Clare's Tony Kelly is a favourite player in one Limerick hurler's household!
Respect between Clare and Limerick players encapsulated in TikTok clip
The respect between Limerick and Clare players was evident for all to see at the final whistle last Sunday and it extends to the players' families.
The favourite hurler of star forward Seamus Flanagan's stepson, Charlie, is none other than Clare’s Tony Kelly! Proud mum-of-four Laurie Flanagan shared a clip on TikTok that is quickly going viral with tens of thousands of views and counting.
Laurie, from Patrickswell in County Limerick, surprises Charlie with a letter which he sits down at the kitchen table to read in the busy household.
“Dear Charlie, keep up the hurling, best wishes, Tony Kelly,” reads out Charlie. This is followed by multiple “Oh my Gods!” and a big hug for mum.
Laurie then shows Charlie a clip on her phone of Tony writing the letter with more beaming smiles. One person commented on TikTok: "This is what the GAA is all about."
Seamus, aged 27, missed the Munster final with injury but the radiographer is set for a return in the All-Ireland semi-final.
It will probably be against Cork who he took for an incredible 3-3 in Limerick’s only defeat of the Munster championship.
The family is steeped in the GAA. Laurie's father is Patrick (Pa) Carey who hurled in defence for Patrickswell and Limerick in the 1980s and 1990s.
His wife, Laurie's mother, is a niece of Eamonn Grimes who famously captained Limerick to their All-Ireland success in 1973.
On the Flanagan side, Seamus's father John also lined out for the Treaty Men and was known to be a tough-as-teak hurler from Feohanagh-Castlemahon. Seamus’s mother Anne-Marie Quirke played camogie for Templeglantine in west Limerick. And, his cousin Paul Flanagan is on the Clare senior hurling panel.
The young couple, who wed in 2022, are both lending their support to the Irish Cancer Society’s first Relay For Life in Limerick. It takes place at Croagh GAA Club, County Limerick on September 7.