Colin Ryan was never going to turn down John Kiely's request for Limerick return

BACK WITH A BANG: Limerick's Colin Ryan with his cup after winning the senior hurling and overall competition during the M. Donnelly GAA Poc Fada All-Ireland final at Annaverna Mountain in Cooley Peninsula, Louth. Pic: Ben McShane/Sportsfile.

John Kiely had a job for Colin Ryan when he called him out of the blue last Autumn, just not the type that the long puck champion was expecting.

Ryan's return to the Limerick setup as deputy goalkeeper behind Nickie Quaid was one of the surprise stories of the 2026 hurling season.

The Pallasgreen man operated at midfield for a star-studded Limerick U-21 team containing Cian Lynch, Aaron Gillane, Kyle Hayes and Tom Morrissey that won the 2017 All-Ireland.

And Ryan was part of the Limerick senior panel the following year when they regained the MacCarthy Cup after a 45-year wait.

He featured in 2019 too but spent six seasons away from the group before being called back in by Kiely for 2026 - as a goalkeeper.

It was a shock move on two fronts but it paid off as Ryan, in goals for the pre-season Munster Hurling League success, provided vital cover for the League and Championship.

"It was a massive shock," said Ryan of his recall. "I think John texted me one Friday and it just went from there. He said, 'Can you take a call?' And I was like, 'Jesus, what is this about?'

"I do landscaping, I have my own business, Ryan Landscaping, and I just thought he wanted a bit of work done or something. There were loads of things going through my head.

"But when he asked me in, there was only one thing in my mind then. I wasn't going to turn it down."

Ryan did possess some experience of playing in goals for Limerick but that was over a decade ago.

"This is my first year in goals since minor," he explained. "We played a club game last Thursday night and I was centre-forward. I've been outfield since 2014 basically. But John basically asked if I could do a job for him and I was happy, just delighted to get the call and to do it. Obviously winning the All-Ireland at the end of the season was a huge bonus."

Ryan retained his M. Donnelly All-Ireland Poc Fada title on Monday on the Cooley Peninsula in Louth, capturing his third title in all.

The father-of-two reckons the profile he has developed through the unique competition helped him gain the Limerick recall.

"I would say it probably did because, it's an All-Ireland competition, you're coming away as an All-Ireland winner from it," said Ryan. "I think it would have planted a seed in management's head maybe. I can't be sure, who knows, but personally I do think that it did help."

Quaid has been virtually ever-present throughout Limerick's golden era, starting all six of their All-Ireland wins.

Having turned 37, there are no guarantees he will continue on in 2027, although equally there is no suggestion that he will pack it in either.

Ryan would have been called into action during the All-Ireland semi-final win over Clare had Quaid been shown a black card after crashing into Peter Duggan, as many anticipated at the time.

"Nickie is absolutely unbelievable," said Ryan. "What he does at training, and I've only seen him up close like that since the start of this year, but he's doing it really since 2010. He is top class.

"From my perspective, as long as I'm there and I'm asked to do a job, I'm going to do it. That is the way I am going to approach it. Anything could happen. With the semi-final this year, anything could have happened, I could have been in, I could have been out. So look, you just take it as it comes."

Ryan has followed the same path as Shane Dowling, an All-Ireland-winning forward colleague in 2018, who was plucked from apparent retirement as a goalkeeper in 2025.

Dowling started four League games in 2025, sharing the duties with Jason Gillane, while Quaid was recovering from ACL surgery but Quaid returned for the Championship.

And when Dowling departed at the end of the 2025 campaign, it opened the door for Ryan.

Asked if he'll be back for 2027 if Kiely calls again, Ryan nodded.

"I should do, yes," he said.

As for his latest Poc Fada success on Annaverna Mountain, where Ryan saw off 11 others over the gruelling 5km sky-scraping circuit, he was delighted.

"Coming down the last stretch, you would be tired," he said. "The course was shortened the previous two times I won it, because of bad weather. It was nice to get around the full course and come in first. At least I know now that I can do the full course and compete at a high level the whole way. Because it's a long trek and it can take a toll on you."