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Newmarket Celtic take next step in ambitious development plan

Newmarket Celtic’s Vice Chairperson Liam Murphy states the club is striving for continuous improvement on and off the pitch. The comment comes as Newmarket Celtic as the club launched the next phase of its development with plans firmly in place for a new clubhouse which will enhance the facilities in place at the Ennis Road venue even further. Under the plans, the clubhouse will include four dressing rooms and a meeting room which can double up as a gym space. There are also plans for wheelchair accessible toilets, a referee’s room and additional car parking spaces. Murphy believes the new developments can help not just the club but the local community. “Newmarket is a big community and we don’t just see ourselves as a football club. We are a part of the community. This is more than just a football club. We serve a large area and we always strive to provide the best for all our teams, from underage …

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Cracking minor contest goes the way of Corofin Ruan combo

Michael O’ Connor was on hand to watch Corofin/Ruan eke out victory over O’Callaghan’s Mills/Bodyke in the Under 17B Academy final on a score of 2-14 to 2-9 AS the Under 17 hurling seasons is nearing conclusion this was a gem of a game in Tubber on Tuesday night. The rainy season was welcomed by all as a stronger balanced Corofin/Ruan side had to withstand a strong last quarter fightback by a Mills/Bodyke side that would have won the game with more consistency in the third quarter. The expectation was a Corofin/Ruan as they appeared physically stronger than their East Clare opponents, but it was Michael O’ Brien who stunned followers with a second minute goal for Mills/Bodyke. It was the start they needed. Colm Breen for Corofin/Ruan and Kyle Touhy with a well taken Mills/Bodyke point were on target by the 6th minute. Corofin/Ruan who were clearly agitated by the efforts of their opponents set to work and successful …

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Flannan’s storm into Munster U15A football final

Eoin Brennan watched St Flannan’s College produce a powerful finish to defeat St Brendan’s College, Killarney 1-12 to 1-7 in the Munster Under 15A Post-Primary Schools Football Championship Semi-Final CHAMPIONS OF 2017 St Flannan’s produced a storming finish to lower perennial rivals St Brendan’s College on their way to a second consecutive Br. Taft Cup Final in The Bog Garden, Rathkeale on Wednesday afternoon. Having been edged out of last year’s title by a brace of injury-time Tralee CBS points, the Ennis side proved even more resilient this time around, remarkably outscoring their lofty opponents by 1-11 to 1-1 over the final 35 minutes. Such a sea-change was difficult to foresee when despite facing into the conditions, the Kerry side seized full control to soar 0-6 to 0-1 clear by the end of the opening quarter. In essence, St Flannan’s gave their opponents too much space and respect but finally ignited their belief and challenge with a decisive 24th minute …

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Serious injuries and inadequate responses darken Clare sports

After a sporting weekend which saw Mark Rodgers produce a spellbinding four goal display while Shane O’Donnell showcased his class once more, it is unfortunate that the biggest talking point from the weekend was in fact not the action on the field. The nasty ankle injury suffered by Inagh Kilnamona centre back Jason McCarthy, who was forced to wait almost an hour for an ambulance to arrive, overshadowed his side’s SHC quarter final encounter with Éire Óg. Meanwhile, Kilkishen Celtic AFC player Paddy McInerney broke his tibia and fibia in a game against Shannon Hibs in the FAI Junior Cup and the 38-year-old was forced to wait an hour and a half for an ambulance to arrive. A nurse from Shannon, who attended the game, helped to comfort the player until the medical personnel arrived and transported him to hospital. A freak accident saw McInerney suffer the cruel blow with both himself and Jason McCarthy left with long waits before …

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Clare’s First Citizen of the GAA stands tallest

“It’s safe to say that no Clareman in modern history has made the same impact on the country as Michael Cusack did.” – Brendan Vaughan, 1984 THE great Clare GAA man that was Brendan Vaughan was chairman of the Munster Council when he uttered those words in Centenary Year as the GAA — locally in Clare, provincially and nationally celebrated 100 years since Michael Cusack had his famous meeting in Thurles that started the association that has now wrapped itself around the world. If he were still alive this week as the GAA marks the 175th anniversary of Michael Cusack’s birth, he’d repeat those words to anyone who was listening, or wasn’t listening for that matter, just because the GAA founder’s impact was that great, far-reaching and beyond any of the wildest dreams he could have had that November 1 day in Hayes’ Hotel that started it all. In the words of An Bráthair Liam Ó Caithnia, the author of …

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GALLERY: Hero’s welcome for Michael Blake and Aga Khan trophy

Ireland chef d’equipe Michael Blake speaks to Dan Danaher and looks back at his riding career, what he had to do to buy his first pony, setting the world bareback championship record, and guiding Ireland’s showjumpers to a string of successes   MICHAEL Blake has made history by bringing the Aga Khan trophy back to Tuamgraney following a very successful showjumping year that included qualifying for the Olympics less than seven days before the thrilling jump-off against France in the RDS. On paper, Michael knew he didn’t have the riding pedigree to become Ireland’s Showjumping Manager. However, through hard graft and precise planning, the Tuamgraney man put himself firmly in the hunt for selection. From 2012 to 2016, Michael took over the Ireland Youth Showjumping team and helped young riders to an impressive haul of medals. In 2017, the senior riders asked him to get involved so he became Development Manager and started working with Chef d’Equipe, Rodrigo Pessoa. This …

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It’s a knockout! No room for error in Clare hurling championships

Eoin Brennan previews the weekend’s hurling action with quarter-finals and relegation play-offs on the menu   Senior Hurling Championship Quarter-Finals Cratloe v Newmarket-on-Fergus at Cusack Park Ennis, Saturday 3pm Commencing Saturday’s derby-fest in Cusack Park is a rivalry that has rather cooled in recent seasons which is perhaps indicative of differing development paths. In fact, it’s a full decade almost to the month since Cratloe and Newmarket’s last senior championship clash, one that the Blues won’t be forgetting in a hurry as 3-10 to 0-9 county final victory over their neighbours finally bridged an seemingly interminable 31 year gap to their previous Canon Hamilton crown. In hindsight, Newmarket will be relieved to have snatched that solitary crown as they were in danger of not fulfilling their potential with a golden crop of players following final defeats in 2006, ’08 and subsequently in 2013. Cratloe did bounce back to win their second title in five years in 2014 but that was …

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Clonlara forwards prove the B’s knees against Crusheen

Michael O’Connor watched Clonlara’s forwards point their way to a 1-25 to 3-13 win over Crusheen in the Senior B Championship   Reigning senior B champions Clonlara are back in the semi-finals of this year’s version following a deserved six-point win over a shot shy Crusheen side at the Clare GAA centre on Thursday evening. A sizable attendance was present for the first ever competitive Clare GAA game played at the GAA centre. The excellent conditions at the GAA centre allowed for a fast-moving game that was dominated in the main by Clonlara bar the last quarter when Crusheen initiated a late attempt to put respectability on the scoreline. Both sides showed positional and personnel changes from their last championship ties as Ross Hayes pointed for their games first score as Cian Moriarty and Oisin O’Donnell hit scores over after four minutes. Clonlara took absolute control of the game up to the end of the opening quarter as Cathal O’Connell …

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