'That fear factor is probably diminishing' - the impact of Limerick's shock All-Ireland exit
FORMER LIMERICK HURLER Graeme Mulcahy says that his county “lacked energy” in their shock All-Ireland quarter-final defeat to Dublin, and suspects that the fear factor that has surrounded the team is “diminishing.”
John Kiely’s men were sensationally dumped out of the championship last weekend after one of the biggest upsets in modern GAA history. Despite losing Chris Crummey to an early red card, Dublin outworked Limerick and edged a 2-24 to 0-28 epic at Croke Park.
“The team just lacked energy,” the five-time All-Ireland winner Mulcahy told The 42, having retired from the Limerick team last year.
“Dublin had all the energy. The lack of an atmosphere from the word go, I think, [and] not having a huge crowd in Croke Park, that’s not something Limerick are used to over the last number of years.
“Obviously [they're] used to having a full stadium, and 30 to 40,000 Limerick fans roaring you on. You could nearly hear your own voice echo around the stadium, you can hear the referee’s whistle echo around the stadium for the first 10-15 minutes as the stadium is filling up for the football.
“I think Limerick probably didn’t really recognise that that could have been a factor, maybe in the decision to take the game to Croke Park. I think if it was in Thurles it would have been a completely different atmosphere. You’d have had a lot more of a Limerick support travel to Thurles, so I think that was probably one of the main factors.”
Limerick came into the tie on the back of a bruising defeat in the Munster final where their seven-in-a-row charge was crushed after extra-time and penalties. Mulcahy feels they struggled to park that disappointment against Cork and “didn’t maybe manage that two-week period well enough” in time for the Dublin battle.
In recent days, the absence of renowned sports psychologist Caroline Currid has also become a discussion point. Currid has been credited with much of Limerick’s run to five All-Ireland titles in six years but stepped away ahead of the 2024 season.
“I think she’s probably been missed,” says Mulcahy.
“In fairness to Caroline, she’s there at all the sessions. She’s on the ball in terms of, she has a hawk-like personality, where she just sees everything that’s happening around.
“Anything that’s not right, or that she sees that there should be improvement in, she would pull you up on it on a personal level, or as on a collective. She’d manage everything from logistics behind the scene, making sure that the preparation of even the backroom staff was managed to a tee.
“If something wasn’t right, no matter how small it is, she’d find out about it, she’d rectify it. It might be number 37 on the panel, he was maybe unhappy for whatever reason, that she’d talk to that person to make them content, and you need everyone going in the right direction. She’d always ensure that that was the case. Maybe that aspect of things I think was missed.”
Looking at the wider implications of this defeat, Mulcahy believes trying to mount a recovery in 2026 will be challenging for Limerick. He pointed to the remaining teams in the competition who have long famines to end in their quest for Liam MacCarthy glory, and the added pressure that will bring for other sides next year.
He also worries that other teams are learning to wipe out the fear factor that is often associated with Limerick.
“You’ve opened the door now certainly to another team. Tipp haven’t won it since 2019, you’re talking 10 years since Kilkenny won it, 20 years for Cork, Dublin, back in the 1930s I think it was. So you’re opening the door again to one of those teams.
“They’re going to be defending champions next year. You have Clare back in the fray, who were champions in 2024. That fear factor is probably diminishing. Maybe Limerick aren’t on the pedestal that we were on towards 2021-23, where teams feared us. But I think the players are still there, they’re still of an age, you know, guys are only 29, 30, 31. So that’s your prime as an athlete.
“And then you have the younger guys coming through, the likes of Aidan O’Connor, Shane O’Brien, that are adding to the options that John Kiely has. So I think in terms of a panel, I still think they’re in a very strong position, and you won’t lose too many, I’d hope.”
Graeme Mulcahy was speaking ahead of the 2025 Electric Ireland GAA All-Ireland Minor Championship Finals.
The 42
