Tag Archives: Munster

KILLALOE man Anthony Foley will take over as Munster Rugby head coach from July 1. He is currently serving as forwards coach under Rob Penney whom he will replace in the role. Foley has signed a two year contract that will keep him at the province until June 2016. The Clare man, who was capped 62 times for Ireland and 201 times for Munster, retired from playing at the end of the 2007/08 season. He joined the Munster backroom staff in July 2008 as technical advisor and assistant coach for defence. Since then he has held the position of head coach with both the Munster U-20s and Munster’s British & Irish Cup squad that reached the inaugural B&I Cup final in May 2010. He moved on to his current position, Munster Rugby forwards coach, at the start of the 2011/12 season. Additionally, the 40-year-old has experience at national level as the forwards and head coach for the Ireland Wolfhounds and …

MINISTER of State at the Department of Health Kathleen Lynch has launched the Irish Blood Transfusion Service (IBTS ) service to haemochromatosis patients in Munster. BTS has been providing a service for haemochromatosis patients since 2007 when a dedicated service was opened at the Stillorgan clinic in Dublin. This clinic has reached capacity and is treating about 650 patients in total. In 2013 there were 1205 phlebotomies which yielded 967 productive donations. Last August a general access service for patients was established at the IBTS D’Olier Street fixed centre clinic, for the first time providing a service to patients who are not eligible to be blood donors, as well as for those who could donate. “Since opening 148 patients have attended, 131 have been treated. 80% of these patients have decided to become donors and are now on the regular donor programme,” said Andy Kelly, chief executive of the IBTS. As part of the roll out of the national programme, …

By Seamus Hayes The 2014 Clare senior hurling championship will have to be completed by the third weekend in October at the latest as the winners will be in action in the provincial championship quarter-final on October 26. The county football champions won’t see provincial action until the middle of November as, for the second year in-a- row, Clare have received a bye to the semi-final. The draws for the provincial club championships (senior, intermediate and junior) were made at a meeting of the provincial council on Thursday night when the Waterford and Clare hurling champions were drawn to meet in a quarter- final on October 26. The Waterford representatives will have home advantage for that fixture, the winners of which will face the Tipperary winners in a semi-final tie on November 9. The final will take place on November 23. In intermediate hurling, the Clare champions have a bye into the provincial semi-final where they will play either Tipperary …

By Seamus Hayes Dr. Crokes, Kerry 0-13  Cratloe 0-12 Hot favourites Dr.Crokes had to rely on an injury time point from Kerry player Johnny Buckley to overcome Cratloe in the Munster senior club football championship final at the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick on Sunday. A magnificent second half performance from the Clare champions which saw them turn a seven point half time deficit into a one point lead with two minutes remaining wasn’t enough for the South East Clare side to make history. Two late points for the defending champions from Daithi Casey (free) and Buckley saw the Killarney side retain the title and crushed Clare dreams.     Cratloe, winners of their first Clare title just three weeks ago, started well and kicked the first two points of the game. However, for the last twentyh minutes of the opening half they played second fiddle to the winners who dominated the midfield exchanges on their way to kicking ten unanswered …

By Seamus Hayes Na Piarsaigh, Limerick 4-14 Sixmilebridge 0-8 Sixmilebridge’s dream of a fourth Munster club senior hurling title was well and truly buried at Cusack Park in Ennis when they had no answer to the power of their Limerick counterparts Na Piarsaigh. Before an attendance of 3,689, the Clare champions were beaten in all sections and Na Piarsaigh had secured their place in the All-Ireland final long before the final whistle sounded. Managed and coached by Sixmilebridge man Sean Stack, the Limerick champions dominated in almost every sector and they led from the first minute when Kevin Downes found the net in their first attack. They were six points clear at half time when the score was 1-8 to 0-5 and any hopes of a Sixmilebridge fight back were rocked thirty seconds after the resumption when the visitors had their second goal, Kevin Ryan deflecting a Shane Dowling delivery past Derek Fahy.         Goal number three arrived …

By Seamus Hayes Clyda Rovers, Cork 0-10 Miltown St.Josephs 0-7 An impressive start at the Gaelic grounds in Limerick on Saturday suggested that Miltown’s dream of becoming the first Clare club won win the Munster intermediate football championship title might be realised. However, after landing four points in the first six minutes, they didn’t score again in the half and, in fact, had to wait until the twelfth minute of the second half, all of thirty six minutes for their next score. In between the Cork champions had kicked eight points, six of which came in the first half at the end of which they were 0-6 to 0-4 in front. The greater experienced, patience and superior physical strength of the men from Mourne Abbey near Mallow proved too much for the Clare champions and there is no disputing their victory on a day when one of their best performers was recently appointed Clare senior coach, Paudie Kissane.     Things looked …

By Seamus Hayes The GAA season just keeps getting better for Clare. In a year in which two All-Ireland hurling titles were captured, the county champions in hurling and football are now making their mark in Provincial competition. Sixmilebridge travelled to Pairc Ui Caoimh on Sunday where they proved too strong for their Cork counterparts Midleton. A four point win has sent the Clare champions through to the Munster finalwhere they will face Na Piarsaigh from Limerick on Sunday next in Cusack Park at 2p.m. Adding spice to the final is the fact that former Sixmilebridge captain Sean Stack is manager of the Limerick champions. While the Bridge were maintaining Clare’s dominance over Cork, their neighbours from Cratloe were making their own history. On Saturday they won their first ever Clare senior football title when they defeated Doonbeg who top the roll of honour in the Clare senior championship. Twenty four hours after their 0-10 to 0-7 win over the …

Whitegate 0-18 Youghal 0-18 (AET) NO-ONE really thinks November hurling is a great idea. It evokes images of water-logged pitches and scrappy, uninspiring matches but sometimes things don’t work out that way at all, like on Sunday, when Youghal and Whitegate produced a really entertaining clash in Sixmilebridge. Credit is due to the East Clare side for showing great character and fitness the day after achieving their goal for 2013, toppling Feakle in the county final. On Sunday, their year looked as good as over when they trailed by 0-8 to 0-4 at half-time, Youghal having scored the last seven points of the half. It seemed that even if the Whitegate spirit was willing, surely fatigue would make a comeback impossible. However, come back they did and with Brendan Bugler and George Waterstone shining, they were within seconds of producing an unlikely victory, before Youghal’s Damien Ring hit an immense free from his own half, which forced extra time. Again …