: Epic hurling

Cork versus Limerick, July 29

Aug
01
2018
by Brendan Ó Sé | Comments Off

It is time again to allow yourself dream. To dream that this year is going to be the year that sees that Liam McCarthy trophy come home. The year that your beloved hurlers will conquer all-comers and emerge triumphant in August.

That was my dream as I set out on this photography project back in the month of May.

Cork and Limerick fans in Hill 16

Sitting in the Hogan Stand in Croke Park on Sunday with 7 minutes to go in normal time of the All-Ireland Semi-Final against Limerick I am dreaming. Dreaming of an All-Ireland Final in 3 weeks. Dreaming a gap of 13 years without Cork winning the Liam McCarthy being bridged. Then Limerick begin to claw Cork back; point by point over the next 10 minutes. With each of these points the dream is distancing. The momentum has swung. Limerick sense Cork are dead on their feet. The Limerick crowd in Croke Park sense it. Cork cannot get a hold of the game.

Daniel Kearney hobbling off

1 minute over the regulation 70 and Aaron Gillane pulls Limerick level. The score stands at 1-26 a piece. Anthony Nash pucks out. Cork’s Robbie O’ Flynn fields the ball and turns. Racing towards the Limerick goal he sees his captain, Seamus Harnedy calling for the ball. A hand pass in and Harnedy has to jump to control it, but he has the ball in his hand. He takes two steps and readies himself to strike the ball home and put the game beyond Limerick. Three Limerick players line the goal. The ball leaves Harnedy’s hand and he pulls his hurley back to lash it. The sliotar seems to stop in time and space and another hurley, that of Limerick’s goalkeeper Nicki Quaid in flight, stretches across from the right of the goal across Harnedy’s body and bats the sliotar away. Harnedy’s swing continues but there is no ball there to be met. The chance has gone. Limerick work the ball out and up the field to Pat Ryan. Damien Cahalane fouls him on the left-hand side of the square. Limerick have an easy free in front of Hill 16. An easy free to go 1 point up in the final minute of added on time. The dream looks dead. Aaron Gillane taps it over. Limerick lead by a point and there is 73.10 on the clock. Nash knows his puck out will lead to the last chance for Cork to rescue the game. He pucks out. Lehane gathers the ball for Cork on the 70 yard line under the Cusack Stand. The referee sees a foul and Cork have a chance to level the game. Pat Horgan comes out. Stands over the ball. Stoops and rises and in one movement pops the ball over the bar. The teams are level again. And we head into extra time.

I breathe.

Limerick’s John Kiely orchestrating things from the sideline

For me, the two 10-minute periods of extra time had an inevitability about it. I felt Limerick would not be beaten. Cork had seen their best players go off injured. Limerick’s subs made a monstrous contribution. And it came to pass. Limerick powered through Cork in the end and were fully deserving of their victory. The hurlers of Limerick and Cork left everything they had on that sod of Croke Park. Cork left their tears too. The roar of the Limerick crowd when the final whistle went is still echoing in the stands. Limerick had every right to rejoice. Cork will have a lot of questions to mull over in the dark winter months ahead. As Joe Cole, a Cork fan, said to me before the first Cork game of the championship: “‘Winter is sad until we get going again in summer.’  The summer of 2019 seems so distant now, but the dream goes on. For Limerick, the dream is alive. In a little over two weeks they will come to Croke Park again. This time they will play for the biggest prize in hurling. I believe they will win it.

Limerick and Cork teams

Sunday’s match was not the easiest for me. First there was the rain. A lot of rain. Not what you want when you were are not dressed appropriately for it and not what you want when you want to stop and engage with fans on their way to the game. At the best of times, stopping fans on their way to the stadiums is not the easiest of things to do. Usually there is a convoy of people making their way along the footpath or road to the game. Stopping them can result in holding up those coming behind. In fairness, the people I have met have all been so patient and supportive. Sunday was a little trickier. The rain was bucketing down for a good hour before the match. I didn’t feel comfortable stopping people in the rain to get their photographs. 

“I used to go to all the games. I’m De Chief. I used to have an Indian headdress.” “I’m not going to the match today. I just came up for the atmosphere. I’ll watch it with some buddies in The Shakespeare.” Cork super fan Ger ‘De Chief’ Feehan.

Ger ‘De Chief’ Feehan

These two neighbours go to all the matches together. “Pa loves to dress up and sure why not. He looks great. Look at those shoes.” Liam Goodwin told me. “Beating Kilkenny was like winning the lottery for me. Better! Everything is possible now. We got them off our back.” Pa Buckley said. 

