IN THE HOURS after the 2023 Munster final, the Limerick hurlers found themselves on the grass of the Gaelic Grounds.
Rather than make for the nearest watering hole to celebrate their fifth provincial title in-a-row, they hung back while the crowds dispersed. The battle with Clare had been exhausting. A one-point victory was a satisfying way to maintain their chokehold of the Munster championship, even if their opponents felt aggrieved that a late free wasn’t awarded to Adam Hogan.
Here, after the bedlam had eased, Limerick could find sanctuary in the setting of their latest triumph. They formed a circle on the pitch, a speaker was produced, and the tunes flowed as they drank in the moment under the sun.
It’s a memory that Graeme Mulcahy will carry fondly into his retirement. Those intimate moments, amidst the five All-Irelands in seven years, are the moments he will treasure the most.
Family is intertwined with those memories too. Mulcahy’s eldest daughter Róise was around for some of those big days after she was born in 2021. Other teammates of Mulcahy’s vintage have also become parents in that timeframe, including goalkeeper Nickie Quaid.
“We had some great trips away with the team. I had Róise with me for a lot of those trips as well and Nickie had his young lad, Daithí, so we’ve a lot of memories with the two of them.
“Those are the things you’d miss – the unity of the group, and the craic we had together.”
****
The realisation of what was coming struck Mulcahy shortly after Limerick’s All-Ireland semi-final defeat to Cork. While the rest of the county was mourning the end of their attempt to land an unprecedented hurling five-in-a-row, Mulcahy was contemplating his future with Limerick.
It was the same assessment process he had gone through at the end of every season alongside his wife Laura. The checklist was usually the same. His hunger for another year in the trenches, his physical condition, his form for elite level hurling – he took a temperature check of all those areas before deciding if he could suit up again.
Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO
His age wasn’t a factor. He was the longest serving member in the panel in 2024, but that didn’t concern him. He wasn’t that far removed in terms of the group’s age profile. Nickie Quaid joined the Limerick panel in 2010, one year after Mulcahy’s debut, although he is unlikely to feature next year due to an ACL injury. Limerick’s All-Ireland-winning captain Declan Hannon was part of that class of 2010 too.
But Mulcahy’s family life was starting to get busy. His daughter Róise is three now and her little sister Ashley is just over nine months. He could no longer divide his time between the demands of inter-county hurling and the demands of parenting two young children.
Advertisement
“We have two kids now and living down in Cork, the commitment was just too much and there was too much of a sacrifice for my wife as well (for me) to go back for another year. I was happy with the way that it went over the last number of years so I left with no regrets.”
The last six years of Mulcahy’s Limerick career coincided with the most successful period in the county’s history. The Kilmallock forward is enshrined in that legacy. He started in three of Limerick’s five All-Ireland final wins, and was Limerick’s top-scorer in the 2018 decider, posting 1-2 from play to help end a 45-year famine for Liam MacCarthy glory. He made substitute appearances in the 2021 and 2023 spectacles, clipping over a point in the 2021 final.
But it almost wasn’t so for him. At the end of the 2017 season, the eve of that breakthrough, Mulcahy was leaning towards the exit door. It was a bad year on both a collective and personal level, as Limerick limped out of the championship after two games.
Mulcahy started their Munster semi-final against Clare, but was hauled ashore at half-time on the way to a four-point defeat. Kilkenny then ended their season in the first round of the qualifiers, quashing a late Limerick rally that had trimmed a five-point gap to two. Lester Ryan slotted the decisive score as Mulcahy was introduced in the 68th minute.
This was John Kiely’s first year as the Limerick senior manager. Mulcahy had won a Munster U21 title 2011, and looked on with interest as Kiely achieved All-Ireland glory with the Limerick U21s in 2015. He admired the ‘unit he built within that group’ and could see how Kiely was eager to blend those successful underage stars with the more senior members of the panel.
Mulcahy playing against Galway in the 2011 All-Ireland U21 semi-final. Lorraine O'Sullivan / INPHO
Lorraine O'Sullivan / INPHO / INPHO
But Mulcahy was feeling dissatisfied at the end of 2017 and sat down with Kiely to talk it out.
