Ger Loughnane has pinpointed the 1995 Munster final victory over Limerick as the moment that changed the course of Clare hurling.

Up until then, the Banner County's history was littered with hard luck stories and false dawns but the Loughnane managed side rectified that and went on to claim Liam McCarthy honours in 1995 and '97.

"Clare had lost the 1993 and '94 Munster finals. Another defeat would have doomed another generation," the famed manager explained to the Irish Daily Star.

"Winning that game was the catalyst not just for that era, but for everything good that has happened in Clare since.

"Go back to 1997, and it was a massive year because Clare best Cork, Kilkenny and Tipp twice.

"The real benefit was that all the lads that are there now, they might have been very young, but their parents were the supporters of that team.

"And their parents had a fantastic positive attitude towards Clare after those years.

"The mentality of Clare supporters has changed completely. Now, they nearly expect to win when they get to Croke Park.

"They followed the team to Croke Park on nine occasions between 1995 and '99 and they came home beaten only once.

"So when children were growing up, they'd hear tales from their parents of Brian Lohan, Seanie McMahon, Jamesie O'Connor …

"They were raised in a totally different hurling environment. Their mentality would be totally different to those raised before 1995. That is the legacy of that team." Tweet

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