Kieran Shannon: Limerick's greatness reminds us of those who have gone before

Are Limerick now the greatest hurling team of all time? Undoubtedly now they are the greatest team Munster has known and the greatest in Croke Park to hail from that province

HOMECOMING: Cian Lynch with the Liam MacCarthy Cup during the homecoming celebrations of the Limerick All-Ireland Senior Hurling Champions at Pery Square in Limerick. Pic: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

Such is Limerick’s greatness, it causes to recall that of others to grasp just what elite company they now belong.

The last time Kilkenny won the All-Ireland, eight long years ago now, they too trailed by three points at half-time and were lucky for it to be even that close. As Jackie Tyrrell famously told his teammates when they got back into the dressing room, Galway had brought the fight, Galway had brought the war and Kilkenny were “just standing back and letting them roll all over us”.