Working behind enemy lines creates 'a great atmosphere', says Limerick boss Kiely

Limerick manager John Kiely's day job is principal at Tipperary's Abbey School and enjoys the banter and occasion the local rivilry creates. 

THE DILLON QUIRKE FOUNDATION: At the launch of The Dillon Quirke Foundation fundraising in association with The Circet All-Ireland GAA Golf Challenge at the Clonoulty-Rossmore GAA Club in Tipperary is children from Clonoulty and Rossmore schools, from left, Rian Quinn, aged nine, Scott Wood, aged ten, Hazel Rayn, aged nine and Jamie O'Sullivan, aged eight, with inter-county hurling managers, from left, Henry Shefflin of Galway, John Kiely of Limerick, Darren Gleeson of Antrim, Darragh Egan of Wexford, Pat Ryan of Cork, Davy Fitzgerald of Waterford, Stephen Molumphy of Kerry and Liam Cahill of Tipperary. Picture: Harry Murphy/Sportsfile

John Kiely’s place of work means the build-up and aftermath to Limerick-Tipp championship collisions carry an extra edge. An enjoyable and good-natured edge at that, mind you.

The day job of the Limerick manager, as most are aware, is that of Abbey School principal. The Tipperary town secondary school, as most are aware, sits relatively close to the county border with Limerick.

It’s likely that if you roamed the Abbey corridors this week, you’d find the odd Tipperary jersey floating about the place. And if Liam Cahill’s men manage a first championship victory over the neighbours since 2019 on Sunday, then you’ll find several Tipp shirts floating triumphantly about the place on Monday morning.

“The boys in the school are very capable of having a cut,” quipped Kiely when asked about the practicalities of being based behind enemy lines on a week such as this.

“It’s very good-natured. It’s great banter, and a great occasion. It just creates a great atmosphere around the place.” 

While the Abbey principal will be stationed in the green corner on Sunday, a former pupil of Kiely’s, Johnny Ryan, will be resident in the opposing blue and gold corner.

Ryan, who won an All-Ireland U20 medal under Cahill in 2019, made his first championship start at senior level in Tipp’s Munster opener away to Clare last month. And kept his corner-back spot for the subsequent spin to Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

Kiely says students in the school are constantly being encouraged to take a hurl in their hand. But if sport is not to your liking, the Abbey menu is as broad as it is diverse.

The school’s notoriety is not confined to its hurling personnel, be they past or present.

Back in January, sixth-year pupils Shane O’Connor and Liam Carew won the overall award at the 2023 BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition. It was the first time in more than a decade the award has been won outside of Dublin or Cork.

The winning entry was a study assessing the impact of second-level education on key aspects of adolescent life and development.

A project originally borne out of lockdown, O’Connor and Carew gathered input from 2,500 students and 250 teachers all over the country. The sheer scale and detail of the data collected put their project on the same level as a doctorate degree.

“We have a long tradition of success on the playing field. But we also have had pupils going on to achieve fantastic accolades academically, as well,” Kiely continued.

“Our students have been extremely successful, and it is something we are really proud of. We support the boys in all that they do. The BT young scientist is just another example of how we have helped two guys to chase their dreams.

“It was a really important study. The Department of Education has given them a lot of time in terms of inviting them to meet the minister and department officials, and taking the findings from the study in terms of how it might influence policy within the department. They have listened and are actively listening.” 

While the two boys were busy during pandemic times surveying and studying feedback, Kiely and Limerick were collating All-Irelands.

“I still have people coming to me now saying 'Jesus thanks so much for what ye did during Covid because it kept us going'. For people to say that to you now, three years later, it's an incredible thing.” 

Their unbeaten championship run built up during 2020 and ‘21, and continued on during 2022 and their opener this year was brought to an end by Clare three weeks ago. A first championship defeat in 18 outings.

A dimming of their aura of invincibility?

“I don’t think that [aura] exists in the other camps.” 

The expectation surrounding Kiely’s team was never more pronounced than it was at the throw-in to the 2023 championship. Their cantering to league glory fed talk of a potential six-in-a-row, never mind the fourth consecutive All-Ireland they are currently chasing.

“We don’t allow those narratives to come into our thinking because they are not real. They are just perceptions, opinions and speculation,” Kiely remarked at the recent Dillon Quirke foundation fundraising launch.

“They don’t mean anything really when you are in a battle and need to win a puckout and get some dirty ball. It doesn’t make any difference, you have to fight for every single ball, every score. That’s where our focus is.” 

That’s where their focus has to be. A Cork win over Clare in Ennis followed by a Tipp victory in Thurles would send Kiely and Limerick packing from the championship this weekend.

In that instance, the Tipp jerseys will be out in force come first class at the Abbey on Monday morning.