Looking at the representation from west limerick on this years limerick panel, its almost non existent. Croom falls between 2 stools, Patrickswell is more city, so really, the only truly WEST Limerick reps are from a few lads from Adare and one from Knockaderry.
Limerick wont ever win an All Ireland with little or no reps from pretty much all the large areas of population outside of the city ie Newcastle West , Abbeyfeale, Rathkeale etc...all football towns.

Granagh Ballingarry is west limerick....kinda....

Liamwalkinstown (Dublin) - Posts: 8166 - 12/04/2014 14:12:36    1574169

In fairness they are making giant strides at under age level re hurling in the West of Limerick.

The biggest enemy to Limerick hurling and football is rugby. You really have to see the numbers of kids that play rugby in Limerick city to believe it.

Galway, Clare, Tipp and Kilkenny don't have that issue.

Huge work is being done at underage level, we have some awesome minors this year that will go on to be very good seniors in my view and in truth the senior team are not that bad at all. Personally i think we are one or two players away from being an excellent side and those players will be seen next year for my money, notably the very talented Ronan and Cian Lynch.

Hoover78 (Limerick) - Posts: 865 - 12/04/2014 14:38:59    1574179

Hoover, do you think Newcastle need to get to Senior before they start producing IC hurlers?
so many newcastle footballer but so few hurlers, in fact no IC hurler from Newcastle in over 30 years
when you consider how much bigger than all the other towns Newcastle actually is, thats staggering

But I suppose football is just the bigger game out there and you cant make a lad choose a game he doesnt prefer?

Liamwalkinstown (Dublin) - Posts: 8166 - 12/04/2014 14:51:49    1574186

A report was once carried out in Limerick on the threat to hurling. The expected outcome was soccer or rugby but in fact was Gaelic Football. The report was quashed!

The west of Limerick is football. What's the problem with that? Most counties have football areas and hurling areas. It's important though that all GAA players should be able to play both if they wish.

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 7838 - 12/04/2014 14:58:30    1574190

Agree with legendzix. It seems to me that gaelic football stops more kids playing hurling than any other sport.

joncarter (Galway) - Posts: 2692 - 12/04/2014 15:21:10    1574200

there are pockets of hurling in west limerick in Knockaderry, Monagea, Glantine but on the whole, the larger areas are all football. Newcastle, Rathkeale, Abbeyfeale, Foynes, Athea..the massive St Kierans area
its mad when you hear people say its a hurling county, its actually not really
the city is rugby and soccer, the large West of the county is football, and the much smaller east and south of the county are hurling. And at that large areas of the south are football ala Galtee Gaels etc

To be honest, considering how small the hurlign areas in Limerick actually are, they punch way above their weight to be fair to them and they are a disaster at football considering how good they could.should be

But regardless, Rugby is kicking both their arses at the moment in the city and county and they need to do something to stop that

Liamwalkinstown (Dublin) - Posts: 8166 - 12/04/2014 15:36:09    1574205

A lot of spurious chat here folks. First of all Liam granagh ballingarry is v def in west limerick no kind off about it. As for Hoover can u please tell me what the giant strides being made at underage level in the west that u mention. There was ONE player from west lk on minor team last Thursday.

As for legend and anyone else who thinks that the west is only football. That is balderdash tour killeedy feenagh K feoghanagh C, croagh K, knockaderry are all hurling first clubs. While all other clubs like glin athea or abbeyfeale on Kerry border all other clubs have hurling teams. The west board stands indicted for lack of effort that has been put into hurling. I fear with clubs like from B ford and Rathkeale turning to football first it may now be too late. Hope not.

disillusiondfan (Limerick) - Posts: 4279 - 12/04/2014 15:51:09    1574209

disillusioned, first off, ballingarry is west, no doubt, granagh.....not so sure..but its debateable absolutely

you seem to me like one of the "football is only for mugs" are you????

Also, you missed the point. You named Tour, Kileedy, Feenagh etc etc as opposed to Newcastle, Abbeyfeale, Rathkeale.....can you not see the glaring difference here??

Population and player numbers.........

Liamwalkinstown (Dublin) - Posts: 8166 - 12/04/2014 15:56:24    1574213

@DSF A friend of mine who is involved in training and is an ex county player as up to 7 years go has been telling me about the serious efforts going into hurling in all areas of west Limerick.

That is giant strides.

What more do you want me to say?

Hoover78 (Limerick) - Posts: 865 - 12/04/2014 16:06:24    1574219

DF there are more people living in NCW than there is in all those areas combined and doubled!
Then add Abbeyfeale and Rathkeale and your looking at over 20,000 people....
and your comparing it to Feenagh, Kilmeedy, Kileedy and Tour....?