“My body probably wasn’t where it should have been,” Mulcahy recounts, “I was carrying a lot of knocks. The groin was one particular injury where it was a case of put the head down over the winter, try and get it cleared up and put yourself in a good position for 2018.
“I spent a good bit of time with the physios with rehab programmes, strength programmes. I picked up a concussion in the first match of the [2018] league so I was out for another three weeks and came back for the knockouts. So I hadn’t really cemented myself at all on the team but that work over the winter stood to me. I slowly edged my way back into the team just in time for Munster championship.”
The early years of Mulcahy’s Limerick career form a stark contrast with those victorious days at the end. Back then, he knew more about losing than winning.
“Winning a championship game was a step in the right direction,” he says.
There were some heavy beatings in those days, even at underage level. In 2007, when Mulachy was a Limerick minor, Tipperary crushed them by 18 points in the Munster semi-final. The sides met again the following season, this time at the quarter-final stage. But it was a familiar outcome as Limerick were hammered 3-21 to 1-12, before losing out to Cork in a play-off where Mulcahy scored a goal to provide a sliver of respectability on the scoreline.
Things didn’t improve much for Mulcahy when he first progressed to the U21 grade, losing by 15 points to Clare in the 2009 Munster semi-final. Two years later however, Limerick were provincial kings at that level as Mulcahy helped himself to 2-1 in a high-scoring extra-time thriller against Cork. It was the county’s first Muster U21 title since 2002.
By that stage, Mulcahy was into his second year with the Limerick seniors. They were searching for stability. Internal conflict provided an unfortunate backdrop to his debut season as player upheaval developed under then-manager Justin McCarthy.
“I was very young,” says Mulcahy looking back. “In a way, that was probably for the best because I was a bit oblivious to the whole situation and the importance of it. As a young player, you just want to get on the field and play the game you love.
“I didn’t give it a whole pile of thought at the time. There was certainly no pressure from anyone to step aside in solidarity with the players. I just used it as an opportunity to play for Limerick at the time. 2010 was a very difficult year, we took a number of heavy beatings. But I hope I took something from that year that helped me in the latter years.”
There were brief flashes of good fortune. In that 2010 season, Limerick suffered a 2-19 to 0-12 licking at the hands of Cork in the Munster semi-final. But while their fans despaired at the scoreline, Mulcahy impressed on a team that included nine championship debutants by slotting three points from play.
Three seasons later, Limerick were crowned Munster champions for the first time since 1996. Mulcahy helped himself to two points against a Cork side who lost by nine after key forward Patrick Horgan was sent off late in the first half.
James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
Limerick reached the Munster final again the following year, but that was the closest they got to meaningful silverware again until the start of that epic rise in 2018. A young batch of All-Ireland U21 winners were in the ranks at this point setting off a spark that would help them ascend the steps of the Hogan Stand.
Of course, Mulcahy could have a deeper appreciation for what they achieved having spent so many years in hurling struggle. But he never felt compelled to caution the younger pups about the risks of taking these days for granted.
“It was probably the other way round,” he explains about what he gained from playing with those players. “I had come in off the back of being a minor with Limerick and being well beaten at minor level.
“So, we didn’t have that winning mentality to bring into the senior set-up. These guys were used to success and seemed to bring that with them. It seemed to roll into the senior set-up and they probably imparted that on to the other guys more so than us imparting the lack of success on them.”
****
Mulcahy recently received a special present from his Limerick teammate Seán Finn. It was a framed photo of a smiling Mulcahy at the top of the Hogan steps, the Liam MacCarthy Cup in one hand and his daughter Róise in the other. She’s had a few encounters with that trophy, unlike her sister Ashley who just missed out on those glory days.
“In the space of nine or 10 months, Róise’s been in the Liam MacCarthy twice. The semi-final against Cork was Ashley’s first match.
“Two Cork girls so maybe they were happy with the way it turned out.”
The weeks since his retirement in October have been spent at home enjoying family life, and appreciating those private moments that punctuate the many achievements that were packed into a six-year run. He will continue to hurl for Kilmallock and has some plans for the future in mind, but for now, he’s happy to take rest.
“I haven’t given it a lot of thought. I’m looking forward to next season. Further on from that, I would like to get involved in some sort of management or coaching so we’ll see what the future has in store.”
