Tag Archives: Joe Cooney

All-Ireland winning U-21 and senior star, Darach Honan, has disputed county board chairman Joe Cooney’s claim that Clare GAA did all it could to help with the medical costs incurred by him as a result of injury. On Wednesday, Honan said, “I am still very disappointed with the way I was treated by the county board. Joe Cooney did make overtures for me to come and speak to the officers last week but I was unable to do so, because of training commitments with Clonlara U-21s [he is their team manager] and work commitments. “I am disapponted that I wasn’t properly looked after. I went to the county board and no help whatsover was offered. On my own volition, I went to the GPA and they did help with part of the funds, for which I am very thankful,” he added. At Tuesday night’s county board meeting, Joe Cooney had said Clare GAA did not let down Darach Honan. “We …

CLARE has experienced its most severe snowfall in decades, with virtually all parts of the county badly affected. Commercial life in the county was almost non-existent today, with many businesses closing and few people leaving the safety of their homes. Shannon Airport is closed until tomorrow morning, while the annual Ennis Book Club Festival, which was due to be held this weekend, has been cancelled. This afternoon all but a handful of businesses in Ennis town centre were closed. Very few vehicles made their way into the central parts of the town, and some of those that did were clearly struggling with the conditions. With inches of snow lying on the footpaths it was also very difficult for pedestrians. “I’ve never seen the likes of this before,” said Councillor Joe Cooney, of the conditions around East Clare. “A number of roads are impassable today and will be tonight as well,” he added. In the west of the county things are …

Clare senior hurling coach Donal Óg Cusack has distanced himself from a “letter of support” he had written, which was then submitted by a company to try to secure planning permission for an unauthorised sports facility in South-East Clare. The Clare Champion can exclusively reveal that Mr Cusack was not asked for his consent for the inclusion of a recommendation letter to support a retention planning application that was submitted to Clare County Council. Up to 100 residents have criticised the use of this unauthorised facility by Clare GAA in a comprehensive objection submitted to the council. A petition, signed by 102 residents opposing the planning retention, was sent to the local authority. Gillogue Residents’ Association (GRA) chairperson, Jim Upton, stated in a letter to the council, “We are sure community groups, the GAA and Donal Óg Cusack would be delighted to endorse an authorised development in a unique vast indoor facility, available nowhere else in the county”. Clare senior …

CLARE GAA County Board chairman Joe Cooney will meet with senior hurling manager Davy Fitzgerald in the coming days, to find out if the Sixmilebridge man intends staying in his post for 2017. Speaking on RTÉ Radio’s Documentary on One last Saturday, Fitzgerald said he was unsure if he wanted to manage Clare for a sixth successive season. “I honestly don’t know what I want to do,” he told documentary maker Máire Treasa Ní Cheallaigh. “Last year I knew 100% what I wanted to do. I could stay with Clare, I could take a year out. I could see myself managing someone else because I love hurling so much and want to do something different and help someone different. I’m a bit confused at the moment.” Speaking to The Clare Champion on Tuesday, Joe Cooney confirmed that talks are due to take place. “Davy has another year on his contract. I will be talking to him over the next number …

Clare GAA supports Davy Fitzgerald’s right as manager to comment on matters involving the senior hurling team, county board chairman Joe Cooney told The Clare Champion, when asked if the board agrees with the manager’s comment in a radio interview on Tuesday that “the local media, especially with us, is horrendous”. Fitzgerald’s comment was in answer to a question as to who puts the most pressure on the team, to which he replied, “Local media, especially with us, is horrendous. It’s something I wouldn’t be happy about. We are not a county that has won a rake of All-Irelands and to think because you have won two or three U-21s, naturally, that gives you a God-given right that we should be winning All-Irelands every year. Yes, we have a decent team but you know what, Limerick, Galway and other teams have won minor and U-21. “Take the last four years and a bit, I think we have won six things …

THE Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall were welcomed as they arrived in Ireland by Shannon Group Chairman Rose Hynes, CEO Neil Pakey, Chairman of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Clare T.D. Pat Breen and Deputy Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council Joe Cooney. Ms Hynes said that she took the opportunity to congratulate them on the birth of Princess Charlotte earlier this month. “We were delighted to welcome the Prince and Duchess here to Shannon and it was another very important day for us at the airport. Prince Charles was very relaxed and was looking forward to his visit. “He was very friendly and warm. He was only here for a brief time on arrival but I did get to congratulate him on the birth of his granddaughter Princess Charlotte. He was like any grandfather, very proud. He said ‘that’s so kind; it’s wonderful that it’s a girl’.” Prince Charles also noted in the conversation his …

AN ad-hoc group, representing Clare people with disabilities, has secured a compromise as regards their seating accommodation in the plans for the upgrade of Cusack Park. In the plans being prepared by the Clare County GAA Board for the revamp of the stand at the county grounds, areas at either end of the stand were initially earmarked to accommodate wheelchair users. However, people with disabilities, who are loyal GAA supporters, were incensed with this proposed positioning, leading to a meeting on Monday night with officials of the county board at which a compromise was reached. Under the new plans presented to the group, wheelchair users will be facilitated with 22 disability accessible seats and 22 seats for carers in a position between the 21m and 50m line on the Cloister side of the stand. In addition to benefiting from covered accommodation, wheelchair users can now look forward to having a much better viewing point on big match days in Cusack …

Work has finally begun on the €7 million development of a new secondary school in Tulla and the first signs of diggers and a compound being erected has been met with delight locally. The project will see St Joseph’s Secondary School moving to a new greenfield site. Works include the development of a new two-storey 650 pupil school building, comprising 26 specialist classrooms, 10 general classrooms, a PE hall, a general purpose hall, kitchenette and offices, staff areas, a two-class special needs unit, sanitary and ancillary accommodation. Site works that are underway include the demolition of an existing derelict farm compound and further works include the provision of 48 car parking spaces, with accessible parking via a new ‘in-out’ access point from the R462 public road, as well as pedestrian access and pick-up facilities. Construction is expected to take somewhere between 12 to 14 months to complete. Tulla-based TD, Timmy Dooley said, “Having worked tirelessly with others on this project …