Reliving Hospital’s finest hour

WE HAD the Haka in Croke Park on Saturday as more history was made at Jones Road with the arrival of the famous All Blacks. Unfortunately, I had to miss the game as I was honouring a commitment to attend a very special function in the Hospital Herbertstown club in Limerick.

That fine club captured a unique double in 1983 — winning the county junior hurling and football titles. Eleven of the players played on both teams — and played on 14 Sundays in succession. The daughter of the famous Jap Ryan, Geraldine O’Donoghue, was the chief organiser and so everybody had a great night. To win both titles in the one year is such a rare achievement at any level.

Who will ever forget when Cork did the double in 1990? Will it ever again happen?

While the celebrations were going on in Limerick, the Ladies All Stars were being honoured in Dublin. With Ladies football and camogie going so well in this country, it’s true to say that young girls in Ireland have better opportunities to partake in sport and get national recognition than in most countries in the world.

It’s great to see this development and, without a doubt, between sponsorship, banquets and top-class matches, the ladies games are going from strength to strength and the leadership of both associations deserve huge credit. Incidentally, both President Geraldine Giles of Ladies Football and Liz Howard, Camogie will be stepping down early next year after very successful terms in office.

Sometimes not enough recognition and support is given to the ladies’ games and, maybe, not enough credit is given to the many ladies playing such a huge part in the GAA.

Women like Geraldine O’Donoghue, Carmela Ryan, Helen Cross, Breda Breen and Marie Halvey are doing massive work for the GAA in Limerick. The same is true in every county and in most clubs. They deserve more recognition.

Also, I noted Limerick county chairman, Liam Lenihan, attended the funeral of rugby player Shane Geoghegan last week. This awful tragedy has angered the nation but sports lovers of every hue feel a special sympathy for Shane’s family, friends and club Garryowen. It was only right that the GAA should be formally represented there and the county chairman did that appropriately. Ar dheis Lámh de go raibh anom Shane.

Lenihan also showed good judgment and courage in appointing Justin McCarthy as the new manager of Limerick hurlers. A lesser man might have shied away from McCarthy due to the manner of his exit from Waterford. But I think Justin can do very well with Limerick. One has only to look at how the Waterford hurlers improved individually and collectively under his tutelage. Hurling is primarily a game of skill and there is no better man than Justin to coach the skills of the game and bring Limerick onto another level after the good work of Joe McKenna and Richie Bennis. This time last year I forecast that Tipperary would be dark horses in 2008. While they didn’t win the All-Ireland, they had a fantastic year.

With McCarthy coaching the boys in green and Dave Mahedy of UL training them, I can see Limerick being a major force next year. We might even see the reemergence of the poster “Limerick Men Do it better” on the road to Newcastlewest in 2009.