Cup of cheer as old Limerick school pals unite following sporting weekend to remember
IT WAS a weekend to remember for Na Piarsaigh GAA Club as they won titles in football and hurling.
And one fan in particular had an unforgettable experience.
Twenty-four hours after Na Piarsaigh’s football panel had secured their passage back to the senior tier after beating Dromcollogher-Broadford to the intermediate championship title in Askeaton, the hurlers won their seventh senior county crown after dethroning Kilmallock.
Shortly after Na Piarsaigh’s hurlers had lifted the Daly Cup in the Tus Gaelic Grounds, the club’s forward Conor Boylan spotted Darragh Ryan, 25, in the crowd.
The pair had been in the same class together way back in Salesians Infant School, and the senior county star wanted to give his old friend a memorable moment with the trophy.
Taking up the story, the 24-year-old said: “I had spotted Darragh and his dad at the football game on Saturday and could visibly see the joy from both of them after the final whistle, so when I saw them again on Sunday, I wanted to share some of that joy with them – and to have [hurling manager] Kieran there too with the cup was really brilliant.”
He described both Darragh and his father as being “superb” for the way they’ve travelled the “length and breadth of the country” in following club and county.
Asked his memories of their time together in infant school, one thing sticks out.
“What always struck me with Darragh was his smile. No matter what the situation or the circumstances, you could be sure to see his infectious smile across his face, and it couldn’t help but lift your spirits,” Conor recalls.
Sean said Conor seeking out a photo with Darragh has brought “joy and happiness” to their home just off the Ennis Road.
It’s especially pleasing, he said, because his son has not been able to attend as many games as he’d like in the past year due to a mix of Covid restrictions, his Crohn's disease and cerebral palsy which has left him wheelchair-bound.
“We’ll be looking back on that picture for years to come,” he smiled.
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