Emotional scenes as Liam MacCarthy Cup brought to childhood home of Dolores O'Riordan
"She was a great hurler. Oh, she was tough.”
The Liam MacCarthy Cup – just recently claimed by the Limerick Senior Hurling team after a fantastic win against Galway last weekend – has paid a visit to the family of the late rock star and frontwoman of Limerick band the Cranberries, Dolores O’Riordan.
O’Riordan’s hit 'Dreams' filled Croke Park last weekend when the Treaty County emerged victorious following a nail-biting finish against the Tribesmen – an emotional moment which moved much of the stadium to tears.
This was the county's first All Ireland hurling title in 45 years.
Impossible to ignore...
Well done @LimerickCLG , a great day for #Hurling and well done to @officialgaa for using @The_Cranberries & #DoloresORiordan “Dreams” to herald Limerick’s victory in @CrokePark in today’s #AllIrelandHurlingFinal pic.twitter.com/Sk9PCha1ql— Fiachra Ó Céilleachair (@FiachraOCr) August 19, 2018
At Croke Park today just after the game they played "Dreams" by the Cranberries, and the Limerick people behind us were singing it and crying. Then the Galway people next to us turned around to shake their hands and I thought: God, this is incredible. #AllIrelandHurlingFinal
— Declan Lawn (@DecLawn) August 19, 2018
Music from The Cranberries also featured at the team's homecoming in the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick, where a 90,000-strong crowd gathered to celebrate the triumphant win for the young team which had been previously considered as underdogs.
The cup was taken to the childhood home of O’Riordan’s located in Ballybricken, where the singer’s mother Eileen, along with her siblings and other extended family members, posed for photographs with the trophy.
The 46-year-old mother of three was found dead in her room at the London Hilton on Park Lane in January of this year.
Speaking to the Limerick Leader, Dolores’ mother said her late daughter 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 – whose strong faith remains important to her – also mentioned how she felt her late daughter's presence on the day, as she was seated next to a Redemptorist priest.
“I think Dolores had something to do with the seating plan,” she smiled. “Those seated all around us were saying ‘Dolores will do it for us this year'.”
