Na Piarsaigh stalwart wants to end longest wait

As they face into the unknown this Saturday, an All-Ireland semi-final in Parnell Park against the experienced Loughgiel Shamrocks of Antrim and Ulster, if the young hurlers of Na Piarsaigh need inspiration they don’t have to look very far.

Seven of the side that finished the Munster final replay win over Clare champions Crusheen were U21 but in that replay, as in the equally rugged drawn encounter a week earlier, Shane O’Neill was in the starting 15 for Na Piarsaigh. That same Shane has a tale to tell of dedication, perseverance and overcoming the odds.

It began in 1991, 21 years ago, when Shane was still a minor and lined out alongside his father to win the county title, Na Piarsaigh’s second adult hurling crown. A year earlier the fledgling club, founded in 1968, won its first, the junior A, which saw them win promotion to the IHC. In 1994, Shane now established, Na Piarsaigh won the Limerick IHC title and from that day to this they campaigned at senior level. From that day to this Shane has been an ever-present.