Bale of a time: Limerick fan makes hay with cheeky challenge to Cork

Hurling-mad dairy farmer Roger Mulqueen has become famous for his towering hay and silage displays in his roadside fields in Crean outside the town of Bruff over the last four years

Roger Mulqueen and his dog Rosie from Bruff takes a pop at Cork with his van and hay bale montage. Picture: Brendan Gleeson

A Limerick farmer arranged his own giant bales this week in a cheeky hurling montage suggesting Cork will need a traffic-stopping incident to prevent Limerick from lifting the Liam MacCarthy Cup.

In a nod to the bale chaos which caused huge tailbacks on the M7 and forced the Limerick v Waterford semi-final to be delayed, a picture of Cork’s goalkeeping pundit has been positioned in the front seat of a van with a straw bale strapped to the roof emblazoned with the slogan Donal Óg Transport 211-C-1.

Along the side is the teasing strapline in red marker: ‘The Only Way To Beat Limerick’.

A big blue M7 sign and a 20-ft-high silage bale figure of Limerick all-star back, Sean Finn, completes the spoof in the field of Limerick farmer Roger Mulqueen.

The hurling-mad dairy farmer has become famous for his towering hay and silage displays in his roadside fields in Crean outside the town of Bruff over the last four years.

Lucky omen

He believes the humorous displays are a lucky omen for the team.

“I said I had to because every time we’ve done it, they’ve won, it’s like a superstition at this stage.

“This is our third time. We didn't do it in 2019 because they didn't get to the final, but we did it last year and in 2018."

He said he was getting “writer’s block” this year until the internet was flooded with memes on the straw bale chaos. 

“Everyone I know seemed to be caught up in the straw delay last so the whole idea came from that", he said.

“Donal Óg is always a bit of craic on the Sunday game so we put his photo inside the front of the van.

“There were [memes] going around during the week that John Mullane was driving the lorry and Liam Sheedy was pushing off the bales, and then Donal Óg also mentioned the bales on the Sunday Game so that’s where it came from.

“It's all quality banter.” 

And the display on the road from Bruff to Croom in Limerick is already stopping traffic.  “We had a crowd from Milford in Cork taking photos, they got a great laugh off it.

“The Cork crowd would take it with a bit of humour, we’re not that far from the border here.”

Limerick superfan Hammy Dawson in the grounds of his GAA club, St Patrick's. Picture Liam Burke/Press 22

Meanwhile, Limerick 'superfan' Hammy Dawson, 47, who has been attending Limerick hurling matches since he was in short pants, says Sunday’s clash at Croke Park will be the Shannonsider’s best performance yet.

'Dream team'

Dawson says he witnessed “a lot of bad days” on the terraces down the years, but finally Limerick has a “dream team” of hurlers that can deliver back-to-back All-Ireland titles.

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As expected, Limerick City and county is awash with green and white flags, bunting, jerseys, teddy bears and painted cars, in support of the current hurling champions.

Soaking up the atmosphere ahead of Sunday’s All-Ireland Final, Dawson says there is no doubt as to who will bring home the Liam McCarthy cup. 

Limerick will win. I’ve seen all the bad days, I can remember going to games when there were 30 or 40 supporters, but this team are different, they attract a crowd, they're magical.” 

“Having followed them for years all over the country in bad times, just makes the current Limerick team’s success sweeter – this team has made up for all the disappointments we’ve had all down the years, following this team is like a dream come true.” 

Despite Cork’s powerful performances to get to Croker on Sunday, Dawson is adamant Limerick will leave the Leesiders second best on Sunday, and that “Limerick You're a Lady will be heard all over the place”.