Tag Archives: eire og

Darren O’Neill is an example of how hard work can help a person overcome setbacks they face on the field of play. The experienced midfielder was a key part of Éire Óg’s run to the county final in 2014 but since then a bad run of luck with injuries had forced him to watch from afar. O’Neill has suffered and rehabbed the dreaded cruciate ligament injury while also requiring surgery earlier this year for a troublesome knee injury. The 30 year old insists that his body has responded well in a year which saw him start a Championship game for Clare for the first time since 2011. “I did the ACL at the end of 2018. I was able to play last year and train but when I’d be finished training my knee would be very sore afterwards. It was after training when I’d feel it. It’s a tough one because you can have negative thoughts. With the knee I …

An injury-time goal from Andy Clancy snatched a dramatic Under 13A Shield title victory for Kilmaley following a thrilling seesaw derby battle with Éire Óg on away soil on Sunday morning. Led by the ever-impressive marksman Luke Vaughan, who accounted for all but one point of his side’s tally, Éire Óg had finally reeled in their opponents by the three-quarters mark and duly hit the front at the perfect time when Vaughan produced a superb solo goal in the 50th minute to move 1-11 to 0-11 clear. Crucially, Kilmaley didn’t panic however and having reshuffled their pack, got back on track with a Sean Daly point before chief threats Jason Keane Hayes and Odhran Murphy teed up Andy Clancy to fire to the net from close range in the 61st minute followed immediately by a brace of Seanie Connellan points to cement a remarkable late turnaround. While it was the perfect way to win a final, it was also exceedingly …

Eoin Brennan previews the first of this weekend’s senior hurling championship semi-finals Inagh-Kilnamona v Éire Óg at Cusack Park, Saturday 3.30pm Opportunity knocks for either Inagh-Kilnamona or Éire Óg in what is arguably one of the most important matches in their entire history. Both have been hammering at the door but frustratingly always seemed to come up short against a more experienced opponents when needed most. However, with the Townies taking out three-in-a-row chasing Sixmilebridge last time out, the Canon Hamilton race has been blown wide open but only one of these candidates can earn a long-awaited place in the final. Since permanently amalgamating in 2008, Inagh-Kilnamona haven’t yet been able to perfect the art of alchemy of turning underage talent into senior success. There were previous close calls in the 2012 and 2019 semi-finals but it’s only this year that their maturity has been noteworthy, having emerged through the group of death unscathed before seeing off another main rival …

Senior Football Championship Round 3 Group 2 St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield v Kilrush Shamrocks at Cusack Park Ennis, Sunday 4pm Bouncing back from deflating opening performances, both Doora/Barefield and Kilrush unquestionably exceeded expectations last time out albeit with contrasting results. The Parish brushed off an underwhelming eight point reverse to St Breckan’s to take their frustrations out on Kilmihil by a whopping 16 points and that will have provided a huge jolt of confidence to their young squad in what is the club’s first year back at senior level since 2018. Equally, there was much to like about Kilrush’s spirit and application to certainly make life extremely uncomfortable for a St Breckan’s side that was expected to steamroll the Shams. However, the time for moral victories and valiant performances in defeat are over as with two teams getting the chop this year from senior level, this group more than most knows the heartache of having to rebuild in the second tier, …

Half a loaf is considerably better than no bread as following the postponement of last year’s secondary adult club competitions, a condensed county league schedule is set to commence this bank holiday Monday. Four of the seven football leagues begin their campaigns on the first day possible of the government’s Covid-19 guidelines, with all divisions in both football and hurling limited to five matches which are based on last year’s fixtures. With no promotion or relegation at stake, the county leagues are primarily intended as a reintroduction to playing action following a minimum eight month absence. However, while clubs will be without their inter-county contingents, there’s still silverware on offer to retain a competitive edge remains intact as following the completion of the group stages, the top team in each division will be crowned champions. Cusack Cup – Division 1 Football League Round 1 Kilmurry Ibrickane v St Joseph’s Miltown at Quilty, Monday, 3.30pm (Referee: C Maguire) It’s a post-lockdown …

AN Ennis GAA club have started their own YouTube channel as well as launching a search for their greatest hurling team of all time. With matches on hold due to Covid-19 Éire Óg Inis have set up Townie TV featuring videos of old matches to be viewed online. According to a spokesperson for Éire Óg the YouTube channel has been developed “in a bid to provide alternative methods of getting our match fix in during the current restrictions”. Some videos of old games have been provided by Eddie Lough and converted to digital by Gerry and Oran Cahill. “It’s an arduous process and all efforts are greatly appreciated.” Among the matches featured on the channel are the 1989 junior hurling final against Kilnamona and also the 1990 senior Munster hurling final against Patrickswel. Members of of the club with recordings of games they would like to share on the channel are asked to contact the committee. The club have also …

A CLARE hurler is the latest person to come on board to help the nation keep fit and well when confined to home due to the Coronavirus pandemic. David Reidy, the sports and marketing officer at Limerick Institute of Technology, has developed an online exercise programme. Starting next week, he will present recorded videos of 20 to 30 minutes, which will be posted on The Clare Champion and LIT social media forums at lunchtime on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Starting on Monday and running over three weeks, the Éire Óg hurler will present a total of nine training routines, which will suit people of all level of fitness and ages. “I’m looking forward to this challenge. People who are stuck in their home during this crisis need to keep their mind and body active. I’m showing them through The Clare Champion and LIT social media how they can do this without having any kind of gym equipment. If they have …

THE surprise announcement on Monday last by the chief executive of Munster GAA, Simon Moroney, that he will step down from the post in May, has fuelled speculation that he will be the association’s next director general. Paraic Duffy, the GAA’s ard stiúrthóir is to leave his position at the end of March and, this week, the closing date for applications for the post was extended by two weeks. Ennis man Moroney was first appointed to the position of Munster Council secretary in 2004, when he replaced Donie Nealon. He resigned from the post in 2008 but he returned to the position in 2013, when he agreed to take on the role for nine months initially. “This became one year and after that year, I agreed with the then management committee to do up to five years, one year at a time. I have really enjoyed the last five years and when I finish up on May 6, I will have served just …