 Born in the famous 'village' area of Kilkenny, Larkin was a member of the famous Larkin hurling dynasty.His father Phil, known as 'Fan' Larkin, won five All-Ireland medals with Kilkenny in a career that spanned seventeen seasons.Larkin's grandfather, Paddy, and his grand-uncle, Mick, featured on the Kilkenny team throughout the 1930s and collected final All-Ireland titles between them.