A LIMERICK nun is hoping the power of prayer will help hurling champions Limerick bring home their fourth All-Ireland title in a row when they face old rivals Kilkenny at Croke Park this Sunday.
Shannonside is currently illuminated in a sea of green and white Limerick bunting, flags, jerseys and caps.
In homage to her Limerick hurling heroes, Treaty superfan Sr Patricia Coughlan has adorned the altar inside St Andrew’s Church, Kilfinane – the town which won Limerick’s inaugural All-Ireland hurling title in 1897 against, of course, Kilkenny.
Sr Coughlan believes her divine faith in Limerick and the history books are a good omen for the Treaty men to retain the Liam MacCarthy Cup.
“Of course they will, I am hopeful,” she said, after kneeling at the church altar seeking inspiration from the heavens.
“Hurling is an opportunity to promote values and it helps us to understand that victory belongs to everyone, the hurlers sacrifice themselves for us, the supporters,” said Sr Coughlan.
A former camogie goalkeeper with neighbouring parish Ardpatrick, the Sisters of St Paul nun had the following advice for Limerick’s starting line-up: “Always make a total effort, even when all the odds are against you. If you aren’t going all the way, why go at all.”
If Limerick start to struggle on the pitch, Sr Coughlan will be shouting another prayer from the Croker stands: “Keep your heads up, God gives his hardest battles to his strongest soldiers.”
“Limerick are in God’s hands” and will emerge victorious on Sunday, added Sr Coughlan.
Encouraging the Limerick team to give their all against the Cats, Sr Coughlan offered: “Run when you can, walk if you have to, and crawl if you must – but just never give up.”
Sr Coughlan has also written mantras for each Limerick player: “For Nickie Quaid, it is ‘Thou Shall Not Pass’”.
With the help of parish priest Fr Michael O’Shea, Sr Coughlan has also decorated the pews of St Andrews in the Limerick colours and a donated sliotar stands pride of place by the altar, which reads “C’mon For God’s sake”.
“It’s not the team with the best players that wins, it’s the players with the best team that wins,” said Sr Coughlan.
She joked: “If Kilkenny win the All-Ireland this year, it will be the greatest accident since the Titanic”.
Meanwhile, down the road in Bruff, the offer of a makeshift Renault car has been made to RTÉ GAA commentator Marty Morrissey in light of his pubic apology and decision to hand back an on-loan motor to the French car firm in the wake of the recent scandal involving financial governance at RTÉ.
The offer came from Limerick GAA superfan Roger Mulqueen who led Bruff’s Junior B hurlers to a historic All-Ireland final earlier this year, after beating St Martin’s of – you guessed it again – Kilkenny.
Mulqueen, who painted “Marty’s Cabs” in green and white on an old van on his farmland, joked: “Marty can have it if he wants on the way up to Dublin to commentate on the big match.”
The “Marty’s Motors – 5-Year Warranty” van, emblazoned with photos of the beloved GAA commentator and the slogan “If Carlsberg did taxis” with “Room for 4” has become a major local attraction with passers-by stopping to take photos of the hilarious sight.
“Sure everybody is talking about Marty or Ryan Tubridy at the moment, so it was easier to do Marty to tell you the truth. Ah he (Marty) is good to take a laugh. I met him in Inagh last year and he is good craic I have to say, he’s a gent,” added Mulqueen.
The Bruff man’s roadside art installation also takes aim at the ongoing trolley crisis at University Hospital Limerick, while also paying homage to Bruff’s four-time All-Star Limerick fullback Sean Finn, who unfortunately suffered a season-ending ACL injury against Clare last April.
Mulqueen has painted two giant silage bales with the slogan “A&E Sean Finn” above a mannequin of Finn languishing on a chair in a Limerick jersey and two crunches and a hurley on his lap.
“We’ve Seanie Finn in there as well and we have a bandage on his knee, he’s well covered as well, it’s all good,” he said.
Mulqueen, who has been erecting funny GAA roadside scenes for the last six years, quipped: “I’ve nearly got writer’s block at this stage, I swear to Jesus, and then someone told me if you don’t do it again this year, Limerick will loose and I would get the blame for it. Talk about pressure.”
If Limerick claim their fourth in a row All-Ireland title on Sunday, the team will be paraded into the city centre on an open top bus for a homecoming to beat the band.
