It may not be far from the Gaelic Grounds to Thurles, as the crow flies, but there was misery at both venues for long-suffering Sporting Limerick fans at the weekend.

At the Gaelic Grounds on Saturday evening, the senior footballers, led by Padraig Brown and with Thomas Cahill also in the ranks, failed to overcome a weak and struggling Louth team that was apparently riddled by dissentions and defections.

Limerick led by three points with just seven minutes remaining, but then allowed Louth to rifle over five points in the closing minutes with just a solitary white flag in reply for the Shannonsiders.

Limerick football has ebbed and flowed throughout the years since their solitary All Ireland success in the late eighteen hundreds. There have been some highs; The minor team of the fifties beaten by star-studded Dublin in the All Ireland semi-final. The senior team of the mid sixties that reached a Munster final and led Kerry a merry dance for all of thirty minutes. The U/21 team of a few years back that grabbed Munster glory and reached an All Ireland final. And of course the Liam Kearns era during which Limerick finally defeated Kerry in a competitive match, hammered Cork in Pairc Ui Chaoimh and reached two Munster finals, drawing with Kerry in an unforgettable afternoon at the Gaelic Grounds. (They even got to play a game in Croke Park !)

How far away it all seems now. It looks to be back to the drawing board for Limerick football. Let us hope that they do not lose heart from recent failures, but will re-group and carry on the fight.

Limerick hurlers also flattered only to deceive at Semple Stadium when they went down to a Waterford team that must now entertain genuine All Ireland aspirations.

In fairness to Limerick, they battled courageously and led by a point with twenty minutes to go. Then Waterford rifled home three killer goals in the closing quarter and it was game over.

Limerick could now meet Clare in the qualifiers and that game should be a cracker! The Shannonsiders were understandably disappointed with the result but will take encouragement from their overall performance and may yet have a major influence in the destination of this year’s championship

They think its all over – like hell it is!

WALK

The annual walk in aid of Fr Tim Galvin’s Mission in Sudan takes place on Sunday 22^nd July. The walk will start in the Church yard at 5pm and will progress via Mountmahon along the Doctor’s Road and in to town again by Buckley’s Cross. Sponsorship cards are available from the Credit Union, the Farmers’ Market and all committee members.

CUAN MHUIRE;

Sister Agnes Fitzgerald would like to thank everyone who contributed to the recent Cuan Mhuire collection. A sum of €897 was raised.

OUTING;

The annual parish outing goes ahead on this Wednesday 11^th July with stops in Gougane Barra, Glengarrif, Kenmare, Kilgarvan and Killarney.

PLAY:

The Abbeyfeale Youth Theatre staged a very impressive production of Oscar Wilde’s, The Importance Of Being Ernest, at the Glorach Studio recently. The play was produced by Jeanette Madigan, and the 9 member cast all gave excellent performances.

RUGBY;

Pre-season training has commenced for U/12s and U/13s at The Grove and continues each Friday evening from 7pm to 8pm. New players welcome.

GOLF:

The Kostal Club Seniors tournament was won by Jim O’Donoghue (20) with 33pts. Second was Jim Larkin and third was Maurice O’Riordan.