Éanna Burke was only 17 and the youngest of the six Burke brothers on the team when St Thomas won the 2013 AIB All-Ireland SHC club title, with their father John also the manager.
There's five of them this time and they also have a new manager since.
John is actually still involved in a bid for All-Ireland glory as he's part of Oranmore-Maree's backroom team for the intermediate final....
Q: What was the most pivotal game of your season so far?
A: Our county quarter-final against Clarinbridge was an incredibly tough game.
We had to level it in normal time, we were winning through the second half and they got a late goal and a point or two and went ahead and it was nearly time up and I was thinking 'no, this can't happen like.'
Then Conor Cooney won the ball and popped it to Kenneth (his brother) who'd come on as a sub and he went for a hail mary shot and it went over the bar.
Then it went to extra-time and we won it in extra-time.
Q: After 2013 you won the county title again in 2016 but lost that year's All-Ireland semi-final to Ballyea of Clare. What do you remember of that?
A: I was corner-back that time and I'm in the forwards now.
I just remember a feeling of regret for a few weeks after it. You think you've prepared well and all the training done but we just got hit by a whirlwind ending from Ballyea.
It was 0-10 to 0-3 at half-time.
Three points for a hurling team like us was brutal.
They went 13 points ahead in the second half and we got it back to a point. They took their foot off the gas and we clawed it back. Sure you're filled with hope then and it's just taken away.
We ran out of time and that was nearly worse.
Q: What happened between 2013-2016?
A: That was a bit of a barren spell for us. We lost two semi-finals by a point.
There's a sense of underachievement from that time and a massive drive in the group to put an end to that. We feel we have the players and we won't be around forever so we'll try and do it now.
The standard is very high in the club and it was seamless going back (after All-Ireland final).
We have a phenomenal group of club hurlers who trained so hard over the summer so going back in, the standard didn't drop in my opinion.
I love hurling with them.
Q: St Thomas came back and won the county again this season. How has this year differed?
A: Beating Liam Mellows was huge for us in the county final because they were the defending champions in Galway.
This year we dominated the championships, went unbeaten in Galway and won the county final by nine points.
In 2016 we'd lost a few games and stuttered through and then got on a run and pipped Gort in the final.
This year was a very different experience than two years ago and nearly sweeter to win it that way.
Q: Has the team changed much since 2013?
A: Not much in terms of personnel but positionally we've changed radically and we have a new manager this season, Kevin Lally.
He's originally from Padraig Pearses, Cyril Donnellan's club, but he's living in Craughwell now, just down the road.
He was over a few club teams in the last few years.
My dad was manager for 10 years or so, we'd great success with him, but it's great to do it with Kevin now and TJ Ryan (ex-Limerick manager) is a selector with him.
Q: What does TJ Ryan bring and were you surprised to see him involved with your club team?
A: He only came in in September, when we (county players) came back after finishing with Galway. I was like 'who's yer man below setting up a few cones?'
He's excellent. He'd be more player-based so he gets our opinions and works off that. We give each other ideas, there's a really healthy relationship there.
He trained his own club to the Limerick intermediate, so we missed him for the county quarter-final.
When we went to extra-time against Clarinbridge I think he was on the phone.”
Q: How does this All-Ireland semi-final feel compared to your two previous ones?
A: It's not more important but I think you appreciate how hard it is to get here now and as you get a bit older. I know I seem relatively young, but I was only 17 when we went to the 2013 All-Ireland.
In 2013 I suppose we were unknowns. It feels like more hard work but it's more professional in a sense too.
We're not here now for a story or a fairytale, we're here now to do a job.
Q: What would it feel like to get back to a final again?
A: To get back to an All-Ireland final would be massive. We've put in an awful amount of work.
I know we've won a few county championships since we were there last, but we also lost some big games by a point or two here and there.
We're only a small parish, hurling is everything there and it would mean the world to everyone there. It would be a dream come true.”
