Baptism of fire in the blue and gold

RIVERS had been hushed and the countryside burnt brown by the three-week heatwave that showed no sign of easing its fiery grip.

Limerick City’s concrete arteries were choked with a dry dust and tarmac ran like warm treacle where it wasn’t shielded by shade.

Even the mighty Shannon seemed cowed by the blazing sun, the stench that rose up from its exposed bed and banks hanging over the city like a sour shawl.