Limerick's opening game of the competition takes place on Sunday 7 January 2024, when they welcome old foes Cork, the reigning Champions, to Mallow.

If the game matches their last head-to-head then both sets of fans are in store for a firecracker of a match. In Round 5 of the 2023 Munster Championship The Treaty faced The Rebel County at the Gaelic Grounds on 28 May 2023. At the time neither side were playing well with Clare topping the table. But, as they had done on so many previous occasions, Limerick and Cork produced an exhilarating game of hurling in what was a scoring feast. A total of 67 points were served up in this banquet with only a solitary point separating the rivals when the long whistle was sounded, Limerick triumphing 3-25 to 1-30.

Limerick scorers: Diarmaid Byrnes 1-4 (1-0 pen, 0-1 '65), Seamus Flanagan 1-3, Aaron Gillane 0-5 (0-2 frees), Cathal O'Neill 1-0, Gearoid Hegarty, Darragh O'Donovan 0-3 each, Tom Morrissey 0-2; Peter Casey, William O'Donoghue, Barry Nash, Declan Hannon, Barry Nash 0-1 each.

Limerick then went on to beat The Banner Men 1-23 to 1-22 in the Munster final before bringing Liam home for the fourth year in a row.

2024 Groups
Group A: Clare, Cork, Limerick
Group B: Kerry, Tipperary, Waterford

Fixtures
Group A: Limerick v Cork, Sunday January 7th at 2pm
Group A: Clare v Limerick, Wednesday January 10th at 7pm in Sixmilebridge
Group A: Cork v Clare, Sunday January 14th at 2pm in Páirc Uí Rinn
Group B: Kerry v Waterford, Tuesday January 2nd at 7:30pm in Austin Stack Park Tralee
Group B: Waterford v Tipperary, Sunday January 7th at 2pm in Fraher Field Dungarvan
Group B: Tipperary v Kerry, Sunday January 14th at 2pm in MacDonagh Park Nenagh

Final: Sunday January 21st

Whilst Sunday's result will have no bearing on either the 2024 Munster Championship or Limerick's Drive For Five, bragging rights are at stake. Winning becomes a habit. Just ask any of the fans of those counties Limerick despatched in the last four All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship campaigns.

This will be the eighth edition of the tournament (it was not played in 2021 due to Covid) after Clare won the inaugural title in 2016. Limerick top the Roll of Honour with three titles in 2018, 2020 and 2022 and have been runners-up twice, in 2016 and 2017. Clare also won in 2019 and Cork were winners in 2017. The next best record is Tipperary who were runners-up in 2019 and 2023.

If omens are anything to go by then with the exception of the inaugural competition, The Treaty lift the trophy in every even year meaning they should claim their fourth Munster League crown in 2024.

Chalkie23 (Down) - Posts: 17 - 06/01/2024 18:15:46    2518673

Kerry put in a reasonable performance against Waterford midweek. Kerry have claimed some notable January wins, beating Tipperary in 2022 and Cork in 2018.

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 8284 - 07/01/2024 11:04:21    2518777

Chalkie23 (Down) - Posts: 17 - 08/01/2024 09:36:48    2518956

I see limerick/cork refixed for rathkeale on 17th of January..capacity set at 2000..do tickets for game yesterday still stand??people who can't attend,will they get money back and those who bought the club Ber coverage,can they still use it or does it have to be paid for again??surely the Gaelic grounds or mallow or pairc ui rinn would have been better options to accomadate more people..

CTGAA10 (Limerick) - Posts: 2378 - 08/01/2024 21:15:57    2519131