Shane Dowling to make Limerick return as keeper

The 2014 All-Star and 2018 All-Ireland winner retired in 2020 due to a serious knee injury

Na Piarsaigh goalkeeper Shane Dowling during the 2023 Limerick County Senior Club Hurling Championship final between Na Piarsaigh and Patrickswell at the TUS Gaelic Grounds in Limerick. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

Limerick manager John Kiely has persuaded Shane Dowling to come out of inter-county retirement as he looks to replace injured goalkeeper Nickie Quaid.

The 2014 All-Star and 2018 All-Ireland winning forward stepped away in 2020 due to a serious knee injury but has been playing in goal for Na Piarsaigh the past two seasons.

As Limerick face the daunting task of filling current All-Star goalkeeper Quaid’s boots following his anterior cruciate ligament tear, 31-year-old Dowling will compete with Patrickswell’s Jason Gillane and Conor Hanley Clarke of Kilmallock for the No1 jersey although Quaid is retained in the set-up.

Dowling’s long-range free-taking will be an asset but his shot-stopping has also been noticeable over the past two championship seasons. Against Doon in last year’s senior county semi-final, he kept out four penalties in Na Piarsaigh’s shoot-out victory on their way to the title.

Dowling, who is due to marry fiancée Paula next month, is expected to be on board soon after the official inter-county collective return date on December 7. His last game for Limerick was the 2019 All-Ireland semi-final defeat to Kilkenny when he scored a goal after coming off the bench.

In September of that year, he underwent an operation to address a condition called osteochondroma, an overgrowth of cartilage and bone in his right knee, which had troubled him since 2017.

However, the surgery was not a success and he was forced the following July to call time on his career at the age of 27. A pundit with RTÉ, Dowling was in charge of the Limerick minors this year and his former team-mate and ex-senior selector Donal O’Grady takes over the mantle for 2025.

Dowling is one of six Na Piarsaigh players included in the 46-strong Limerick pre-season panel for 2025. Among those absent include Dowling’s club-mate Conor Boylan and Kilmallock’s Aaron Costello, Oisín O’Reilly and recently-retired Graeme Mulcahy.

LIMERICK (2025 pre-season squad): Declan Hannon (Adare); Dan Morrissey, Tom Morrissey, Evan O’Leary (Ahane); Oisín O’Farrell (Askeaton-Kilcornan Desmonds); Colin Coughlan, Aidan O’Connor (Ballybrown); Sean Casey, Seán Finn (Bruff); Cathal O’Neill (Crecora/Manister); Adam English, Richie English, Barry Murphy, Darragh O’Donovan, Eddie Stokes, Chris Thomas (Doon); William Dore, David Reidy, Cian Scully (Dromin/Athlacca); Nickie Quaid, Fergal O’Connor, Patrick O’Donovan (Effin); Seamus Flanagan (Feoghanagh/Castlemahon); Hugh Flanagan (Garryspillane); Kyle Hayes (Kildimo/Pallaskenry); Micheál Houlihan, Conor Hanley-Clarke, Shane O’Brien (Kilmallock); Darragh Langan, Ronan Lyons, Donnacha Ó Dálaigh (Monaleen); Fintan Fitzgerald (Mungret); Mike Casey, Peter Casey, Shane Dowling, Vince Harrington, Dylan Lynch, William O’Donoghue (Na Piarsaigh); Con Hayes, Ethan Hurley (Newcastlewest); Diarmuid Byrnes, Aaron Gillane, Jason Gillane, Cian Lynch (Patrickswell); Barry Nash (South Liberties); Gearoid Hegarty (St Patrick’s).