Fields of Athenry isn't sung by Limerick fans at matches. If it was sung in a game last year I can't recall it and it's very rare.
Plus, when have Munster Heineken cup matches and Limerick hurling championship matches clashed? Never. Don't know why you keep trying to make this point.
There's a great rugby following in Limerick, particularly in the city, but there's also a great hurling following, and it's particularly in the country.

pj_mcmanus (Limerick) - Posts: 431 - 25/07/2013 20:23:24    1442642

Waterford, Cork and Wexford in that order for me for sheer atmosphere they generate, craic and loyalty to the team. And dare I say it as a Kilkenny man, the best supporters I've had a craic with are the Tipp lads.

Every county has their fair share of die-hards who'll go to every county game league or championship and follow the club scene, and every county has the bandwagon supporters as well who only come out when a trophy is on the line or if its last chance saloon. Can't slate the genuine lads about numbers when your own are just as guilty of bandwagoning.

On thing people should think about before they comment on fan numbers in matches should remember the cost of going to games these days. From my own county, we've played 5 games in 6 weeks, 4 of them away from Kilkenny. Its an expense that not many can afford week in week out, especially families, on such a regular basis. Myself and herself are lucky enough to be in jobs at the moment and we don't have kids yet so we can afford to go regularly but a lot of people I know can't. I know plenty that just couldn't afford to go to the Waterford game, and some to even the Tipp one after the two Dublin games. I'm sure its the same with the Dublin fans who didn't turn up for the Leinster hurling final, five weeks is a lot to be asking lads to fork out 40/50 quid a week in traveling and tickets and some probably couldn't afford to go.

Its just worth considering before we start slating fan numbers.

As for attitudes, I can't really separate any county, each has their majority of decent and honest people, each has their few decent people who do stupid things or make stupid comments because they get too wrapped up in the game, and unfortunately every county has those idiots and di***eads who's behaviour tarnishes their county. To be perfectly honest, I've never found anything to separate any county in that regard.

dblackandamber (Kilkenny) - Posts: 92 - 25/07/2013 20:48:03    1442674

I love all this great support stuff..... if Limerick/Cork/ Tipp/Kilkenny/Galway/Waterford/Clare were playing down or antrim in championship or league you would count them on your finger, i saw Down v Galway in the championship in ballycran - few galway people, the same for the league. not too many travel to Casement Park for a NHL tie,

Last year Clare played Down in the All-ireland minor quarter final - there was 20 Clare people at itat most!!!
best supporters - they all come out when a team/county is doing well

cuchulainn35 (Armagh) - Posts: 1673 - 25/07/2013 21:20:43    1442705

dblackandamber,i think you hit the nail on the head with that.especially regarding every county having idiots,etc.

limerick fans are gas,they are claiming they are the best fans in the country?i was at a championship game down there 2 years ago and there was about 5-6k there on a fine saturday evening?the best ones always appear when the team are winning....

perfect10 (Wexford) - Posts: 3929 - 26/07/2013 10:02:56    1442802

I was at that Wexford game in 2011 and there was easily 15-18,000 there that day-they even had to let people from the terrace into the uncovered stand.People who claim its Munster rugby fans following Limerick know very little about Limerick sport, there is a big crossover of fans ok but when was the last time you saw 20,000 Limerick people on the Thomond park pitch-in reality there is more Cork people in Thomond park on a big day than Limerick people.The day Munster beat Leinster in 2006 Limerick played in a league semi final in Thurles and there was more Limerick fans there than Clare, Tipp and KK combined.The Limerick rugby connection is driven a lot by the media.There is a large hurling following in Limerick city and county waiting for a good team to come along eg in 2007 there was nearly 50,000 Limerick fans in Croker for the All-Ireland final-I'm not saying we're 'the best' fans but we will give great support to a team thats going places just like any other fans.

updwell (Limerick) - Posts: 817 - 26/07/2013 15:55:14    1443275

antrim have to best supporters ...... all 5 of them are brilliant craic watching the match from the bar :)

redmick (Antrim) - Posts: 92 - 26/07/2013 16:26:35    1443308

well said cuchulainn35

The GAA even arrange double headers for Dublin hurlers and footballers at Croke to improve the hurling support, but they put the football match on second and that's when most of the fans weigh in, treating their hurling fixture like a minor match. But then they beat the cats and get to a final and now they have the biggest hurling support in the land!

