Cyril Farrell at Dalo Live: 'You have to realise how lucky you are to grow up in a hurling county'

The panelists and sponsor at Dalo’s Hurling Show Live, from the Castletroy Hotel in Limerick. From left, Mark Landers, TJ Ryan, Irish Examiner Sports journalist Maurice Brosnan, Anthony Daly, Derek Greaney (event sponsor rep), Cyril Farrell and Patrick Horgan. Pic: Noel Sweeney

Cyril Farrell never took a backward step and he went into the lion’s den to make Galway’s case on Wednesday night as the Dalo Live roadshow stopped off for a bumper All-Ireland preview at the Castletroy Park Hotel in Limerick.

Cyril, who steered Galway to three All-Irelands, hopes there are some kind of reverse omens in this two’s meeting in the final eight years ago that began Limerick’s reign of terror.

“It’s the other way round. We're the new team coming this time, and they're the established team. Imagine if you said to Limerick supporters that week that they’d win four or five.” 

TJ Ryan accepted all that but still… “We certainly wouldn't be greedy here in Limerick, but we'd like one more.” Cyril added. “We’re up against the best Limerick team ever and maybe one of the best hurling teams ever. That's what we're up against so it's up to us to try to knock them.” 

Having seen old Galway teams not hurt enough in defeat, Cyril remembered once vowing if he ever took the reins he’d at the very least, if they lost, have them crying over it.

In 1980 the tears were of joy. “They were a good team but they were old. And the biggest problem was convincing them they were entitled to win.” Micheál Donoghue has a convincing way about him too.

Mark Landers and Patrick Horgan were on stage so there was inevitably some diagnosis of Cork’s disappointment at not being part of this great hurling week. Dalo said he and Hoggie are great friends these days though it wasn’t always that way, Dalo accepts. “I had a few pops at you over the years and you didn’t like it.” 

All part and parcel, Hoggie shrugged. “I see it so much with players now, you’re looking around for any kind of edge.” 

There was the usual talk of technology. Cyril wasn’t going to let the customary debate on VAR wrap up without mentioning a PJ Molloy shot that came back from behind the line off the Offaly goalie’s spare hurley. There are no new problems.

And for all the GPS and metrics the modern players lean on, TJ would like to have seen “Seanie O’Leary’s heatmap.” 

The buoyant Limerick crowd certainly didn’t seem satisfied by old glories. There is a famine, remember, stretching back to 2023.

TJ is all for letting the leash off the fans in weeks like this. “I thought Andy Moran was good on the hype. If supporters go mad they’re wrong, it’s bullshit.

“There was some hype in Limerick in 2018 but when you win, it’s not a factor.” 

Cyril had his own way of putting the hype in perspective on weeks like this.

“You have to realise how lucky you are to grow up in a hurling county.”