The Dalton family from Limerick. “What’s the best thing? I asked. The buzz; the thrill of it all!” The father Paddy told me. “We always go as a family. Always have. It’s what we do.”

Two Cork supporters, Tom McCarthy and John O’ Connor. “We grew up in Millstreet. It was football all day long, but that’s changing now. Before there’d be no players from there on the Cork team, but now sure we’ve Mark Ellis.”

Tom McCarthy and John O’ Connor

“I just live five minutes away. Ya, it’s great. I get discounted tickets and I can cycle to the games.” “Can we make the story that you cycled up from Limerick? I asked. “If you want to, ya.!” Local teacher Rob Griffin is a teacher who lives in the Croke Park area.

Rob griffin

Cork fans dressed for the rain

 

Limerick fans – No more about it!

Fans on their way to Croke Park

Fans on the way to Croke Park

Throughout this project I have never hidden the fact that Cork hurling means everything to me. I am not impartial in any way. I admire and respect all counties and am happy for the wonderful Limerick fans I have met on the way. When I was in the tunnel of the Gaelic Grounds in June I loved that they had murals depicting the greats of Limerick hurling down the years, but it really struck me that it was so long since they had won an All-Ireland. 45 years. Many fine Limerick teams and players have come and gone in that time and many times they got close to bringing Liam McCarthy Shannonside again, but didn’t. I have a feeling this is their year. I really hope that they have not peaked and that they can reach an even higher level in the final. They play a great brand of hurling. Dynamic, skilful and powerful hurling. It would be great to go to the Gaelic Grounds in 2019 and see new murals on the tunnel walls of this young Limerick team with the Liam McCarthy trophy.

I have loved following the rebels this year. There were some glorious days. Sure, last Sunday was a bitter disappointment, but I am immensely proud of the team and the management. They gave it all they had.  They played some blistering hurling along the way and while the manner of losing a 6-point lead on the home stretch will cause anguish, I am sure that will come back stronger, better for the experience. The dream lives on. Here’s to 2019. Here’s to number 31. Rebels Abú!

We’ll be back!

 

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Clare versus Galway: July 28

Jul
31
2018
by Brendan Ó Sé | Comments Off

I arrive in Croke Park for Saturday’s Clare and Galway All-Ireland Hurling Semi-final with 30 minutes to go before the 5 pm throw in. 16 minutes past 5 Clare find themselves on the wrong side of a 1-7 to 0-1 scoreline. It looks like this game will be over by half-time. Fast forward to 22 minutes past 7 and the stadium is still full and an incredible scoreline of 1-30 each has been reached by the two teams after two ten-minute periods of extra time. How this happened I do not quite know. In that first 16 minutes an imperious Galway have one foot in the All-Ireland Final. Clare have one foot on the bus home to Ennis with the 2018 championship over for them. Then the Clare management team of Donal Moloney and Gerry O’Connor shuffle their pack. They pull Colm Galvin back as a sweeper and Clare steady. They see out the half well and the 9 points lead Galway had is cut to 4. We have a match. Clare seem to have learnt from their Munster Final defeat to Cork when the Cork team left Clare wait in the heat while they regroup at halftime. Galway are out on the pitch of Croke Park for a good 5 minutes before Clare reappear. 10 minutes later it looks like Galway can pull away from Clare again as they go into a 5-point lead, but this Clare side are resilient and within 4 minutes they have drawn level. With 20 minutes to play the game can go either way. Galway edge ahead a number of times as the game heads towards the final whistle, but each time when they look to be building up a lead, Clare come back. On 67 minutes Galway are 3 points up, leading by 1-23 to 0-23. The game reaches its 73rd minute and Galway are ahead by 1. Clare win a free. Could they possibly bring this game to a replay? Clare’s Peter Duggan makes it look easy. Galway 1-23 Clare 0-26.  A draw.

My ball!

