Sports

Redemption has been the driving force of many’s a player but the reality is that most don’t ever get the opportunity to make up for a previous failing not to mind fully redress the balance. Caoimhe Harvey is a prime example as having hit the ground running in her first year at adult inter-county level in 2016, the teenager helped Clare to reach Croke Park only for her All-Ireland Intermediate Final dream to turn into a nightmare as the Banner were agonisingly edged out by Kildare. “This is the first time since then so it is a massive day for anyone playing in an All-Ireland Final. I mean emotions are really, really high and for me back in 2016, I had just turned 17 and I definitely let the occasion get to me. “You can’t help yourself. I mean I was a teenager getting a Garda escort down Jones Road, this is the stuff you dream about. And the atmosphere …

TODAY (Wednesday) sees the start of the Dublin Horse Show with plenty of Clare interest in the four day event. With the show running from August 9 to 13, the premier show jumpers from Ireland and further afield have descended on Dublin, writes Ivan Smyth. The Williams brothers – Rhys and Coen – will each compete in multiple events during the course of the week. Older brother Rhys will be onboard Playboy JT Z (Presley Boy x Plot Blue) in the seven and eight year old International Class. Rhys took victory in the same competition in last year’s event aboard Playboy JT Z. Rhys will be aiming to take home the Seamus Hughes Perpetual Challenge Trophy awarded for the Four Year Old ‘Mo Chroí’ National Show Jumping Championship. Rhys will compete in the Four Year Old Class aboard KPCM Hugo Boss (Plot Blue (KWPN) x Luidan (KWPN). Finally, the talented rider, out of PARC Stables, will also ride in the …

All-Ireland Premier Junior Camogie Championship Final Clare 3-7 Tipperary 1-9 Clare created history in Croke Park when soaring to a first ever All-Ireland Premier Junior Camogie title with their second team. 15 years after Clare’s flagship side finally made their junior breakthrough after a series of heartbreaking final reverses, this time the Banner completed a perfect debut when recovering from a shaky start to dominate the middle third of the contest, writes Eoin Brennan. Captain Sinead O’Keeffe, Ellen Casey, Niamh Mulqueen, Labhaoise O’Donnell, Jennifer Daly and exciting minor Caoimhe Cahill were the Banner’s inspirational leaders especially when under pressure early on. After all, things certainly didn’t appear to be going according to plan when an exceedingly nervy start almost ruled Clare out of contention before they could even get out of the blocks. Uncharacteristically for such a mature team throughout their journey to Croke Park, the Banner’s touch, composure and even common sense seemed to have evaporated for the opening …

While players such as Niamh Mulqueen and Sinead O’Keeffe have had to contend with a multitude of set-backs and heartbreak to finally get to Croke Park, Caoimhe Lally is one of the younger generation of stars hoping to make playing and winning in Croke Park a regular occurence. Joining the set-up straight from minor in 2021, the Newmarket-on-Fergus player was part of immediate success as a Munster Junior title was followed by this year’s National League Division 3B success so Croke Park was the next obvious step really I suppose. “My mom said it to me at the final whistle of the semi-final ‘this has been your dream’ and let’s be honest it’s everyone who has ever picked up a hurley’s dream to get to play in Croke Park in an All-Ireland Final. “There are a good few girls there like Rebecca Crowe, Niamh Mulqueen, Sinead O’Keeffe and Michele Powell that have been there for years and have had repeated …

A rising tide lifts all boats comes to mind when speaking to John Carmody on his hopes for the future of Clare Camogie. Not content to just savour a first All-Ireland Final appearance in Croke Park this Sunday, the Kilmaley clubman, who guided the Clare minor camogie teams to successive All-Ireland deciders at the backend of the noughties, is confident that if the current momentum can raise the bar for all their adult teams. “Look, we’ve a fantastic team, particularly this year as our results have been outstanding. We’ve shown real composure and shown a team ethic that you need to win big games and we’ll need that again on Sunday, We’ve asked the girls for one final push as we’ve focused on improving performances every day we’ve gone out this year and none more so than Sunday week as we’re targeting our best performance of the year. And if we get that, hopefully we’ll be going up the steps …

The Clare Junior Camogie team will take to the hallowed turf of Croke Park on Sunday bidding to complete a remarkable journey that has seen them struggle to field teams to now contesting an All-Ireland Premier Junior Camogie Final. Eoin Brennan spoke with mentor Ann-Marie McGann who revived the county’s second team in 2016 and has been driving it ever since. Cusack Park would have been a major dream when AnnMarie McGann first initiated the re-ignition of a second county team back in 2016. It has been tried and failed before in different guises, most prominently when Clare’s flagship side finally made the breakthrough from junior level themselves after a series of heartbreaking final defeats in 2008. Making up for lost time, the decision was made to catapult Clare up to senior for 2009 while also entering a second team at intermediate level. It was an undertaking that not only drained resources but the management too under Bertie Sherlock who …

ONE OF Golf’s most prestigious tournaments will come to North Clare in 2026, it was revealed this week.  On Monday afternoon (July 10), as members gathered for the last County Council meeting of the year, Chief Executive Pat Dowling broke the news, which had been confirmed just an hour before the gathering.  “One of the oldest and most prestigious event in the world of golf, the Walker Cup will take place in Lahinch in 2026,” Mr Dowling said. “The tournament will take place on the first weekeend in September. This is only the third time for the tournament to be held in Ireland in 100 years. Limerick can have the Ryder Cup, Clare will take the Walker Cup. The even will be live on TV in US and Europe and Clare County Council will be fully supportive of it. Lahinch will continue to build on its already strong reputation. This is a worldwide golfing event and securing it is another …

All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Semi-Final Kilkenny 1-25 Clare 1-22 A completely different Clare All-Ireland Semi-Final performance but still the result remained the same as a never-say-die Kilkenny weathered a strong second half Banner storm to tee up a final rematch with Limerick in a fortnight’s time, writes Eoin Brennan. In front of a Banner-dominated 48,360, Brian Lohan’s side brushed off a disappointingly cautious opening period (0-15 to 0-10) to go for the jugular on the restart, with a swashbuckling 0-9 to 0-2 third quarter turnaround, six from Mark Rodgers, catapulting them two clear. However, a defensive lapse provided a lifeline that a wily Kilkenny inevitably snatched with both hands as a TJ Reid interception set up Eoin Cody for the opening goal of the game in the 55th minute at 1-18 to 0-18. Such a sucker-punch was difficult to stomach but a moment of magic regained full parity in the 63rd minute when Diarmuid Ryan’s delivery over the top was …