William O'Donoghue: 'The finals the last two years, I just wasn't in a place to watch that'
Limerick’s centre-back enforcer opens up about growing up in the shadow of the Gaelic Grounds, working his way onto an All-Ireland-winning team, and the pain of defeat.
WILLIAM O’DONOGHUE GREW grew up dreaming of playing for Manchester United as much as representing the Limerick hurlers, but he quickly realised one ambition was more tangible than the other.
Inspiration lay just across the road, with the Gaelic Grounds on his doorstep and a view of the Mackey Stand from his homeplace.
His most memorable visit in those formative years was the trilogy encounter with Tipperary in 2007. O’Donoghue was among the crowd of youngsters that invaded the pitch early and got shepherded back off so Limerick could complete a famous victory.
Post-match, he scurried under the stand and his Na Piarsaigh clubmate, Paul Murray, who was on physio duty, handed him out Séamus Hickey’s jersey.
O’Donoghue brought that No.4 shirt back across the road a few months later to the All-Ireland final open training session and queued up to have it signed by the team. That prized possession is still at home, albeit the signatures have grown faint over the past two decades.
Around that time, a teenage O’Donoghue was starting to nail down his true sporting aspirations, which lay far from Old Trafford.
“That died once I realised that just because you own a soccer ball doesn’t mean you get to play for Man United,” he chuckles.
“It wasn’t exactly linear for me either, that it was like, ‘Oh, I’m destined to play for Limerick.’ It was a roundabout way and took a lot of time and effort and consistent improvement to get there, so it wasn’t something that was exactly put in front of me.”
The Limerick-Galway All-Ireland final pairing has brought up plenty of reflections on their 2018 meeting, which sparked the Treaty’s golden age and snuffed out the Tribe’s empire-building ambitions.
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William O'Donoghue and Caroline Currid celebrate with the Liam MacCarthy Cup in 2018. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
O’Donoghue wasn’t a starter in those days, coming off the bench in the 67th minute before the frantic closing flurry saw Limerick cling on for their famine-ending triumph. While thrilled with the trophy, it also emphasised the challenge ahead to break into an All-Ireland-winning unit.
“I was just about seeing game time. It’s not like I was very young either. I was probably 23,” he says.
“I was self-aware and I knew I had a lot of developing to do. I needed to be more consistent, fitter, stronger, and able to contribute more.
“There’s been a lot of development physically. My hurling has gotten better. I’ve been lucky enough to be exposed to (sports psychologist) Caroline Currid’s work, so I would like to think I’m a lot better prepped there.”
For all the success in between – four more All-Irelands in succession, six Munster titles in a row and a seventh this year, two All-Stars – the defeats still sting.
O’Donoghue didn’t watch the 2024 All-Ireland final. He caught the closing 10 minutes of last year’s decider.
“To be honest, the finals the last two years, I just wasn’t in a place that I wanted to watch that,” he says.
“Don’t get me wrong, the All-Ireland final is, in my opinion, the biggest day in the Irish sporting calendar and it’s an incredible occasion, but your appetite wouldn’t be great to watch it if you’re not there.”
O’Donoghue anticipates the next query. “I’m sure the question is coming, ‘Does it mean more that you haven’t been there for the last two years?’ I don’t think it does,” he says.
William O'Donoghue pictured after last year's Munster hurling final. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
“If you were to ask me before the 2023 All-Ireland final, ‘How excited are you for this All-Ireland final?’, I was pretty excited. It’s the same now.
“Am I more appreciative of being there? Potentially not, but I know what it’s like. I know what the hurt is like to not be there. I’m certainly glad I’m dealing with the excitement of being there and not the hurt of not.”
Switching from midfield enforcer to replacing retired captain Declan Hannon at centre-back has been no easy task: “I’ve got big shoes to fill and I don’t think I’ll ever have time to fill them,” O’Donoghue says.
He won’t be running his own tactical analysis either on Galway’s roaming half-forward line.
“It would be dangerous for me to form my own opinions. That’s when things start going wrong, I’d say.
“I’ll let the experts tell me what to start thinking because if I start to form the opinions myself, we could be under pressure.
William O'Donoghue celebrates Limerick's All-Ireland semi-final victory over Clare. Tom O’Hanlon / INPHO
Tom O’Hanlon / INPHO / INPHO
“Definitely Sunday will be a huge challenge. They’re a really skilful team. They work really hard. They know what their role is and they’re really good at executing it. That’s going to pose lots of dangerous questions. I don’t think anyone is shocked that they’re in an All-Ireland final.”