Fans start to stream out of Croke Park. Where are ye going? Where are ye going? People shout at the departing fans. There’s extra time. No replay? No! Two ten-minutes of extra time will be played. Wow! 15 minutes later the teams are back out on the pitch. These two sides have given it their all and they are asked to do it again for another 20 minutes plus. Galway outscore Clare by 3 points to 1 in the first half of extra time. The score is 1-26 to 0-27. Again it looks like Galway will see this out and make their second All-Ireland final in a row. The second half begins and the sun disappears and the rain begins to bucket down. Within 30 seconds Aron Shanagher reaches high for a ball around the Galway square, catches it, takes a couple of steps back and sweetly strikes the ball home. Clare lead for the first time in the match. What can Galway do now? 3 minutes pass and the Galway crowd must be fearing the worst as their main man Joe Canning limps off. Clare lead. Galway bring it back to a 1-point game. There are 4 minutes left. 1 minute later it’s level again. We have 3 minutes of extra time. Will there be a winning score? Johny Coen of Galway thinks he has it won for Galway when he hits their 30th point of the game, but in the dying seconds Clare mount an attack and their final substitute Jason McCarthy knows he has the hopes of his whole county resting on his shot. The stadium erupts. The saffron and blue of Clare lights up the stadium. On the puck out the referee James Owens blows his whistle. I sit back in my seat, exhale and immediately my thoughts go to the game coming up tomorrow. Could it possibly be as good as this? It was, but that’s a story for another day.

These guys will meet again next Sunday in Thurles

This was my first trip to Croke Park on this project. The recent heatwave had ended and the forecast was for rain for the weekend. Heading up O’ Connell Street at about 3 o’ clock, I bumped into two young fellas wearing their county colours. Cathal Lowry from Galway and Joe Costello from Clare. The two lads share a house in Limerick and have been giving each other hell leading up to yesterday’s match. “Will ye support whoever wins today’s match in the final? I asked them. Not a hope. No way. They replied. Limerick. Will support them if they get through tomorrow. Where are ye heading in the stadium? The Hill! Hill 16 is where the real craic is.’ 

Cathal Lowry and Joe Costello

Mary Haynes and Roger Carey must have thought I was crazy when I jumped out in front of them outside The Gresham Hotel on O’ Connell Street to get a photo. “What part of Clare are ye from? I asked. I’m not from Clare! I am a Galway woman. Mary told me showing me her Galway colours.  What will the house be like with only one side winning? I asked. Oh, it might be a bit quiet, Roger said. Then again, it mightn’t. ‘We’ve a 20 Euro bet on today’s match.’ Mary told me. I wonder will they double it up for next Sunday’s replay.

Roger Hynes from Clare and Mary Hynes from Galway

‘Lads, I think ye are a day early, no? “We thought we could get into this match and hide somewhere until tomorrow’s one starts, said Kieran Lowe from Charleville in County Cork. He was there with his buddy Colm O’ Shea from Bruree County Limerick. “We’d go to a lot of matches together, Colm said, but tomorrow’s is special. Anything to wind each other up and sure there’s nothing better than a local rivalry. ‘Will ye support each other’s team after tomorrow?  I asked. God, no! said Kieran. Damn right, agreed Colm, sure where’s the fun in that?”  “I’d love to see Limerick win it if we don’t I said. No, no, no!’ said Kieran.

Kieran Lowe and Colm O’ Shea

“The first match I remember going to was probably the best one. I was at the 1980 All-Ireland final. The one with Joe Connolly’s great speech?, I said. Ya, that was the one. What a game to start with. I just wish all of them could have been like that.’ Steve McKieran told me. ‘We are bringing little Allie to her first match today. Hopefully she will bring us luck. Do ye think ye need luck today? I asked. You always need luck. Steve said. “What is it about going as a family?’ I asked. Ah sure it’s a great day out and it brings us all together. 

The McKieran family from Galway

“Oh we do hold it against her! We waited 28 years for Galway to win and she arrives on the Friday of the All-Ireland!” joked Tracey Gill about her beautiful little daughter, Orna.

Tracey Gill and her beautiful little daughter, Orna.

“Get that ball in our hand as quick as it’s thrown in and take the game to them. We need a good start. And a good end too.” Mick McNamara told me.

Mick McNamara

Tom McGrath, Michael Caslin and Noel Kelly

A Tipp man, a man from Roscommon and another from Waterford at the Clare Galway game last Saturday. The three friends – Tom McGrath, Michael Caslin and Noel Kelly – see the games as an opportunity to meet up during the year. “We might not see each other for months but when there’s a game on in Dublin we make sure to get together.”

And so it goes on. What a championship this has been. The next blog post will tell of heartbreak for me. I was absolutely devastated to see my beloved Rebels crash out to Limerick. But the project goes on; the championship goes on. I cannot wait to be in Thurles again this Sunday. I bet the hurlers and fans of Clare and Galway cannot wait either.

Joe Canning sideline cut

 

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