Opinion – Goodwill after hurling win needs to be capitalised on

When the ball emerged from the goalmouth after Joe Canning’s free and the final whistle went, the pain of 45 years welled up in the eyes of Limerick People not just in Croke Park but right across the world. The wave of goodwill towards our great county reverberated right across the country and the world and to be fair all the Galway hands that reached out as I left the stadium were congratulatory ones.

Our great city and county has had its share of dark days both sporting and otherwise, and perhaps that is what makes the elation of this victory all the sweeter. Our city crest reads “Urbs Antiqua Fuit Studisque Asperrima in Causa Belli” which if my Latin is correct means “This Ancient and Noble City well versed in the ways of war”. We have fought many battles over the years both actual and figurative.

Sport can be a catalyst for change. Which one of us is not walking that bit taller this week and is not prouder to announce that we are from Limerick? It is a pride similar to being on the other side of the world and hearing a Cranberries sound ring out or loudly declaring that Richard Harris or Terry Wogan was “one of our own”.

But in this day of instant communications where the “video bite” of 30 secs or less is matched only by being able to get your message across in 140 characters or less, the opportunities presented by a spectacle like yesterday are immense.

As I write the Sporting Limerick Facebook page has a video that has been seen over 140,000 times in 16 hours in every corner of the globe. It features a bus full of young men who are the epitome of all that is good about our city and county belting out the song “Caledonia”. These men and hundreds other young men and women are our City and County’s greatest asset.

In every interview they have conducted themselves with honour and in the honest endeavour of their efforts they have shown the world that Limerick has something special to offer the region, the country and the world. They are not alone, smart talented young people from every walk of life and discipline like Ciara Neville, Roisin Upton, Martina McMahon, and hundreds more like them abound in our region, each one an ambassador, each one providing our people with a reason to be proud of our city and county, and more importantly each one providing Limerick an opportunity to promote itself on a world stage.

John Kiely alluded to the fact that we are no longer the bridesmaids, and this presents us an opportunity. In this world of instant media these opportunities are rare and fleeting. We need to capitalise on it. It needs to be an image that flashes around the world with a message that says Limerick is a place that you can do business in, that you can find young well-trained and qualified people in, and that above all it is a place where the ancient and the modern can co-exist.

Let’s not waste this chance, let’s package this positivity and transmit it to the world. Let the rest of the world be envious of what we have. Let’s be the best at everything we do including at transmitting the message. Let us show others that which we already know, namely that Limerick is a great place to live and work.

This is the work of our Council, of our Chamber of Commerce, of our political representatives, and of our State promotion agencies. It is also the responsibility of all of us that have access to these wonderful internet tools to use them for the good of the region and in helping it, we are helping ourselves.