Acting Limerick captain Cian Lynch marched his side up the steps of the Hogan Stand yesterday as they claimed their fourth consecutive All-Ireland title. It's a family affair for the Treaty County: it's obvious after the final whistle just how tight this extended unit is, and it was lovely to see so many relations along the pitch.
Over Limerick's incredible run since 2018, we've got to know many of the many family members of this Limerick panel. Lynch, for example, has shared many emotional moments with his mother Valerie, sister of Limerick great Ciaran Carey.
22 August 2021; Cian Lynch of Limerick celebrates with his mother Valerie after the GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship Final match between Cork and Limerick in Croke Park, Dublin. Photo by Daire Brennan/Sportsfile
We learned a bit about Lynch's relationship with his mother last night on The Sunday Game, with Joanne Cantwell giving Lynch a comical telling-off.
The former hurler of the year is without a doubt one of the finest hurlers in the country and his impact yesterday as Limerick claimed yet another All-Ireland.
They overcame Kilkenny 0-30 to 2-15 in Croke Park after a last-quarter surge that saw the Treaty County demolish Kilkenny in what was otherwise a thrillingly close game.
At the centre of that surge was none other than acting captain Cian Lynch, whose move into a defacto centre-forward role set the Limerick scoring machine alight. Lynch scored just twice but was a menace on the ball setting up no fewer than ten other scoring chances with scarcely believable passes.
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Cian Lynch gets hilarious wrap on the wrist from Joanne Cantwell
While some might view Lynch in Croke Park as some sort of immortal figure, the 27-year-old revealed on the Sunday Game last night that he still indulges in a few home comforts.
Speaking to Joanne Cantwell on RTÉ from the winner's function, Lynch revealed that his mother still unpacks his gear bag for him and washes his kit after matches and training. When Cantwell asked him whether the prized matchday sliotar was still in his shorts, Lynch offered this explanation:
I don't (have the sliotar in my shorts). It's in the gear bag. I said I'd hold onto that it's a nice little keepsake after today.
The mother now once she takes out the auld gear to wash it she'll find it there. A nice little surprise for her, so looking forward to that.
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Cantwell was quick to give Cian Lynch a slap on the wrist, wistfully telling him to wash his own gear: 'That reminds me: wash your own stuff, would ya?'
However, Lynch was clearly undeterred by Cantwell's advice adding this:
Leave her at it, she's doing it years now and loves doing it so long may it last.
Dancing John Kiely elaborates on why his celebrations were so effusive today, while Cian Lynch has left a special present in his gear bag for his mother when she tackles his laundry in the morning. #rtegaa #sundaygame pic.twitter.com/nXPuPEn0j5
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) July 23, 2023
It's clear that behind one of the Shannonside's great hurlers Cian Lynch is a great Irish mammy but the real irony is probably that Limerick played in front of 82 000 people yesterday yet the gear is still being sent home to mothers to be washed. Where would you get it only the GAA?
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