The Limerick hurlers of 1973 bridged a long gap when they won the All-Ireland and they ensured hurling’s pulse stayed strong in the county despite the following frustrating decades
minor. A bottle of spirits, moonlighting as water, was passed around the Claughaun players during a break in play, and Bennis was offered a neighbourly swig. After it sandpapered his throat he declined a second sup.
McGrath made things different. He was demanding. Stuff that sounds elementary now caused tremors then. For winter training he requested lights for the Gaelic Grounds. “He turned to him and asked who was coming on instead of him,” says Cregan. “Rory told him and Eamonn looked at him, ‘Feck off and find somebody else.’” Fourteen months later, Grimes was their All-Ireland winning captain.
A month later, McGrath received a letter from the county board informing him that his services were no longer required. It emerged that the five man selection committee had asked for him to be removed. The stink went on for months: on the floor of county board meetings, on the pages of the Limerick Leader, among the players.
“There was no badness with fellas who were involved [in the strike]. They were genuine fellas. There was no animosity.” At some point they started having steak after training in the Shannon Arms. They can’t be sure if McGrath negotiated it, or if the practice started in 1973, and they can’t remember rightly who funded it.“JP wasn’t there that time,” says Richie“He had no financial input,” says Richie. “He hadn’t the money that time.”
Eamonn says that McManus was in the Limerick dressing room before the All-Ireland final, and walked down the tunnel 20 yards in front of the team. In the bedlam of the winner’s dressing room afterwards, though, access was troublesome. By his own account, McManus spotted a high window and attempted a Steve McQueen manoeuvre.
For peace of mind, Dr Basheer had given Richie his home number. As soon as the train reached Dublin, Richie called him. He called him again the following morning before breakfast. One of the selectors tried to talk to Richie about his state of mind, but by then he had resolved to play.
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