LAST WEEKEND PAUL Flanagan was helping to inflict pain on Limerick hurling, today he want to help the game in the county experience glory.
Flanagan was corner-back in Ennis on the Clare team that clinched promotion from Division 1B and ensured Limerick’s agony in failing to escape from the second tier will br prolonged for at least another season.
But away from his inter-county endeavours, Flanagan is teaching PE and Irish in Árdscoil Rís, and he also turns his hand to management with the Limerick city school’s hurling teams.
The school is a stone’s throw from the Gaelic Grounds and while it has an influx of Clare players, the core is made up of Limerick hurlers.
Today they hope to win the Croke Cup – the most prestigious All-Ireland schools hurling title – for the first time.
“(We’re) looking forward to it,” says Flanagan.
“We’ve prepared hard throughout the year, it’s been a really long year. This is game nine and we’ll be approaching it that way.
“This is my second year involved with them now. It’s good, I’m just bringing what I can to the setup, trying to bring on the experience of the lads as much as I can.
“They’re fabulous guys, they’re working extremely hard. We’ll see how we get on.”
Flanagan is not the only hurling figure supplying inter-county experience to Árdscoil Rís. Manager Niall Moran is not long retired from the Limerick senior ranks and also involved is Barry Hennessy, who was the sub goalkeeper for the Limerick squad in opposition to Flanagan’s Clare team.
“(With) Barry, I suppose we feed off each other. We’re good mates. It’s good to be involved with someone like that, so professional, even off the field.
“Whatever side of the border we’re on, we can work through it.”
They are chasing victory against St Kieran’s, the Kilkenny aristocrats who saw off previous Árdscoil Rís teams in 2010 and 2011.
But the Árdscoil team received a boost with two of their players involved in the Na Piarsaigh side that won the AIB All-Ireland senior club hurling title recently.
“(It was) great for Peter (Casey) and Conor Boylan to get off the mark and get their win,” admits Flanagan.
“I thought they were awesome and gave a really, really good club final performance.
“(We’re) just trying to get everyone fresh now and get ready.”
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