Antrim v Limerick 2005 – Neill is 5th from left on the back row, while Shorty is 6th from left on the front.
By Curly McIlwaine
Two of the greatest hurlers of their generation, Paul Shiels and Neil McManus tussle for the ball in the final minutes of Sunday’s Antrim Senior hurling final between Dunloy and Cushendall, in Ballycastle
Looking at the pic my mind raced back to the 2005 All Ireland Minor Hurling quarter final at Parnell Park when they were part of the same Antrim team against Limerick in the All Ireland quarter final. A game Antrim could and should have won but a late effort for the equalising point by a Limerick player came back off the upright and fell to a team-mate who swept it to the net. A cruel defeat.
They were together again the following year in Mullingar when they ran Galway , captained by Joe Canning, to few points.
Shorty”s interview with Jerome Quinn after the game was brilliant. He announced his retirement like a man content with his lot. Cushendall fans will hope Neill will give it another run or two, but time will tell. Those of us who followed them over these 21 years are just glad we got the chance to see them perform at such a level.
