Spirits lifted as Thomond lights up the night

THE recession was given a rest in Limerick last night as thousands of Irish and French rugby fans saturated the city for Munster’s first Heineken Cup game at the new €40 million Thomond Park.

The home of Munster rugby opened its gates to a full capacity 26,000 having had two warm-up games with restricted crowd numbers.

French side, Montauban’s fans gave an international touch to a truly international venue.