CLARE will have their first competitive outing under manager Davy Fitzgerald when they take on Waterford IT in a first-round game of the Waterford Crystal Tournament on this Sunday in Sixmilebridge at 2pm.The starting line-up will be finalised nearer match time but it is likely it will be similar to that which played against Gort last Saturday. A large number of the current senior panel are not available for this tournament as they must play with their college teams, Limerick IT and UL, while some more are part of the NUI Galway team, which is participating in the Walsh Cup in Leinster.Amongst the Clare panellists who will play with their college teams in this competition are Donal Tuohy, Eoin Hayes, Patrick Kelly, Caimin Morey (NUI, Galway); Andrew Fahy, Eamonn and Brian Glynn, Sean Collins, Cathal McInerney (Limerick IT); Brendan Bugler and Conor McGrath (UL).“Waterford IT are a strong side and this is a game I am certainly worried about. They …

CLARE County Councillor, Pat Keane pledged to seek the withdrawal of a letter of support sent to An Bord Pleanála without his consent regarding the proposed €100 million windfarm in West Clare.

Last year’s Clare senior hurling captain, Pat Vaughan from Crusheen will miss the upcoming national league campaign and much of the early part of the club season due to injury.Following a visit to a specialist earlier this week, the Ennis-based national school teacher learned that surgery is required to correct a hip injury which has been troubling him in recent times.“I am awaiting a date for the surgery which I hope to get done in February and it will be three months from then before I can play. I just have to have the problem corrected,” the Crusheen star said this week.With the first round of the domestic championship likely to be at the end of May, he faces a race against time to be ready for this outing when Crusheen will begin their challenge for a third successive title.Vaughan’s experience will certainly be a loss to Clare in the forthcoming league.

Clare’s preparations for the upcoming National Football League, which begins on Sunday week when they will entertain Waterford, look set to be boosted with the addition of Dublin native Shane McGrath.A member of the Thomas Davis club in Tallaght, McGrath is son of former Shannon Gaels and Clare star, John, who played for the county throughout the ’70s during which time he won favour with the Railway Cup selectors and helped Munster to win the inter-provincial title in 1977.McGrath has, it is understood, responded positively to approaches from Clare to declare for the Banner county under the parentage rule, which allows players to declare for stipulated counties of which Clare is one. McGrath’s official application to be allowed play with is currently being processed.Meanwhile, Clare will continue their preparations for the league when they travel to play Westmeath this Sunday (2pm).Last Saturday Clare scored an easy 1-13 to 0-4 win over a Wexford selection at Clonmel.There are a number of …

A NUMBER of sporting clubs have been left “in limbo” following the closure of pitches at the state-of-the-art Lees Road Sports and Amenity Park in Ennis, which has been blamed on months of poor weather conditions and possible drain damage.

MILLIONS of potential holidaymakers all over the US are reading about County Clare and the West of Ireland this month on the travel pages of The Huffington Post news website, which attracts an average of 34 million readers each day.

AROUND €10 million could be required to deal with flooding affecting the railway line at Ballycar, Shannon Area Councillors heard this week.