So what does the Limerick hurlers’ special symbol signify?

The mysterious symbol that has featured on the back of Limerick’s jerseys since their opening Munster SHC win over Clare. Picture: Sportsfile

All will be revealed on Sunday, says Declan Hannon about the mysterious symbol that has featured on the back of Limerick’s jerseys since their opening Munster SHC win over Clare.

All will be revealed about the Celtic knot-like if they win, we would suggest. It’s 17 years since defending All-Ireland SFC champions Armagh chose to do something similar but no-one from the group has spoken about it. Until now, that is. But more anon.

That omerta may have had something to do with Tyrone denying them back-to-back titles but the plan had been to explain it.

“Half the mystery which surrounds these things are a myth,” said then Armagh manager Joe Kernan before that year’s final about the circle inside a triangle which featured first on the back of their jerseys which also appeared on their the right sleeves that summer. 

“There is no story to it or I don’t know the story to it. All will be revealed at a later date.”

It’s 17 years since defending All-Ireland SFC champions Armagh chose to do something similar but no-one from the group has spoken about it. Until now...

From Freemasons to simply representing the core values of the group, the theories about the emblem were varied. Even now players are reluctant to speak about it or can’t recall.

Oisín McConville: “Can’t remember.”

Stevie McDonnell: “I’m sworn. I’ll let Joe reveal it.”

So we’ll talk to Joe. “I’ve been waiting on this call for 17 years,” he laughs down the line.

“We wanted to do something that symbolised the unity, that the point of it was the top and together we could reach it.

“We were doing all sorts of things at the time. We had the tight jerseys that made us look fitter and better than we were. A friend of mine (Billy Dixon) is an image consultant and we were thinking of wee things that gave us an edge, a bit of swagger.”

With Des Jennings also on board as sports psychologist, there was plenty of thought put into the symbol. The story goes that each side of the triangle represented a word on an orange and white card, the three of which were sent to each player separately over three weeks. The circle in the middle was the team and it was touching each word.

“We weren’t the only ones doing it - Monaghan for a time had all their players’ names making up the numbers of the back of the jerseys,” highlights Kernan. 

“You wouldn’t have seen that if you weren’t up close but the players knew it was there and it gave them that wee bit of pride and unity.”

But more than anything the fact nobody spilled the beans on the symbol was what matter to Kernan. 

“It was important that the meaning was kept quiet. Any team that leaks won’t win. Any team that can keep it tight together on and off the field can get there. It was important to show ourselves that we had something most other teams didn’t. The fact we kept it secret for so long meant something. The real reason behind it, I won’t tell you,” he laughs again.

The symmetry between then and now is Limerick are just as tight-lipped about the addition to their jersey.

“It’s something that we put there ourselves,” said John Kiely after beating Tipperary last month. 

“It’s not something we will be divulging. It’s something that’s on the jersey for ourselves this year, just given the year that’s in it. Just the group itself.

“It’s just one of those things, so the boys came up with it themselves. It’s just a little bit of a symbol for ourselves and what we stand for this year, and that’s it. Nothing else to it.” 

Asked about it a couple of days later, Gearóid Hegarty was bemused by the attention it had received but was just as coy regarding its origins. 

“A lot of people have been asking about that,” he said. “It’s just a little design that we got created for some values that we stand for. We created it ourselves as the players. We just got it designed. It’s something that we just added to the jersey, just a small thing.

“A lot of people have remarked on it. A little thing to look on as you throw on the jersey. It’s something that you know is there with you. We all know those values, and we all stand for those values. It’s something that we hold very dearly.”

So dearly that mum is the word.