New book on Limerick hurlers' fantastic four-in-a-row triumph hits shop shelves
THE FANTASTIC 4: The epic journey of Limerick hurlers’ four-in-a-row — a must-read for fans of the mighty Treaty men — has hit shop shelves.
Produced by the team at the Limerick Leader / Limerick Live, the publication celebrates the magnificent four-in-a-row triumph achieved by the Limerick senior hurlers.
‘The Fantastic 4’ isn’t just a chronicle of matches and scores, instead, through lively storytelling, captivating anecdotes — from players, management and fans — coupled with heart-warming imagery, readers are taken on a magical journey through this team’s historical milestones over the past four years.
Beginning with the summer of 2023 when the green giants brought home the hurling jewel, the Liam MacCarthy Cup on July 23, for the fourth year in succession, the 128-page publication, continues through this unparalleled era in Limerick’s hurling history with the three-in-a-row in 2022 and the back-to-back success of 2021.
And who can forget the December 2020 Fairytale of Croke Park when, during the depths of the Covid crisis in a near-deserted stadium, the boys in green made it a Christmas to treasure, bringing the MacCarthy Cup back to Shannonside after a brief hiatus when 'Liam' went wandering in Tipperary for 12 months in 2019.
“We are very fortunate in the Limerick Leader to have a treasure trove of information, content and imagery gathered over the past four years which has helped enormously in producing this publication,” said Áine Fitzgerald, managing editor of the Limerick Leader / Limerick Live.
“This is the perfect stocking filler for Christmas and is a book which, I think, will be pored over by many hurling fans in sitting rooms across the city and county and indeed around the world after the Christmas dinner has settled,” she remarked.
“While the players naturally take centre stage, there is a huge volume of photos of fans, be they at the matches, the big screens in TUS Gaelic Grounds and Pery Square, at the homecomings in the city centre, Patrickswell and Adare or around the globe during Covid,” she added.
Other highlights in the publication include an interview with Cian Lynch on “how you have to be able to switch off to switch on”; Darragh O’Donovan on how he and girlfriend, Cork camogie star Ashling Thompson, share a winning mentality but differ when it comes to talking GAA on their downtime; and behind-the-scenes photos from the various celebrations over the past four years.
A Christmas feast for Limerick hurling fans, The Fantastic 4: The epic journey of Limerick hurlers’ four-in-a-row, which is priced at €9.95, is currently on sale in local stores across the city and county with a limited supply available at the Limerick Leader office at 29 Glentworth Street in Limerick city.