‘Dolores was a tough hurler...it’s a pity she’s not here,’ says her mother as she lifts Liam
THE Liam MacCarthy Cup paid an emotional visit to the family of late rock star Dolores O’Riordan, frontwoman of Limerick band The Cranberries.
O’Riordan’s hit ‘Dreams’ was played in Croke Park last Sunday, as tens of thousands of Limerick supporters celebrated the county’s first All-Ireland senior hurling title in 45 years.
The Cranberries’ music also featured at the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick during Monday’s homecoming celebrations for the triumphant Shannonside hurlers.
During the week, the Liam MacCarthy Cup was taken to O’Riordan’s home in Ballybricken, where the singer’s mother Eileen, her siblings, and her wider family posed for photographs with the historic trophy.
Eileen, a dedicated Mass-goer, joked the cup would make a great vase for flowers on the local church altar. “[It would] fit in front of the altar for the flowers for Sunday... down in the ground like that,” she said.
Eileen was joined by dozens of family members, friends and neighbours at her rural cottage where her superstar daughter would often retreat from the glare of the world’s media.
The 46-year-old mother of three was found dead in her room at the London Hilton on Park Lane on January 15.
She was laid to rest in Friarstown, a few kilometres from her mother’s home, on January 23.
Speaking to the ‘Limerick Leader’ at her home, Eileen said Dolores was an avid GAA fan. “She used to be hurling with the boys. She was a great hurler. Oh, she was tough,” she said.
“She is crossing my mind all the time today – but not in a sad way. It’s pity she isn’t here.”
“She would be singing,” she added.
Eileen was later joined by family, friends, and neighbours in performing an emotional version of Limerick’s anthem, ‘Limerick, You’re A Lady’.