Munster hurling championship to set new box office record ahead of expected Limerick v Clare final sell-out

Yesterday’s concluding group fixtures brought the overall attendance total for the ten Munster SHC round-robin matches to 270,723.

This eclipsed last year’s previous benchmark of 266,684 by 4,039 – an even more impressive tally given that Waterford’s two home games this year reverted to the revamped Walsh Park which housed a combined figure of less than 24,000 for the visits of Cork and Tipperary.

Last year, by contrast, Waterford’s two ‘home’ games against Limerick and Clare were played at the much bigger FBD Semple Stadium and attracted a combined attendance of 34,587 – well over 10,000 more than this year’s Deise tally.

Despite the Walsh Park factor, the roaring PR success that is the Munster championship has continued apace.

And fresh attendance and gate receipt records now look sure to be broken on Sunday June 9, when Limerick and Clare renew Munster final battle for the third consecutive season.

Last year’s decider brought 43,756 to the TUS Gaelic Grounds, taking the overall attendance figure for the 2023 Munster SHC to 310,440.

The permitted Semple Stadium capacity for this year’s final is likely to be in the region of 44,000, given that the Tipp/Cork showdown there last Sunday week had a crowd of 43,972.

Another Thurles full-house would bring the overall attendance figure for 2024 to somewhere between 214,000 and 215,000 – a fresh Munster record.

Last year’s Munster GAA accounts revealed that gate receipts from the 2023 provincial SHC stood at €5.391m.

With attendance totals now slightly up and ticket prices also increasing (general stand tickets for round-robin games rose to €30) that total also looks set to be beaten.

The one caveat regards calculations pertaining to how many OAP, student and juvenile tickets were sold this year at significantly reduced prices.

Running in tandem with Limerick’s quest for a record All-Ireland five-in-a-row this year, John Kiely’s team is also seeking to become the first county to win six consecutive Munster crowns.

Their red-hot rivalry with Clare has fuelled public interest in the competition, and serves as a positive antidote to spectator apathy elsewhere in some of the less successful provincial championships.

For example, Dublin’s total domination of Leinster football has led to a spectacular drop in attendance figures.

Their three provincial outings this year, against Meath, Offaly and Louth in the final, were all hosted by Croke Park and recorded a combined attendance of just 66,515 – in stark contrast to Leinster’s noughties heyday when Dublin regularly went close to filling GAA HQ, with its 82,300 capacity, for Leinster finals and even some semi-finals.

2024 Munster SHC attendances

Clare v Limerick (Cusack Park): 20,055

Waterford v Cork (Walsh Park): 11,973

Cork v Clare (SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh): 36,814

Limerick v Tipperary (TUS Gaelic Grounds): 33,475

Waterford v Tipperary (Walsh Park): 11,966

Cork v Limerick (Páirc Uí Chaoimh): 41,670

Clare v Waterford (Cusack Park): 19,893

Tipperary v Cork (FBD Semple Stadium): 43,972

Limerick v Waterford (Gaelic Grounds): 31,487

Tipperary v Clare (Semple Stadium): 19,418

Total (10 games): 270,723

Average attendance: 27,072