Diarmaid Byrnes: 'There was nowhere to hide out there'

David Reidy said the three years since Limerick's last All-Ireland success "felt like a very long time"

Diarmaid Byrnes: “Out of all days you want to go out and express yourself you want it to be All-Ireland final day. We did that in buckets." Pic: ©INPHO/James Crombie

Three years. It’s not much in the grand scheme of things. A blink of an eye, really. Limerick, let's not forget, went 45 years without a Liam MacCarthy to call their own before that famine ended back in 2018.

But this last three years? Well, much wants more and five All-Ireland senior titles in just half-a-dozen years had bred a want and a determination to go again. David Reidy voiced just that after Limerick’s bulldozing of Galway.

“It’s been three years since we were here last. I know it’s a short time but it felt like a very long time. Listen, we were training hard and trying our best but a few small things maybe went against us the last few seasons.

“It just means so much to the 37 players and everyone involved. We’re an incredibly united bunch of people. A lot of us have soldiered together a long time.

“The lads who have been around the last four or five years have really stepped up and then the newer lads again, the impact they have made around the group and the new energy they have brought to the group has been massive. I’m thrilled for those lads.” 

John Kiely explained how he just wanted this team to reach its potential again.

His players echoed that.

Reidy shared how a strong start had been pivotal to their plans. They brought that manic intensity from the off and, if it didn’t open up a gap on the scoreboard like he thought it would after the first quarter then it paid dividends soon after.

Like his manager, there was a sense of satisfaction that the league and Munster champions brought their best on the day that demanded their best. Diarmaid Byrnes said much the same. On the biggest of days Limerick delivered.

“There was nowhere to hide out there,” said the Patrickswell man. “Our half-forward line and full-forward line set the standard in the first 15-20 minutes. We maintained it for the 70-75, which is just so impressive.

“Out of all days you want to go out and express yourself you want it to be All-Ireland final day. We did that in buckets.

“The boys coming off the bench added to the intensity and added to the scores. It’s special to be involved these days with lads you have soldiered with so many years. It all came together.” 

Byrnes and Reidy are among those men who have put in pretty much all the miles in a journey that delivered its first All-Ireland at senior level in 2018. Six titles now, in a county that has just 13 in all. How does this one feel?

“The last couple of years we were putting ourselves in positions to get back to a semi-final and contesting and winning Munster finals but the last few years haven’t all gone our way,” said Byrnes.

“We’ve certainly been on a long road. It’s one we’ve all enjoyed. Comparing it to 2018 or whatever? They are all equally special, sharing it with those lads. It’s an absolute privilege.”