Limerick heroes Hegarty and Finn at 90th birthday of superfan Mikey Ryan 

Ahead of Sunday’s All-Ireland SHC final win over Galway, Gearóid Hegarty spoke about attending the party for Ryan, arguably Limerick's most famous fan.

Limerick hurlers Gearóid Hegarty and Seán Finn at the 90th birthday party of Mikey "Loaf of Bread" Ryan. Pic: Turlough McNamara

“Put the ball over the bar and the back of the net and that’s it. No ifs, no buts. There’s no sympathy in this game for anybody.”

The immortal line from arguably Limerick’s most famous supporter Mikey Ryan in an interview after the county’s Munster SHC final win over Clare in 1994.

Ahead of Sunday’s All-Ireland SHC final win over Galway, Gearóid Hegarty spoke about attending Ryan’s 90th birthday party a couple of years ago. “He (Ryan) said to me that night, ‘I would have been dead long ago only for you.’ And that is not paraphrasing, that is word for word what he said and he's still alive.

"I met him after the Munster final when we were out for a couple of pints and we got a photo of him. He'd be a legend in Limerick city and he's still alive and he's still going to games. It would just make you so proud that these people think of us like that.” 

Limerick hurlers Gearóid Hegarty and Seán Finn at the 90th birthday party of Mikey "Loaf of Bread" Ryan. Pic: Turlough McNamara

Thanks to Geraldine’s Athletic Football Club secretary and PRO Turlough McNamara for sending photographs of Mikey with Hegarty and Seán Finn at his aforementioned celebration. 

“The 90th birthday party was brilliant with both hurlers attending,” said McNamara.