BEST BAR NONE
Rea: It was a great call to keep Cup out of the pubs of Limerick
EVEN the publicans agreed with the Liam Maccarthy Cup not touring the bars of Limerick, says Treaty great Eamonn Rea.
A veteran of the trade himself, Rea strongly endorses the decision taken by Limerick to ban the Cup from pubs in the aftermath of their landmark All-ireland success last August.
“I thought it was great and most publicans would agree with that,” said Rea, who was part of Limerick’s previous All-ireland winning side in 1973. “You get some towns where there are three or four pubs and if you go to one you have to go to them all.
“The message it sent out was more important. Using the Cup to promote drink, encourage people to drink, or using the occasion for drink is wrong.
“I have met publicans down in Limerick and there was nobody who had a problem with that. It’s going to nursing homes and hospitals and clubs.
“They’re visiting old people who can’t get out maybe, or are in a remote area and they’re bringing the Cup to them. The players then themselves are fantastic ambassadors as well. Really, really good.”
Rea (inset) had a policy of his own not to talk publicly about the 1973 success as he had grown tired of rehashing it and burdening the current generation. But now that they have finally bridged the gap?
“Hurling is in an awful lot of a better place in Limerick now than it was when we won.
“1973 was great. It was a great few years when you’d have people ringing me slagging me about it. It was good to me as well, professionally and that.
“It’s over, it’s history now. It’s all about the present squad of players and what they’re doing and building on it hopefully, but it’s going to be a tough campaign again.”
Rea, who was speaking in his role as an ambassador for the GAA/TILDA ‘How to Age Well’ seminars, is naturally enthused by how the team has started the League with three successive wins and lauds their intricate style of play. “In my day, the golden all of rule was get the ball out of the square first, out of the danger area and get it up the field as fast as you possibly can.
“Nowadays a cornerback is hitting it out to a half-back or a midfielder, maybe a full-back. In my time, if you passed the ball back to the goalkeeper you were liable to be taken off.”
And he’s confident there won’t be another lengthy drought before the county’s next All-ireland.
“I don’t think so, they’re so much better organised, there are lessons learned from the past.
“We’re in a good place right now.”