Liamwalkinstown (Dublin) - Posts: 8166 - 12/04/2014 16:19:20    1574224

To the fella who said Limerick is rugby mad, you need to rephrase. The city is Munster rugby mad. The vast majority of people from Limerick who watch Munster don't even know where their nearest AIL ground is and would just as quickly stop going to matches as they did start going. People seem to forget that up to 2000 Munster got about 3 or 4000 to Heineken cup matches. Going to Munster matches is a relatively new thing and is more a social thing than an actual sporting thing.

A match between Shannon and Munsters would barely get 1000 people so hardly a sign of a rugby mad city....

mike03 (Limerick) - Posts: 2000 - 12/04/2014 16:51:45    1574235

Mike you obviously never went to Thomond Park, Tom Clifford Park, Garryowen or Rosbrien much when the AIL was in its pomp. Thomond Park would be full to its capacity for many of the local derbies as would the other smaller grounds in town. Limerick is rugby mad, you obviously don't get to see it. I personally support all Limerick teams not just the GAA and i speak as a Shannon fan who attended Thomond Park for many of those games.

Hoover78 (Limerick) - Posts: 865 - 12/04/2014 17:40:59    1574261

I lived in Limerick City for a while in the early seventies, and i thought compared to Dublin, there was a lot more banter about rugby in and around the city. Was at Thomond Park a few times back then to watch Munster play, and one game in particular i remember was against the Pumas from Argentina and the place was packed, think about 15,000 crowd. The memory i have of the ground is that it was a bit of a bog hole where you were up to your knees in muck trying to get in. Think Claughaun were the big hurling club in the city then,wonder what happened to them. Cant ever remember hearing about Na Phiarsaig then either, but what a job they are doing for hurling in the City now.Besides winning two County senior titles and two Munster titles they seem to be winning right through underage as well.

clonjon (Dublin) - Posts: 665 - 12/04/2014 17:49:31    1574265

Hoover the facts don't bear u out. One man who says a lot of things are being done doesn't wash with me when I see what is going on with the numbers of top players being produced.

Liam I date u to go to stapleton s and tell them they are Nywhere other than in west lk because they are in the west u debate it if u want.
As for the population u are right of course but I wasn't comparing numbers was simply saying it is offensive to me and other west lk hurling men to say that the west is all football. Newcastle does have an intermediate hurling team but unfortunately it is predominantly a football town. The Desmond soccer league has completely out performed the west board and it seems the success of soccer is assisting football. V strong soccer tradition in broadford Newcastle and rathkeale now predominantly football clubs.

I'm not a football is for mugs guy. I'm not interested in football myself but have no prob with those who do.

disillusiondfan (Limerick) - Posts: 4279 - 12/04/2014 17:55:49    1574266

I travelled all over the country Hoover to AIL games but that was nearly 20 years ago. There is no interest in club rugby now and that's my point. Limerick isn't a rugby city. It's a Munster rugby city. There is a huge difference. The vast majority of people I know who go to Munster games have never played a rugby match in their life and only got into rugby in the last 10 years. Very few other teams in Limerick can say their supporters have never played the game and have no involvement in the sport outside of going to matches. Munster rugby is a brand and a good one at that. But people, in any walk of life, have no loyalty towards a brand......

mike03 (Limerick) - Posts: 2000 - 12/04/2014 18:12:38    1574272

I couldn't agree more with u mike. I'm not a rugby fan but go to thomond when I'm offered tickets. Any AIL club fan I know tells me that clubs are really struggling.

disillusiondfan (Limerick) - Posts: 4279 - 12/04/2014 18:16:49    1574274

I would agree with that totally re the AIL now, as you said it is brand Munster.

Hoover78 (Limerick) - Posts: 865 - 12/04/2014 18:17:50    1574275

There has been a huge shift in one major parish and that is Drom- Broadford. There was once two strong hurling teams in this once major hurling hotbed. Even twenty five years ago there was only a novice football team in Drom. This parish produced such fine hurlers as Derry McCarthy, a Munster forward highly thought of by the great Christy Ring, Eugene Noonan Mick Savage and The Curtin brothers among other notables. I was particularly disappointed when the amalgamated teams were thrown out of the Harty Cup as it could have done something to promote the game in West Limerick as it has done in other areas like Waterford and Dublin
,

Oldtourman (Limerick) - Posts: 4318 - 12/04/2014 20:12:27    1574312

Cue ormondbannerman charging in pasting and replying to every comment about rugby in this thread.

RebelCork (Cork) - Posts: 789 - 12/04/2014 20:47:52    1574327

RebelCork
County: Cork
Posts: 617

1574327 Cue ormondbannerman charging in pasting and replying to every comment about rugby in this thread.

haha I was thinking the same, enjoying reading the thread and then his name came into my mind and I thought please no.:)

AthCliath (Dublin) - Posts: 4347 - 12/04/2014 21:24:26    1574341