Good people have powered the rise of Limerick football 

Limerick football is now in an entirely different place. Why and how has this happened, and what can others learn from it?

30 April 2022; Brian Donovan of Limerick, 11, celebrates with teammates after their victory in the penalty shoot-out of the Munster GAA Senior Football Championship Quarter-Final match between Clare and Limerick at Cusack Park in Ennis, Clare. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

When Limerick travelled to Thurles to face Tipperary in the 2019 Munster Championship, they did so off the back of a league campaign which had seen them finish seventh in Division 4, having won just two games (against London and Waterford). 

There are well documented issues with players not wanting to commit and a near calamity before the 2018 clash with Clare when manager Billy Lee threatened to forfeit after a player had not been included on the matchday panel registered with Croke Park. They hadn’t won a championship game since victory over Antrim in the qualifiers in 2016, and so it seemed unlikely that the record would change on that day.