It seemed like a good idea at the time…
Many teams, over the years, prefer to head up to Croke Park on the morning of All-Ireland finals but it just makes sense to get up the night before.
Limerick were not taking any chances, in 1994, ahead of their final clash with Offaly. The Treaty County pushed the boat/plane out when they arranged a flight up to Dublin to save on time and road miles.
13 hours later, however, and the team only reached their hotel… in Wicklow.
Limerick legend Joe Quaid recalled the tale during The GAA Hour (from 13:00 below) during an All-Ireland final preview special and had the crowd in stitches.
On the Saturday of finals weekend, the Limerick squad met up ‘at stupid o’clock in the morning’ to make their way up to the team hotel. Quaid takes up the tale:
“We flew up in ’94… a lot of people said we went home early, too, as we had to catch a flight!
“We flew up; great idea… We met [really early] at U.L and took a bus to Shannon Airport. Supporters ALL OVER THE PLACE. That was fine. Got over and into the Aer Lingus lounge. Flew up [to Dublin] and got on the bus.
“The hotel we were staying at was in Wicklow, so the complete opposite side [of Dublin] city to the airport.
“Rory Kiely… he said he knew a shortcut. I think we got to the airport around 8:30, and we had met in Limerick that morning around 9am. The bus journey from the airport to the hotel than the bus would have taken from Limerick to the hotel!”
Considering that most of the players would have been travelling in to reach University of Limerick, to catch the bus to Shannon, the average journey time for most of the squad was 13 hours. As convolutions go, this takes the biscuit.
That was not the end of it, though.
Quaid, who started the final in goal, told another great story about borrowing a Toyota Starlet to catch Sunday morning mass.
“It was wherever Glenroe was filmed [Avoca, Wicklow]. You couldn’t make it up. It’s no wonder we couldn’t win!
“So, myself and Mike Galligan missed the bus and we said, ‘Jesus, we’ll be shot now if Tom Ryan doesn’t see us at mass’. So we borrowed the keys off the hotel porter of an old Starlet, with no Sat Nav, and set off this way, this way and that way.
“We pulled up outside Teasie’s pub (from Glenroe) and went across the road into mass. Came back out and had to drive back. I don’t know… we probably weren’t insured or anything like that.”
The haphazard preparations did not look to be holding Limerick back during the final as they raced into a strong lead. In the final five minutes, Offaly scored 2-5 and Limerick lost by six points.
The lesson here: Stick to the bus or, at the very least, book a hotel close to Dublin Airport!
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