‘Harry got bate, but Limerick will win’: Harry Kane’s Limerick cousin says disappointment of World Cup defeat will be forgotten on Limerick All-Ireland win

A FIRST cousin of England soccer star Harry Kane said the disappointment of seeing Kane lose out on playing in the World Cup Final will all be forgotten if his native Limerick win the All-Ireland senior hurling final on Sunday. In his proud Limerick accent, Kane’s cousin, Pat Fitzgerald, from Caherline, Caherconlish, said: “The cousin got bate, we would have loved to have seen him go further in the World Cup; I blame the manager (Thomas Tuchel) for playing the team too defensively.” With Kane and England’s knock-out departure from FIFA World Cup 2026 by Argentina, Fitzgerald said he and his wife Philomena (‘Mena’), can focus on roaring for Limerick when they meet Galway at Croke Park. The pairing is a repeat of the 2018 All-Ireland Final in which Limerick pipped the Tribesmen to victory by a point. Fitzgerald revealed Harry Kane’s grandfather Mike Kane is from Galway, and his wife, Harry’s grandmother, Teresa Fitzgerald, is from Limerick. Pat and Mena posed for photos wearing their green Limerick hurling jerseys outside their Caherconlish home, which they have made a Mecca to Limerick hurling. The house is festooned with green bunting, Limerick mannequin hurlers; the family car is decorated in the Limerick GAA crest; and the inside of the house is decked out in hurleys, flags, jerseys, and pictures of the Limerick hurling teams throughout the decades. Fitzgerald said he was confident the Liam MacCarthy would be “coming home” to Limerick after a two-year hiatus, following on the back of the Treaty men winning four-in-a-row All-Irelands. Fitzgerald’s message to his Limerick hurling heroes was simple: “Bring Liam MacCarthy home”. The Limerick squad enjoyed a traditional ice-pop party after their last training session ahead of their appearance in Sunday’s final. The ice lollies were a welcome relief as players were put through their paces in 30-degree heatwave temperatures, sources said. Five-time All-Ireland winning former Limerick hurler, Graeme Mulcahy, Kilmallock, confirmed on the “Treaty Talk” GAA podcast how John Kiely normally organises an ice-cream truck for the players in the heat of their final training session of the year. “They’ll definitely see it (the ice cream truck), and they’ll relax after training and have an ice-cream on the pitch and just be in each other’s company,” said Mulcahy. “We’ve done so well over the years, and it’s just a few minutes to relax after a session, we like to get that switch off to unwind, and wrap it back up again on the Sunday as you come into game time,” he added. Another of Limerick’s die-hard supporters, Pat ‘Bog’ Carroll, admitted he has struggled in the heatwave, but he will endure the cauldron of Croke Park on Sunday, wearing with his trademark sombrero on his head. “I don’t like the heat, I was under fierce pressure with the sombrero during the semi-final, so like the World Cup, I hope we get some hydration breaks – and that’s just for the supporters,” joked Bog. One of many superstitions Bog will keep to on All-Ireland Final Day will include having a Brunch ice-cream to settle his nerves. Bog has repeated the “lucky” ice cream lick ever since Limerick won the 2018 All-Ireland Final when they beat Galway and ended a 45-year Liam MacCarthy Cup famine. Pat “The Bog” Carroll has the sombrero dusted off and is rooting for four in a row. Photo: Brendan Gleeson. “I got a Brunch ice-cream for the match in 2018, so I get a Brunch at every final since then,” said Bog, from Croom. “Every kind of piseog is kept. I’ll wear the same shorts as I did at the finals in 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023. “We’ll go up to Dublin on the Saturday, the day before the match, stay overnight in the student accommodation in Trinity College, we’ve been staying there since 2018, so we’ll keep the tradition alive. “Hopefully we will graduate with honours in hurling again this year, and we will be in Hill 16, as always, roaring on Limerick.” While Bog believes Galway will be a formidable opponent, he sees Limerick winning it by “four or five points”. “Limerick are a gifted team, they’re able to do things no other county would dream of doing on a hurling pitch,” said Bog. Fellow Limerick hurling superfan Noel Bourke believes Limerick will be “home and dry” after Sunday’s clash with the men from the West. Bourke has emblazoned his home at Patrickswell, the home of Limerick hurlers, Cian Lynch, Aaron Gillane, Diarmuid Byrnes, with green and white bunting, flags, teddy bears, and his famous green High Nelly bicycle named “Croke Park”. With a pint of plain put on ice to celebrate what would be Limerick’s sixth All-Ireland in eight years, Bourke was adamant there would be “no stopping” the men in green and white on All-Ireland Final day. The post ‘Harry got bate, but Limerick will win’: Harry Kane’s Limerick cousin says disappointment of World Cup defeat will be forgotten on Limerick All-Ireland win appeared first on Limerick Post.