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Deise double to begin the 2022 GAA season

The 2022 Inter-County season will commence on Sunday, January 2, when the Clare senior footballers travel to Dungarvan to take on Waterford in the opening round of the McGrath Cup (Munster Senior Football League) at 2pm. In a hectic first week of Colm Collins’ historic ninth season in charge, the Banner welcome Group 1 rivals Cork, under new manager Keith Ricken, to Hennessy Memorial Park in Miltown Malbay four days later for the first time since winning the McGrath Cup on home soil in 2019. The Group 1 winners will subsequently face their Group 2 equivalents (Kerry, Limerick or Tipperary) in the final on Sunday, January 15. In contrast, it’s winner-takes-all for Brian Lohan’s Clare senior hurlers who also face Waterford, this time in the more familiar setting of O’Garney Park in Sixmilebridge for their Munster Hurling Cup Semi-Final on Friday, January 14 (7pm). With the championship spoils evenly split between the counties over the past two years, it marks …

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LISTEN: King of the Banks on his Christmas targets

IN the last of our audio previews of the Limerick Racecourse Mr Binman Christmas Festival we hear from the King of the Banks himself. Enda Bolger has enjoyed huge success in cross country races, principally in Punchestown and Cheltenham, and has reformed many a character at his Bruree base. He has also enjoyed Grade One success himself with JP McManus’ Gilgamboa in Fairyhouse, after taking the big novice chase in Greenmount when it was still a Grade 2. That horse gives another insight into Enda’s life, perhaps not as widely known. Gilgamboa was named for Bruce Springsteen’s personal bodyguard and The Boss is a good friend of Bolger’s. Indeed the trainer joined Springsteen and the E-Street Band onstage for a brief cameo during their Dublin concert in 2012. Check out that cameo below

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LISTEN: Rising star has sights set on Limerick Grade One

In the third instalment of our audio series preview the Limerick Racecourse Mr Binman Christmas Festival we hear from the trainer of the favourite for St Stephen’s Day’s big race. Gavin Cromwell speaks to Dave Keena about the prospects of his exciting young chaser Gabynako. Cromwell himself is an interesting character whose background in the sport is literally at grassroots level – he is a farrier by trade. In that discipline he has shod Gold Cup and Grand National winning horses along with an Olympic Gold Medalist. His farrier skills are a passion and a trade that he is still very much in demand for by some of the biggest operations in the sport. Nowadays however his reputation as a trainer outstrips that and he runs one of the shrewdest operations in the sport. He has good associations with Limerick Racecourse too, his Espoir D’Allen, that romped away with the 2019 Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham, won one of his prep …

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Football: Gaels brew up a storm to capture breakthrough U-21A title

Under 21A Football Championship Final Cill Cúil Gaels 1-10 Éire Óg 0-08 THE John Marrinan Memorial Cup will remain around the Shannon Estuary after Cill Cúil Gaels deservedly overcame Éire Óg to garner the U-21A Football crown in Hennessy Memorial Park in Miltown Malbay this evening, reports Eoin Brennan. With Shannon Gaels/Kilmihil soaring to the last title in 2019, Paul Reidy returned with an accentuated amalgamation of the Gaels, Kilmihil, Kildysart and Coolmeen to secure the perfect finish to 2021. It was Diarmuid O’Donnell’s goal only seconds before the opening water break that proved decisive as it provided the perfect buffer between the sides for the rest of the hour. Targetman O’Donnell led the line superbly with 1-5 while county senior Emmet McMahon’s influence and long range scores were inspirational along with the relentless running of fellow joint-captain Thomas Kelly and Gearoid O’Grady. Missed goal chances either side of the final water break to put the result beyond doubt was …

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LISTEN: Mullins recalls mighty Faugheen’s epic Limerick win

IN the second of our audio series previewing the Limerick Racecourse Mr Binman Christmas Racing Festival, we hear from Patrick Mullins on one of the biggest stars of the sport. Mullins was in the plate when Faugheen rolled back the years at Greenmount in the Grade One Novice Chase on St Stephen’s Day 2019. The top amateur and assistant trainer to his father Willie, the dominant force in Irish national hunt racing, tells Dave Keena of the epic contest with Gordon Elliot’s Samcro. Samcro, of course, would go on to win the Grade One 2m5f novice at the Cheltenham festival that season, but this day in Limerick belonged to Faugheen. As for Patrick, well he might speak to Frankie Detorri about improving one aspect of his post-race celebrations… Relive the moment below

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Hurling: Corofin/Ruan pack a lethal Punch

U-21A Hurling Championship Final Corofin/Ruan 1-18 Newmarket-on-Fergus 0-14 HAVING dominated the minor ranks in recent seasons, Corofin/Ruan took their development to the next level with a first ever U-21A crown in Gurteen this evening, reports Eoin Brennan. Leading from the start to finish, the North Clare amalgamation justified their favourite’s tag with a strong performance. And while Newmarket never really looked like causing an upset, they still provided an obstinate challenge right to the final whistle. Overall however, Corofin/Ruan’s superior firepower and edge on balance won the day, with a powerful finish to the opening half that saw them outscore the Blues by 1-8 to 0-2 in the final ten minutes, essential to providing an unassailable ten point cushion by half-time. Shane Punch excelled with 1-10, with all but two points coming in a dominant first half with the aid of the conditions as his metronomic freetaking was perfectly accentuated by an injury-time goal. The Blues, led by captain Jack …

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LISTEN: Training legend shares Limerick Christmas Races memories

OVER THE coming days we have a number of previews of Limerick Racecourse’s cracking Christmas festival. We’ll kick off with Dave Keena speaking to legendary trainer Michael Hourigan who handled such greats as Beef Or Salmon and Doran’s Pride. The veteran trainer recalls his own ambition as a young man in the game to emulate the success of Jimmy Murphy from Cork, who always sent out numerous winners at Limerick’s Christmas festival. And his words of advice to jockey Shane Broderick when piloting Doran’s Pride on his chase debut are words to live by! Significant investment has been made at Greenmount to provide additional outdoor amenities including marquees, catering units, bars and live music facilities. The measures will ensure customers have a safe and enjoyable experience on their return to Limerick, after the Mr Binman Christmas Racing Festival took place behind closed doors last year.

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Senior demotions relegated to history following vote

18 teams will contest the 2022 Clare Senior Hurling Championship, it was decreed following a vote at a special meeting of the Clare GAA County Board in the West County Hotel this evening, reports Eoin Brennan. Following an hour long debate on the relegation debacle that ranged from the prospect of no adult team in either football or hurling championship being relegated in 2021 to all four senior hurling relegation candidates (Clarecastle, Clooney-Quin, Crusheen and O’Callaghan’s Mills) potentially being demoted to intermediate if as, indicated, they all failed to show for any revised relegation play-offs, the clubs voted 18 to 16 in favour of scraping any trapdoor. Stemming from a successful appeal from Crusheen to deem the round robin relegation group null and void, the onus was put back on the County Board to decide how to resolve this issue. With the four teams that finished bottom of their respective groups on an equal footing once more, each one adamantly …

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