Topa_the_left (Antrim) - Posts: 250 - 26/07/2013 17:26:19    1443367

updwell

cant agree with you i down in limerick city alot and big differance on rugby match days to gaa ones,limerick city transforms for the rugby,most gaa matches you wouldnt be aware there is one on down the same place.
you dont say munster fans on pitch because they have stewards doing their job simple as,also no way do more cork people be in thomond park then limerick people,

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 26/07/2013 17:26:50    1443369

galway have the worst when a team doing well like the hurling last year 5k went to the leninster final wille 30-40k went 2 da all ireland last year! football same thing. the big reason why is that galway spilts into 2 north and west galway football south and east galway hurling the two of them dont mix unless one of the codes are in the a final

frankpassion (Galway) - Posts: 73 - 26/07/2013 17:45:07    1443384

hill16 were you in Limerick the day of the Munster final 45,000 people-the same as 2 full Thomond Parks and the city and county celebrating all night.Munster rugby fans aren't just from Limerick they come from allover the province, the hurlers like all county teams is only confined to 1 county.The 2 games rarely clash anyway so comparing a NHL game in March to ERC QF in April is like comparing the Munster final to Pro 12 game v an Italian team-it sways towards 1 game over the other

updwell (Limerick) - Posts: 817 - 26/07/2013 18:19:30    1443415

i think its impossible to pick the best supporters. I mean if cork played leitrim in an all ireland the ratio would probably be 5 to 1 in the grounds would the make leitrim any less supported. I can say this i went to my first cork match in 1987 and went regularly up until recently. In the last 4/5 years iv found the quality of supporters going to matches really has dropped. I got sick of seeing very drunk people coming in late being messy. Im a dad now and with the drink culture that is creeping into the supporters i would be really cautious about bringing my kids to a match id prefer to stay at home and watch it on telly with them. I would be in favor of the gaa bringing in a rule that if you show up drunk to a match you don't enter the grounds. I have always had a few pints before a game my self but iv never once in all my years going to matches shown up so drunk i would know what was actually happening in a match and im sure this could be a factor in the reduction of numbers attending matches in the last few years. let me know that ye think gang

ritchie (Cork) - Posts: 346 - 27/07/2013 11:11:28    1443670

updwell

i was there the day of both heinken cup finals over the last few years they were involved in and you only had to look around the city that day to see how much people turned out to only watch it on a screen in the city as welll as the 40 odd thousand that were actually in cardiff for the match from limerick.munster have sustained success for a decade limerick have had two games over the last month,its novel for people its been sunny also which is also novel,if limerick can sustain a support base that could topple munster and the city transforms on match day like it does for the rugby on a permanent basis ,if the pubs are challenged to show gaa matches over rugby well then il agree but its very hard to get any other sport other then rugby shown on the telly down there in my experiance

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 27/07/2013 11:22:32    1443677

Your not getting my point hill16, Munster might have a bigger following but it's not just Limerick people as evidenced by yourself being in Limerick for 2 HC finals.Since you weren't in Limerick for the Munster final you aren't comparing like with like.Also I don't think the 40,000 Munster at those HC finals were solely from Limerick.

updwell (Limerick) - Posts: 817 - 27/07/2013 14:35:25    1443810

yes but in terma of sport in limerick munster takes pride of place

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 27/07/2013 16:37:50    1443865

Theres no doubting that in Limerick the two British sports come first but theyre still the Munster champions, and they got to the all Ireland final in 2007 so there has to be some sort of love for the game down there.
besides, munster have won two European cups in the recent past. They deserve the support of the people down there. Lets hope the hurlers can add a couple of all Irelands to Limericks trophy cabinet in the coming years.

joncarter (Galway) - Posts: 2692 - 27/07/2013 16:43:08    1443869

27/07/2013 16:37:50
hill16no1man
County: Dublin
Posts: 5349

1443865
yes but in terma of sport in limerick munster takes pride of place


You are so far off the mark it is unreal, all my friends from the city put hurling first, we got sick and tired of the Munster hangers on, people who went watching the egg chasing without a clue of what is going on. Hillman the flags are up for Limerick EVERY summer, and you will say you visit there, i live here in the city centre. Look i know how big a following Limerick take, Cork would be the biggest support for me with Limerick a very close second. This garbage about Waterford is hilarious. As i said i remember being in Thurles early to mid 90's and they would be lucky to have 2,000 with them. Winning does breed a bigger support everywhere.

Hoover78 (Limerick) - Posts: 865 - 27/07/2013 16:54:28    1443876

Quality WUMMING going on here lads, well played.

The Limerick hurling support blows the rugby out of the water every day of the week and twice on a Sunday.

/Thread

miketyson (Limerick) - Posts: 2748 - 27/07/2013 20:02:34    1443988

Good to see the cork fans clap richie power off the field and not shout in delight like the kilkenny fans did to lar corbett. Also Cork must outnumber kilkenny, Clare and Galway 2 to 1 today in thurles.

lukewalsh96 (Cork) - Posts: 252 - 28/07/2013 15:16:42    1444754

14k limerick fans at under 21 final - compared to around 8k at munster
if the games werent clashing id hae gone to the munster game too

despite hill16mans protestations i think that shows which game is no 1 in limerick, in the city soccer is king with hurling and rugby neck and neck , but in the county its hurling by a mile

janesboro (Limerick) - Posts: 1502 - 11/09/2017 11:25:08    2044866

mike03 (Limerick) - Posts: 2000 - 11/09/2017 12:38:13    2044898