Clare v Limerick: The 10 spikes in the counties' recent rivalry
Adam English of is tackled by Darragh Lohan during the Munster SHC match in Ennis. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
It’s been four years in the making – four years too long – but finally Clare and Limerick get to dance in Croke Park.
Ever since that excellent 2022 Munster final, people have been yearning for a face-off in Dublin and it has eventually arrived albeit not in an All-Ireland final nor the last leg of the fabled trilogy.
Still, there should be enough previous between the counties to expect some fireworks. We present the 10 spikes in Clare and Limerick’s recent rivalry:
It was felt in Clare that evening show’s coverage of the 2022 extra-time Munster final contributed to the retrospective one-game bans issued to Duggan and Hayes.
After referee John Keenan confirmed to the Central Competitions Control Committee that he had not seen the incidents involving the pair with Seamus Flanagan and William O’Donoghue, the body proposed sanctions, which were later overturned on a technicality.
Dowling, along with Brendan Cummins, was on the panel that reviewed the flashpoints and Clare GAA wrote to to complain about the coverage.
Brian Lohan later denounced it as biased. Dowling received considerable online abuse following the programme.
Tipperary GAA’s decision to give up home advantage for their minors’ All-Ireland final last Saturday evoked memories of the 2023 Munster final when Clare handed Limerick home advantage and proposed the Gaelic Grounds host it instead of Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
Both decisions ultimately didn’t work as Tipperary went down as did Clare.
It was an interesting psychological move by Lohan just as Limerick’s was to plaster the pitch-facing side of the Mackey Stand roof with the mysterious symbol on their jerseys.
“As Limerick supporters called for full-time, two Clare players – Tony Kelly and Adam Hogan – were blatantly fouled in front of Liam. Peter Casey was fortunate not to pick up a heavy sanction for ploughing into the back of Kelly.”
That was Brian Gavin’s assessment of the end of the 2023 Munster final, which Limerick won by a point. Clare felt aggrieved.
“We've always found it hard to get frees,” claimed Lohan. “We just don't have the power and influence that other teams have.”
Referee Liam Gordon wasn’t appointed again in that championship.
Silence is golden these days or else the ball will be brought forward 30 metres but in the 2019 league game John Kiely felt their questioning of frees cost them whereas Clare did not.
“On four occasions they remonstrated and the ball wasn’t brought forward and on four occasions we remonstrated and it was brought forward. That was a bit of an issue, I think.”
For one season – 2023 – Limerick’s current strength and conditioning coach Adrian O’Brien, father of Shane, filled the same position in Clare.
He was hardly a double agent but there had been fear and suspicion in The Banner County about his presence around the group. O’Brien joined his native county’s senior set-up in late 2024.
Peter Casey and Tony Kelly were fortunate not to be sent to the line after high hurleys into the faceguards of Jack O’Neill and Adam English. Diarmaid Byrnes was dismissed for a rough tackle on Kelly, which prompted four Clare players to surround him.
Thomas Walsh was the referee. He’s in charge again on Sunday.
After Adam Hogan was black carded for a foul denying the Limerick forward a goal-scoring opportunity in May’s Munster SHC meeting, Lohan, not for the first time, claimed Clare were hard done by on that count compared to other counties.
“I don’t think Tipperary have ever got a black card. Or Limerick have got one, I think. Zero, maybe one. So it’s a difficult rule for us.”
In championship, Limerick have received two to Clare’s three.
The double yellow card dismissal of Gearóid Hegarty in the 2022 Munster SHC group game drew ire in Limerick as it was felt Aaron Fitzgerald’s delayed reaction was deemed to have convinced match officials to issue Hegarty with a second booking. Fitzgerald later revealed he was subject to death threats.
At their All-Ireland SHC medal presentation in Dromoland Castle in January of last year, Lohan addressed the three consecutive Munster final defeats to Limerick.
“It was just a case that ‘Right, we lost but we’re not losers and if we keep at it and maintain that resilience we will get there.’”
The idea that 2024 was a flash in pan, as selector Ken Ralph referenced last year, has riled Clare.
Seamus Flanagan 2023, Aaron Gillane by two in ’24… Clare should have been out the gap in the round game in Ennis two years ago and the Flanagan goal didn’t prevent them winning the group fixture in Limerick the year before, but they have fallen foul of a few tough calls.
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