Old rivals spark Houlihan memories

It’s not as storied as Tipperary and Cork but within Munster hurling circles Limerick versus Clare has a resonance all its own.

Adjoining counties that have built up a rivalry over decades of fraught meetings.

The 1990s were probably the peak years. A decade in which they shared five Munster titles (Clare with three; 1995, ’97 and ’98, Limerick with two; ’94 and ’96). A decade also in which Kilmallock’s own Mike Houlihan was right at the centre of all the action, a powerhouse in midfield.