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Munster Senior Hurling Championship Final Limerick 1-23 Clare 1-22 Fortune didn’t end up favouring the brave as Clare were agonisingly edged out by the minimum despite playing in front of a capacity 43,756 in the lion’s den of the TUS Gaelic Grounds, writes Eoin Brennan.  A contentious last gasp decision or lack of to award Adam Hogan a potentially equalising free that would have sent the Munster Final to extra-time for the second successive year re-emphasised the wafer-thin margins between these Shannonside neighbours. Amidst the sweltering sunshine in Limerick HQ, a fourth championship derby in just over twelve months didn’t quite match the electric atmosphere as familiarity ensured more caution than innovation for the majority. However, with never more than a puck of the ball between them for over 70 of the near 80 minutes played. It was still utterly compelling fare that did inevitably go down to the very last play. Both sides had to made big calls beforehand …

A pivotal week for Clare hurling certainly got off to the ideal start last Sunday when the minor hurlers soared to a first All-Ireland crown in 26 years. With a similar 25 year gap to the county’s last provincial senior crown when Brian Lohan himself was at his dominant best, the four-time All-Star will be looking to take a leaf out of Brian O’Connell’s side’s book when lining out against Limerick in their own home patch this Sunday (1.45pm). Witnessing the minor feat at first hand, Lohan was gushing in his praise of such an accomplished final performance against neighbours Galway in Semple Stadium. “It was brilliant. From the quality of their players themselves, how they approached the game, their speed, touch and movement to the brand of hurling that they played, I was just so delighted to see a Clare team play like that in an All-Ireland Final. “Hats off to everyone associated with this minor team, it was …

Unquestionably the biggest current rivalry in hurling, the stakes were raised considerably higher for Clare’s latest Munster Senior Hurling Final showdown with neighbours Limerick when opting to play in the lion’s den of the TUS Gaelic Grounds this Sunday (1.45pm). With a Thurles rematch the most logical choice but amazingly not an option presented, whatever the full narrative of what actually occurred behind the scenes, it was a courageous and confident poker move. Initially viewed at a national level as suicidal, it was actually the ultimate regicidal act as not only did it demonstrate that Clare have no fear of playing in LImerick’s own grounds but more pointedly possess no fear of Limerick themselves. Considering that John Kiely’s side are bidding for an unprecedented five-in-a-row of Munster titles, it was a bold statement but one which will undoubtedly make their hosts all the more wary on Sunday. While the result will inevitably dictate the methodology of the location decision, it …

Clare have played eight Munster finals in Limerick, but have yet to taste success with the 1955 final meeting in the Gaelic Grounds being among the most famous, or infamous, deciders of them all writes Joe Ó Muircheartaigh. “THOSE AMAZING Clare hurlers have done it again,” gushed one of the great GAA reporters of the time, Pádraig Puirséal, as the Banner boys cut a dash in the Gaelic Grounds and at once looked on the cusp of greatness. Munster and All-Ireland titles were being talked about. And why not? “We had the All-Ireland sewn up,” recalled Jimmy Carney from Bealaha, who played left-half-forward for Clare. “I was 19 years of age and all I had on my mind was an All-Ireland medal,” he added. It was Carney’s goal against Tipperary that lit up the Gaelic Grounds before they edged home to one-point victory thanks to a late white flag from Jimmy Smyth. All that after they’d edged past Cork by …

Árdscoil Rís in Limerick has made a huge contribution to the development of Clare and Limerick hurling over the past decade and more and the imprint of the school will be all over this Sunday’s Munster final, writes Joe Ó Muircheartaigh, who spoke to Ennistymon man Niall Crowe about a success story that keeps on running. When Paul Flanagan joined the staff of Árdscoil Rís a number of years ago it wasn’t long before he came across a picture montage outside the school gym that brought back a few memories. They were shots in celebration of Árdscoil’s first coming as a force in Munster Colleges hurling, even if it was at Paul Flanagan’s expense, and his Ballyea club mate’s Tony Kelly too. “We were looking at them one day,” recalls fellow teacher and Clareman Niall Crowe and Paul just pointed at one picture and said, ‘that’s me there’. Straight away you could make him out because of the distinctive red …

Mike O’Neill from Kilkee may have been involved with Na Piarsaigh in Limerick for many years but he’s a Clare hurling man to his very core – he told Joe Ó Muircheartaigh that the Banner boys will feel at home in the Gaelic Grounds because the dividing line between the two counties is the River Shannon. “Ye’re getting cocky, coming to Limerick.” “We’re the only crowd that beat ye and we beat ye in the Gaelic Grounds.” It was Wednesday of last week and this was the main business of the telephone conversation between Shane O’Neill and Mike O’Neill – a hurling son and his hurling father. And, hurling soulmates for sure – they’re even club mates as well, with both fiercely loyal to the sky blue of Na Piarsaigh in Caherdavin. But that’s where the hurling kinship ends. After that battle lines are drawn and they keep either side of the county boundaries between Clare and Limerick. Shane is …

WHEN last Sunday’s results unexpectedly threw up a Clare-Limerick Munster final it seemed that the logical venue would be Thurles, where last year’s decider took place. However there was some consternation and bemusement in the county on Monday as it appeared likely that the game would go to Cork’s Páirc Uí Chaoimh, a particularly awkward venue for Clare supporters. While home advantage was ceded, there was still a good deal of relief on Tuesday when it was confirmed that the match will be played at the Gaelic Grounds. Speaking about the matter on Wednesday, Clare County Board chairman Kieran Keating explained what had happened. “Thurles was our preference, that’s where we nominated and Limerick nominated Cork. We did our canvassing and so on to the delegates. The game was in Thurles last year and obviously Cork felt they were entitled to their turn. That’s the way we felt the vote was going to go and we consulted with our management …

THREE of Clare’s best known players recently returned from a historic trip to Africa, where they kick started a bid to plant more than a million trees to combat climate change. Clare players Podge Collins, Dean Ryan, and Eimear Kelly joined 50 leading GAA stars to compete in the first ever ‘Plant the Planet Games’ in Nairobi, Kenya, on a visit that also saw them plant the first thousand trees in a GPA-backed tree planting effort to tackle climate change in Africa. Each of the participating players, who included inter-county hurlers, footballers and camogie players from 23 different counties, were tasked with raising €10,000 in sponsorship to support the effort.  The group’s collective total has already topped half a million euro, with funds still coming in. The initiative was organised by Galway dual player Alan Kerins Warriors for Humanity in conjunction with development charity Self Help Africa, and is also being supported by Kenyan Olympic medalist and world record holding …