Asked about comparisons between Limerick and Brian Cody’s Kilkenny team as the two modern-day superpowers, O’Donoghue notes: “The last two years, we haven’t won the All-Ireland. When they were in their pump, did they go too long without winning one or back-to-back?
“Don’t get me wrong, it’s a nice comparison that you’ve made, but I think we’ve an awful lot more work to do to get to that level.”
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William O'Donoghue: 'The finals the last two years, I just wasn't in a place to watch that'
WILLIAM O’DONOGHUE GREW grew up dreaming of playing for Manchester United as much as representing the Limerick hurlers, but he quickly realised one ambition was more tangible than the other.
Inspiration lay just across the road, with the Gaelic Grounds on his doorstep and a view of the Mackey Stand from his homeplace.
His most memorable visit in those formative years was the trilogy encounter with Tipperary in 2007. O’Donoghue was among the crowd of youngsters that invaded the pitch early and got shepherded back off so Limerick could complete a famous victory.
Post-match, he scurried under the stand and his Na Piarsaigh clubmate, Paul Murray, who was on physio duty, handed him out Séamus Hickey’s jersey.
O’Donoghue brought that No.4 shirt back across the road a few months later to the All-Ireland final open training session and queued up to have it signed by the team. That prized possession is still at home, albeit the signatures have grown faint over the past two decades.
Around that time, a teenage O’Donoghue was starting to nail down his true sporting aspirations, which lay far from Old Trafford.
“That died once I realised that just because you own a soccer ball doesn’t mean you get to play for Man United,” he chuckles.
The Limerick-Galway All-Ireland final pairing has brought up plenty of reflections on their 2018 meeting, which sparked the Treaty’s golden age and snuffed out the Tribe’s empire-building ambitions.
O’Donoghue wasn’t a starter in those days, coming off the bench in the 67th minute before the frantic closing flurry saw Limerick cling on for their famine-ending triumph. While thrilled with the trophy, it also emphasised the challenge ahead to break into an All-Ireland-winning unit.
“I was just about seeing game time. It’s not like I was very young either. I was probably 23,” he says.
“I was self-aware and I knew I had a lot of developing to do. I needed to be more consistent, fitter, stronger, and able to contribute more.
“There’s been a lot of development physically. My hurling has gotten better. I’ve been lucky enough to be exposed to (sports psychologist) Caroline Currid’s work, so I would like to think I’m a lot better prepped there.”
For all the success in between – four more All-Irelands in succession, six Munster titles in a row and a seventh this year, two All-Stars – the defeats still sting.
O’Donoghue didn’t watch the 2024 All-Ireland final. He caught the closing 10 minutes of last year’s decider.
“To be honest, the finals the last two years, I just wasn’t in a place that I wanted to watch that,” he says.
O’Donoghue anticipates the next query. “I’m sure the question is coming, ‘Does it mean more that you haven’t been there for the last two years?’ I don’t think it does,” he says.
“If you were to ask me before the 2023 All-Ireland final, ‘How excited are you for this All-Ireland final?’, I was pretty excited. It’s the same now.
“Am I more appreciative of being there? Potentially not, but I know what it’s like. I know what the hurt is like to not be there. I’m certainly glad I’m dealing with the excitement of being there and not the hurt of not.”
Switching from midfield enforcer to replacing retired captain Declan Hannon at centre-back has been no easy task: “I’ve got big shoes to fill and I don’t think I’ll ever have time to fill them,” O’Donoghue says.
He won’t be running his own tactical analysis either on Galway’s roaming half-forward line.
“It would be dangerous for me to form my own opinions. That’s when things start going wrong, I’d say.
“I’ll let the experts tell me what to start thinking because if I start to form the opinions myself, we could be under pressure.
“Definitely Sunday will be a huge challenge. They’re a really skilful team. They work really hard. They know what their role is and they’re really good at executing it. That’s going to pose lots of dangerous questions. I don’t think anyone is shocked that they’re in an All-Ireland final.”
Asked about comparisons between Limerick and Brian Cody’s Kilkenny team as the two modern-day superpowers, O’Donoghue notes: “The last two years, we haven’t won the All-Ireland. When they were in their pump, did they go too long without winning one or back-to-back?
“Don’t get me wrong, it’s a nice comparison that you’ve made, but I think we’ve an awful lot more work to do to get to that level.”
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