Limerick GAA received a massive boost to its coffers recently when it was revealed that racing magnate JP McManus had donated €5 million to assist clear the debt incurred in the renovation of the Gaelic Grounds.
The stadium reopened this year after a complete overhaul and is now one of the premier venues in the country.
The Limerick ground cost €12.5 million to modernise and until McManus's generous contribution the county board had a €7.5 debt on their plate.
Although a tax exile based in Switzerland, McManus is a regular visitor to big championship games involving both the football and hurling teams of his native Limerick.
He may be widely known for his large shareholding, with John Magnier, in Manchester United but he has offered large contributions to other areas of Irish sport in the past, including the €50 million he put aside for a proposed national stadium.
It appears he will seek nothing in return from the Limerick county board, although they could repay him with a senior hurling All-Ireland. That will not happen this year but the county could not ask for a more professional environment in which to end a drought that stretches back to 1973.
Although he has scaled the highest peaks of horse racing, with Istabraq becoming a triple Champion Hurdle winner, the Liam McCarthy Cup would be the best repayment for one of Limerick's most famous sons.
