'There Was Some Controversy': Carey On Picking Cian Lynch In The Middle Of His Leaving Cert

Most teenagers spend their Leaving Cert week trying to remember Hamlet quotes or muddling through maths papers. Cian Lynch? He was lacing up his boots to play Clare in a U21 Munster championship match back in 2014, with his uncle, Ciaran Carey the man selecting him to line out for his county.

Speaking on the Electric Ireland Minor Moments podcast, Carey, a Limerick hurling legend in his own right, recalled a tale from his time as Limerick U21 manager when he was left with a difficult decision quite close to home.

There was a bit of controversy. We were playing Clare and Cian Lynch was sitting his Leaving Cert the same week. I came in to Cian and said, ‘Look, no pressure. It’s completely up to yourself. If you’re given the green light to play, "I’m going to drive on and pick you." Politically, it’ll be wrong and everyone will come at me… but I’ll be tough enough to make that call. You can imagine the argy-bargy that came afterwards!

Carey, who is Lynch's uncle, had no doubts about the call or the Patrickswell man's future in the game.

I could always see he was going to be a special player.

And though Limerick lost by nine points that night, the teenager still managed to slot over a score; a point that would, in time, seem like a very early chapter in one of hurling’s most glittering careers.

Fast forward a few years and that prediction has more than come true. Lynch was central to Limerick’s historic All-Ireland win in 2018, their first in 45 years, a day Ciaran Carey admits brought a tear to his eye.

I was with my wife when it happened and I actually shed a tear. I had that family connection, number one. I knew a good few of the players, number two. And Tom Condon was married to my daughter Sarah, number three. So yeah, it was an emotional rollercoaster… for the right reasons.

A story that captures the quiet confidence Ciaran Carey had in his nephew, even at such a young age. Balancing exams and championship hurling would be a stretch for most, but Lynch handled it with the same composure that would become a hallmark of his career. The talent was unmistakable, and so too was the trust that would help shape one of Limerick’s greatest.