Curtin’s journey reflects rising ambition of Kildare hurling ahead of Leinster opener
Muiris Curtin and his proud father, Larry. Photo: ©INPHO/James Lawlor
Father Larry, now vice-chairman of the Kildare County Board, is a Limerick man so that meant summers spent in the Gaelic Grounds looking at some of the best in the business going toe-to-toe in the Munster Hurling Championship.
The noise. The colour. The atmosphere. The passion. The intensity.
All of it together combined to help cultivate a love of hurling in Muiris and sowed the seeds of a dream within him that he might one day play in such an arena.
For a young lad growing up in Rathangan that dream seemed far-fetched. Although home to a proud GAA club, Rathangan is not known as a hotbed of hurling but that’s not to say there are not passionate hurling people around. Crucially, there were enough to stoke the flames burning within Curtin.
“I was maybe five or six, going to Limerick games and I spent a lot of days down in Thurles and the Gaelic Grounds, and I suppose that’s where my love for hurling started. Looking back now, I appreciate the time that parents gave to young lads to bring them training and to bring them to matches because that’s where the love for the game comes from. You can watch a game on television but to actually be at the games, it’s different altogether.
“I’m very grateful to my parents for that opportunity, and then I suppose, there were two teachers from Tipperary in my primary school, so they were pushing the hurling there, same in secondary school. It was kind of just something that I always had a really big interest in. I was very lucky to have supportive parents and teachers then, and coaches as well in the clubs, you know, Jack O’Connell is a stone-mad hurling man from Limerick as well, so he used to bring great energy to hurling trainings in Rathangan,” said Curtin.
As he progressed to senior level, Curtin transferred to Moorefield and in many ways the Newbridge club are a microcosm of what is happening in Kildare hurling overall. Seen as a football stronghold, hurling grew within the club and with Curtin picking up the Player of the Year award as they won the Senior ‘B’ Championship in 2024, they were promoted to play in the Senior Championship the following year.
“We were in Senior there last year, and relegated back to Intermediate now, as it is, the old Senior B, but even the introduction of a second team in Moorefield in recent years shows the interest in hurling in the club and the number of players that are willing to play it. I think the more that hurling can grow in all of the clubs around the county the better it’s going to be for the county itself going forward,” said Curtin.
That is starting to show at underage level with players from clubs like Cappagh, St Laurences and Sallins starting for the Under 20s against teams like Kilkenny and Galway. Four of that Under 20 squad have been in with the seniors all year and Curtin can see the standards rising across the board.
“There’s the four there - Tim Ryan, Oran Byrne, Tom Power and Michael Owens. If someone was to watch our training sessions, you wouldn’t even think that they were Under 20s because they’ve fitted in so well and they’ve settled in very, very well this year. Tim was there last year, ruled out through injury, but the four lads this year have been unbelievable.
“I’d like to think that they’re bringing a good intensity to that Under 20 campaign as well. It’s absolutely brilliant that they’re getting to play Kilkenny and Wexford and Galway as well, the teams we’re getting to play this year. Even for other underage Kildare hurlers, to get to play them top-level teams, there’s nothing better experience wise because they’re the teams you want to be playing at senior level as well, so why not get the exposure at such a young age?” Exposure to playing teams like Saturday’s opponents in the opening round of the Leinster Championship is all well and good but coming into the year, Kildare knew they were going to have to lift their standards. Brian Dowling’s team blitzed their way through the McDonagh Cup last year but Curtin said the squad knew coming into winter training that they had to increase the standard of everything they were doing.
“With the training we’ve been doing since November, everything has ramped up another level. That was a challenge that the management set for us after last year. We were fully aware of the challenge ahead playing the Leinster teams in the Championship. They put that challenge to us and I think we’ve met it fairly head on.
“We showed what we’re capable of there in the league. Having put in a relatively successful campaign, we’re just looking forward now to seeing can we put our best foot forward again in the Championship,” said Curtin.
The forward himself drew particular praise from the manager for the work that he had done through the off-season after his two goals in the league game against Antrim in February.
“I missed a lot of the pre-season last year through injury so coming in then I wasn’t as fit last year as I am this year. When it came around to October, November there before we went back training, I just really attacked it and tried to follow everything Mick (Gillick, S&C coach) gave us as best as I could. It’s tough at the time, you know, you’d be fairly busy there, and it’s a bit difficult to do it on your own but it’s the kind of sacrifices you need to make, and that you want to make as well. You’re doing it then to play in the spring and the summer and to play at the best level that you can play as an individual to help the team. It was tough but I hope it’s going to pay off now in the Championship coming up,” said Curtin.
First up for the Kildare team is Wexford on Saturday evening and Curtin is hoping for a big support from the stands to help them get as much out of their home advantage that they can.
“Home advantage is going to be massive for us. We have three home games and two away games so we’re lucky compared to other teams there that have two home and three away. We’re just hoping now that people can come out in their droves and get behind us, especially with the games that are in Newbridge,” said Curtin.
Saturday’s game is another indication of just how far Kildare hurling, and Curtin himself, has progressed on their journey and there is much excitement about what the future might hold.
