Having returned to the Limerick senior hurling panel this year and picking up a second All-Ireland medal, the first was in 2018, Limerick’s Colin Ryan has achieved another landmark success.
Over the Cooley mountains on Monday, the Pallasgreen clubman retained the M Donnelly All-Ireland Senior Poc Fada title. This time he was successful with 51 pucks and 54 metres of extras.
The newly crowned champions finished ahead of Mayo’s Bobby Douglas with Clare’s Eamon Foudy third.
Limerick representatives have been very successful in the competition over the years but Ryan set two records for the county. The first Limerick man to win back to back titles and the first from the county to win the competition three times.
Limerick’s Vincent Godfrey was the inaugural winner of the competition in 1961, Pat Hartigan won it twice in three years 1981 and 1983, Tommy Quaid was the winner in 1991, Albert Shanahan was also a twice winner in 2001ans 2005 and now Colin Ryan in 2021, 2025 and this year.
“I came up here for the first time in 2019 and at that stage it was just about gaining experience really,” Ryan told G.A.A.ie
“I’m delighted more so to be able to bring up family and friends and to have a day like we’ve had. It is nice to have three titles to my name but I don’t really think about numbers, to be honest.
“Look, we’ll come up again here next year and we’ll give it another crack. That’s the way I look at it because it’s just a really enjoyable thing to do each year.”
“It’s a great competition, the last couple of years have been so close, the same again today with myself and Bobby,” said Ryan. “There was only a shot between us. There were some big hitters out there,” he concluded.