Pat Murray coached Shannon to their fourth All-Ireland League success this season, having been a member of the other three triumphs, twice as captain. He has also enjoyed several Munster Senior Cup victories. The former full back has represented Shannon, Munster and Ireland A, and was unlucky not to have won a full cap.
Membership: I think the membership is around 250. Even though we are recognised as a community club in Limerick, we would draw from a much wider area. I know members who live in Dublin, Letterkenny and Borris-in-Ossory.
Status: Shannon RFC was founded in 1884 as a junior club, and it was not until the 1953-54 season that they joined the senior ranks in Munster.
Honours: Ten Munster Junior Cups, many of those won when the club was confined to the junior ranks. Ten Munster Senior Cups - although we will obviously be hoping to add to that next weekend - and the four All-Ireland Leagues in succession.
Finest hour: I suppose that it would have to be our most recent All Ireland League triumph at Lansdowne Road. To win the 10 matches in-a-row and claim the title was a tremendous achievement, but this year we had finished top of the league, and won two further games, the second of which was outside Limerick. It has been a special season.
Worst hour: Losing 13-12 to Cork Constitution in the Munster Senior Cup Final in the 1988-89 season. We were going for four in succession at the time and were leading 12-10 with seconds left. Moss Finn missed an attempted drop goal but Kenny Murphy kicked a penalty soon after to snatch the cup away.
Club hero: Mick Galwey. This is a guy who has won an All-Ireland medal with Kerry, Munster Senior Cups, All-Ireland Leagues, represented Munster, Ireland and been selected for the Lions, and still remains the salt of the earth. It hasn't changed him one bit. He commands every bit as much respect from the underage players as he does from past and present team-mates, yet he is unaffected by all he has achieved.
Arch rivals: Any Munster club. We have enjoyed a rivalry with Cork Constitution, Garryowen and Young Munster over the years in Senior Cup and the AIL. Outside of that, I would have to say St Mary's College in recent years, but in all honesty, probably anyone we meet in Division One.