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Close
Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic.
Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy
here
before taking part.
From a player fallout in his debut season to Limerick retirement with five All-Irelands
IN THE HOURS after the 2023 Munster final, the Limerick hurlers found themselves on the grass of the Gaelic Grounds.
Rather than make for the nearest watering hole to celebrate their fifth provincial title in-a-row, they hung back while the crowds dispersed. The battle with Clare had been exhausting. A one-point victory was a satisfying way to maintain their chokehold of the Munster championship, even if their opponents felt aggrieved that a late free wasn’t awarded to Adam Hogan.
Here, after the bedlam had eased, Limerick could find sanctuary in the setting of their latest triumph. They formed a circle on the pitch, a speaker was produced, and the tunes flowed as they drank in the moment under the sun.
It’s a memory that Graeme Mulcahy will carry fondly into his retirement. Those intimate moments, amidst the five All-Irelands in seven years, are the moments he will treasure the most.
Family is intertwined with those memories too. Mulcahy’s eldest daughter Róise was around for some of those big days after she was born in 2021. Other teammates of Mulcahy’s vintage have also become parents in that timeframe, including goalkeeper Nickie Quaid.
“We had some great trips away with the team. I had Róise with me for a lot of those trips as well and Nickie had his young lad, Daithí, so we’ve a lot of memories with the two of them.
“Those are the things you’d miss – the unity of the group, and the craic we had together.”
****
The realisation of what was coming struck Mulcahy shortly after Limerick’s All-Ireland semi-final defeat to Cork. While the rest of the county was mourning the end of their attempt to land an unprecedented hurling five-in-a-row, Mulcahy was contemplating his future with Limerick.
It was the same assessment process he had gone through at the end of every season alongside his wife Laura. The checklist was usually the same. His hunger for another year in the trenches, his physical condition, his form for elite level hurling – he took a temperature check of all those areas before deciding if he could suit up again.
His age wasn’t a factor. He was the longest serving member in the panel in 2024, but that didn’t concern him. He wasn’t that far removed in terms of the group’s age profile. Nickie Quaid joined the Limerick panel in 2010, one year after Mulcahy’s debut, although he is unlikely to feature next year due to an ACL injury. Limerick’s All-Ireland-winning captain Declan Hannon was part of that class of 2010 too.
But Mulcahy’s family life was starting to get busy. His daughter Róise is three now and her little sister Ashley is just over nine months. He could no longer divide his time between the demands of inter-county hurling and the demands of parenting two young children.
“We have two kids now and living down in Cork, the commitment was just too much and there was too much of a sacrifice for my wife as well (for me) to go back for another year. I was happy with the way that it went over the last number of years so I left with no regrets.”
The last six years of Mulcahy’s Limerick career coincided with the most successful period in the county’s history. The Kilmallock forward is enshrined in that legacy. He started in three of Limerick’s five All-Ireland final wins, and was Limerick’s top-scorer in the 2018 decider, posting 1-2 from play to help end a 45-year famine for Liam MacCarthy glory. He made substitute appearances in the 2021 and 2023 spectacles, clipping over a point in the 2021 final.
But it almost wasn’t so for him. At the end of the 2017 season, the eve of that breakthrough, Mulcahy was leaning towards the exit door. It was a bad year on both a collective and personal level, as Limerick limped out of the championship after two games.
Mulcahy started their Munster semi-final against Clare, but was hauled ashore at half-time on the way to a four-point defeat. Kilkenny then ended their season in the first round of the qualifiers, quashing a late Limerick rally that had trimmed a five-point gap to two. Lester Ryan slotted the decisive score as Mulcahy was introduced in the 68th minute.
This was John Kiely’s first year as the Limerick senior manager. Mulcahy had won a Munster U21 title 2011, and looked on with interest as Kiely achieved All-Ireland glory with the Limerick U21s in 2015. He admired the ‘unit he built within that group’ and could see how Kiely was eager to blend those successful underage stars with the more senior members of the panel.
But Mulcahy was feeling dissatisfied at the end of 2017 and sat down with Kiely to talk it out.
“My body probably wasn’t where it should have been,” Mulcahy recounts, “I was carrying a lot of knocks. The groin was one particular injury where it was a case of put the head down over the winter, try and get it cleared up and put yourself in a good position for 2018.
