On the 19th August holders Galway and a resurgent Limerick ran onto an immaculate Croke Park pitch for one of the most highly anticipated All-Ireland finals in decades. The Connacht stalwarts had a dramatic route to the final surviving a replay in both the Leinster Final (against Kilkenny) and the All Ireland semi-final where they out-scored a valiant Clare over two games by a single point. The Shannonsiders on the other hand saw off Kilkenny in the quarter final and, after extra time, beat their Munster rivals Cork by a couple of points in the semi. Galway was looking to win their sixth All-Ireland title while Limerick was aiming for their eight against the defending champions. The two counties had previously played each other in the final twice (1923 & 1980) with Galway winning both. Could it be 3rd time lucky for Limerick and their first title in 45 years? The final didn t disappoint and at times was a masterclass in free flowing hurling. This is the reason the game of hurling is hailed as the one of the most skilful and exciting field sports in the world. With a total of 5 goals and 34 points it was one of most dramatic finals in years as Limerick held on against a spirited Galway comeback by a single point. It was a famous victory as Limerick fans all over the world applauded GAA president John Horan presenting the Liam MacCarthy Cup to captain Declan Hannon. Man of the match was Limerick forward Kyle Hayes who in the previous two years had played in both the losing All-Ireland minor and under-21 finals ample proof that a new wave of young talented hurlers were set to play senior in years to come. Nearly 100,000 ecstatic supporters greeted manager John Kiely and the new champions on their home-coming as Limerick emerged from a near 50 year shadow to parade down O'Connell Street one more time.