Athea hurling again – 2018 All-Ireland legacy felt in west Limerick 

A small rural village just three kilometres from the Kerry-Limerick border, Athea has been a renowned football club in west Limerick. Situated north of the N21 and east of nearby Listowel, it is a picturesque village a healthy distance away from the larger towns of Newcastle West and Abbeyfeale.

With a population of around 500 people, Athea lays claim to Tim Ahearne, a 1908 triple-jump Olympic gold medallist, who represented Great Britain, and Con Colbert, who was executed for his role in the 1916 Easter Rising.

A sole Limerick senior football title in 1968, as well as a final appearance in 2003, underline their love for Gaelic football. However, it is believed that it was the early 1980s since the club last fielded an adult hurling side and the underage was dormant for the bulk of that time.

The uncertainty of exactly when hurling ceased perhaps shows the disconnect with the sport that had been created. Some say 1981, others go back even further, but the reality is that an entire generation have missed their chance to play the sport for their home club.

Those interested in hurling continued with neighbouring clubs, mainly Templeglantine and sometimes Tournafulla, but now Athea are back flying their own flag.

In 2019, following on from Limerick’s Liam MacCarthy breakthrough in August 2018, the new energy was harnessed to restart the underage offering. The bulk of those who started in that nursery aren’t quite eligible just yet but nonetheless, the decision was made to bring a squad together.

The club can call upon five underage teams, and are fielding at U16, while they’ve contested three county finals in Bord na nÓg since they picked up the hurleys once again. The nursery appears key, and that has been steadfast in the eight intervening years.

So, last Sunday evening, after more than four decades in the adult hurling wilderness, Athea took to the field against Castletown-Ballyagran’s second string. It was a Junior C Championship opener, and although the 90kmround trip proved fruitless in terms of a positive result, Athea are back on the hurling map.

A 2-18 to 0-10 defeat won’t deter those in maroon and white, who having not affiliated in the County Leagues in the spring, ramped up training in recent weeks, while also playing some challenge games.

Seán Ryan got their maiden point, and despite coming off second best, there is room for improvement across seven games in Limerick’s ninth tier.

Manager Diarmuid Collins and coach Tommy Denihan have been putting 35 adult players through their paces as they combine the experience, inexperience and lapsed hurling talents together. Some have returned from other clubs while others are virtually new to the sport.

There are simple targets, both long and short-term for this new band of hurlers, “Put out a team, and set the foundations for the future”, explains Collins. Also, though, they want Athea to “become a recognised dual club”, something that only a handful of their neighbours can claim.

Maylim Limited, a London based civil engineering company, funded the nursery in 2019 and once again, their chair, Thomas O’Mahony, was on hand to sponsor the adult jerseys for this season. That company takes its name from Mayo and Limerick – perhaps fitting given the recent successes of both counties.

It is a marvellous success story in a part of a county where football has often been the main infatuation for the majority of communities.

Chairman John Hunt, whose son lined out on Sunday, had a simple view on things, “We’re delighted to be able to promote hurling within our club. It is part of the GAA offering. Hurling is such a fantastic sport – it is like our native language – to be able to give every child the chance, it is great to be able to get them to learn the skills and participate. 

“Our coaches, and their time, is really what makes it.”, he added, as they look to slowly grow their offering. Hunt concluded by stating he is glad the adult team is up and running, after initial reservations about being able to line out within just a few short years of coaching.

So, those who picked up a hurley in the nursey in 2019 now have a team to aim for, with a handful becoming eligible next season.

It is already a record-breaking season for adult hurling on Shannonside — Athea are one of 107 adult hurling teams, a record high for the county.

The Junior B grade has decoupled from the divisional system, there are now four titles available at Premier Junior B and lower – which is likely to create much more meaningful, streamlined competition for those in these grades.

The bulk of the action gets underway this weekend, with all 37 of John Kiely’s All-Ireland winning panel expected to take to the field across the grades. Many of those stars have inspired a club back into action, just one part of a growing legacy from this golden era of Limerick hurling.