“I spent a good bit of time with the physios with rehab programmes, strength programmes. I picked up a concussion in the first match of the [2018] league so I was out for another three weeks and came back for the knockouts. So I hadn’t really cemented myself at all on the team but that work over the winter stood to me. I slowly edged my way back into the team just in time for Munster championship.”
The early years of Mulcahy’s Limerick career form a stark contrast with those victorious days at the end. Back then, he knew more about losing than winning.
“Winning a championship game was a step in the right direction,” he says.
There were some heavy beatings in those days, even at underage level. In 2007, when Mulachy was a Limerick minor, Tipperary crushed them by 18 points in the Munster semi-final. The sides met again the following season, this time at the quarter-final stage. But it was a familiar outcome as Limerick were hammered 3-21 to 1-12, before losing out to Cork in a play-off where Mulcahy scored a goal to provide a sliver of respectability on the scoreline.
Things didn’t improve much for Mulcahy when he first progressed to the U21 grade, losing by 15 points to Clare in the 2009 Munster semi-final. Two years later however, Limerick were provincial kings at that level as Mulcahy helped himself to 2-1 in a high-scoring extra-time thriller against Cork. It was the county’s first Muster U21 title since 2002.
By that stage, Mulcahy was into his second year with the Limerick seniors. They were searching for stability. Internal conflict provided an unfortunate backdrop to his debut season as player upheaval developed under then-manager Justin McCarthy.
“I was very young,” says Mulcahy looking back. “In a way, that was probably for the best because I was a bit oblivious to the whole situation and the importance of it. As a young player, you just want to get on the field and play the game you love.
“I didn’t give it a whole pile of thought at the time. There was certainly no pressure from anyone to step aside in solidarity with the players. I just used it as an opportunity to play for Limerick at the time. 2010 was a very difficult year, we took a number of heavy beatings. But I hope I took something from that year that helped me in the latter years.”
There were brief flashes of good fortune. In that 2010 season, Limerick suffered a 2-19 to 0-12 licking at the hands of Cork in the Munster semi-final. But while their fans despaired at the scoreline, Mulcahy impressed on a team that included nine championship debutants by slotting three points from play.
Three seasons later, Limerick were crowned Munster champions for the first time since 1996. Mulcahy helped himself to two points against a Cork side who lost by nine after key forward Patrick Horgan was sent off late in the first half.
Limerick reached the Munster final again the following year, but that was the closest they got to meaningful silverware again until the start of that epic rise in 2018. A young batch of All-Ireland U21 winners were in the ranks at this point setting off a spark that would help them ascend the steps of the Hogan Stand.
Of course, Mulcahy could have a deeper appreciation for what they achieved having spent so many years in hurling struggle. But he never felt compelled to caution the younger pups about the risks of taking these days for granted.
“It was probably the other way round,” he explains about what he gained from playing with those players. “I had come in off the back of being a minor with Limerick and being well beaten at minor level.
“So, we didn’t have that winning mentality to bring into the senior set-up. These guys were used to success and seemed to bring that with them. It seemed to roll into the senior set-up and they probably imparted that on to the other guys more so than us imparting the lack of success on them.”
****
Mulcahy recently received a special present from his Limerick teammate Seán Finn. It was a framed photo of a smiling Mulcahy at the top of the Hogan steps, the Liam MacCarthy Cup in one hand and his daughter Róise in the other. She’s had a few encounters with that trophy, unlike her sister Ashley who just missed out on those glory days.
“In the space of nine or 10 months, Róise’s been in the Liam MacCarthy twice. The semi-final against Cork was Ashley’s first match.
“Two Cork girls so maybe they were happy with the way it turned out.”
The weeks since his retirement in October have been spent at home enjoying family life, and appreciating those private moments that punctuate the many achievements that were packed into a six-year run. He will continue to hurl for Kilmallock and has some plans for the future in mind, but for now, he’s happy to take rest.
“I haven’t given it a lot of thought. I’m looking forward to next season. Further on from that, I would like to get involved in some sort of management or coaching so we’ll see what the future has in store.”
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
GAA Graeme Mulcahy Hurling Limerick hurling Looking Back