Limerick sides hope to arrest poor recent Munster Club Championship record

The first of Limerick’s Munster Club Championship representatives will be in action this weekend.

Limerick clubs will be looking to begin a prosperous winter of provincial action as the first of the Shannonside kingpins kick off their respective campaigns.

Na Piarsaigh and Castlemahon are both in Munster football action this Saturday with the Caherdavin side meeting Roanmore in the Intermediate semi-finals with West Limerick men in action against Shamrocks.

Next week, the hurling representatives, Na Piarsaigh, Monaleen and St Kierans begin their quest for provincial hurling honours with Newcastle West in action in the senior football the following week.

Each will harbour their own ambitions but as a county, Limerick will be keen to win a first club title since Na Piarsaigh were crowned senior hurling champions in 2017. That was a fourth Munster title in six years for the Caherdavin men who have been a real outlier in terms of provincial success.

Kilmallock were crowned Munster kingpins in 2014 at the same grade while Effin annexed the Intermediate hurling title in 2011 when beating Ballyduff.

Those three are the only Limerick sides to win in the Munster championship over the last ten campaigns (there were no provincial championships in 2020), an abysmal record for Treaty clubs.

No football team from the county has won a Munster title since Drom Broadford claimed the senior crown in 2008.

Each year, six teams from the county enter the provincial championships, but so often they have proved the whipping boys of the competition.

In terms of hurling, as mentioned, Na Piarsaigh have really bucked the trend, reaching the decider in each of their five provincial championships, losing in the most recent decider, their maiden loss in Munster. Those wins came in 2011, ’13, ’15 and ’17.

Kilmallock have also reached the final in their last two trips outside of Limerick, beating Cratloe in 2014 but falling to the eventual All-Ireland champions Ballygunner this January.

Effin’s 2011 triumph meant two of three Munster hurling crowns resided in Limerick as Na Piarsaigh claimed a first with a win over Crusheen.

Outside of that, Limerick’s ventures into the club championships have proved barren. Only a couple of others have even reached the decider, Bruff in the Intermediate in 2014 with Feenagh Kilmeedy (2013), St Kierans (2012) and Cappamore (2011) falling at the final hurdle in the junior championships.

Trips to the provincial football finals have proved even more elusive in that timeframe. Newcastle West were the first team since Drom Broadford to win a game in the senior ranks but a final hasn’t been reached since ’08.

St Senans (2017) and Adare (2016) were beaten in successive Munster Intermediate Finals but remain the only other Limerick sides to reach that stage over the last decade.

Glin (2014), Feohanagh Castlemahon (2013) and Cappamore (2012) were all beaten in the Junior deciders, all falling to Kerry opposition.

And when compared to other Munster counties Limerick fall lowly in terms of the roll of honour, although football titles skew it in the Kingdom’s favour.

Breakdown of the number of Munster Championship’s won by each county over the last decade (2021-2011)

1.Kerry: 25 (24 Football, 1 Hurling)

2. Cork: 16 (11 Hurling, 5 Football)

3. Waterford: 7 (All Hurling)

4. Limerick: 6 (All Hurling)

5. Tipperary: 4 (3 Hurling, 1 Football)

6. Clare: 2 (Both Hurling)

Munster club success clearly isn’t a direct relation to intercounty success with Limerick claiming the last four provincial hurling titles while Cork’s wait goes back to 2014.

Still, winning a club championship is a signal of the county’s relative strength and this year’s representatives will be keen to arrest the trend of Limerick sides falling short, starting with Na Piarsaigh and Castlemahon this Saturday.