Mackey, Limerick, and the decade when Hollywood documented the glories of hurling for US cinema

There’s something about the 1930s that sets it apart in the history of hurling, writes Paul Rouse

Partly it is the glamour which attaches itself even to the names of the era: to Lory Meagher and Eudie Coughlan and Mick Mackey, to the ‘Thunder and Lightning Final’, and to ‘The Trilogy’ — the three matches played out by Cork and Kilkenny to decide the 1931 All-Ireland hurling final.

This was the decade when Hollywood films were made documenting the glories of hurling for showing in American cinemas. And it was also the decade when almost every year saw a champion hurling team cross the Atlantic by boat to play exhibition matches in the great cities of America.