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Eoin Brennan looks ahead to Clare’s National Football League Division 2 Round 5 clash away to Galway in Tuam Stadium tomorrow at 2pm IF Clare are to have any hope of reaching the promised land of promotion to the top tier, they need to take down neighbours Galway on on Sunday. While meetings with the Tribesmen have been rare, anything less than a victory would put an end to the Banner’s aspirations upwards and would leave them having to look over their shoulders for the final two basement scraps with current strugglers Meath and Down. Padraic Joyce’s Galway have enjoyed a perfect start to life back in Division 2 alongside Derry but with Roscommon poised to pounce upon any slip-ups, their Connacht derby final round meeting could well be a winner-takes-all promotion decider. Clare should be in the mix too after their best start to Division 2 under Colm Collins. However, following encouraging displays against Offaly and away draws with …

“THERE’S something for everyone” in the approved schedule for works for this year in West Clare. That was the view of Councillor Gabriel Keating who proposed the approval of the multi-million euro plan at the district committee meeting last week.  An increase in almost all funding streams will see a total of more than €48 million being invested in roads infrastructure across Clare this year. Major projects earmarked for funds in West Clare include Blake’s Corner in Ennistymon. Funding of €970,000 allocated to Clare will be funnelled mainly towards The West Clare Greenway. There have also been increases in the funds available to West Clare for road improvement and maintenance this year. A total of 13 bridges in the district will be refurbished and five safety improvement schemes will be progressed. Under the heading of climate mitigation, eight schemes will be advanced in West Clare, mainly in the Kilrush Local Electoral Area (LEA).  Outlining the schedule for 2022, Senior Engineer …

A PARTEEN film production company is in the frame for two awards at the Irish Film and Television Academy Awards (IFTAs), writes Dan Danaher. Carbonated Comet Productions has earned the nominations for the IFTAs, which will be broadcast on Virgin Media One this Saturday, March 12 at 8:30pm. The annual event, which celebrates the best and brightest talent in the world of Irish film and television, has had many prestigious former winners including Jim Sheridan, Amy Huberman, Lenny Abrahamson and Saoirse Ronan to name but a few. Now Parteen film makers, Greg Burrowes, (34) and his colleague Ronan Cassidy, who set up Carbonated Comet Productions in 2017 are hoping to win an IFTA of their own after two of their films were nominated in the “Live Action Short Film” category. “Harvest” follows a farmer who struggles with his mortality following a near fatal heart attack. The film was written and directed by Tristan Heanue and stars Lalor Roddy, Marie Mullen, …

Despite the relatively small numbers attending the school, CBS Ennistymon have punched above their weight both academically and on the GAA field, writes Ivan Smyth. Michael Clohessy spent 40 years in the school, serving the final years as Deputy Principal before retiring in December 2020. The former Maths and Business Studies teacher was delighted to be asked by Tara Rynne and Jason Daffy to help with their senior hurling and football squads before their respective campaigns commenced. Clohessy managed St Joseph’s Doora-Barefield to the All Ireland Club Hurling Championship in 1999 while he took them back to the showpiece event one year later as they lost out to Athenry. The 64-year-old hopes these talented bunch of players can create lasting memories just like he and those Doora-Barefield players did back in their pomp. “I have great memories and I’ll take them to the grave. These lads will keep these memories long after leaving the school. They will recall these great …

Eoin Brennan previews Clare’s National Camogie League Division 1 Round 3 clash away to Limerick in TUS Gaelic Grounds this afternoon ULTIMATELY, John Carmody and Conor Dolan’s aim is to bridge the gap to the big three of Galway, Cork and Kilkenny. However, Clare’s real litmus test of where they currently lie comes this Saturday when facing neighbours Limerick in their own home patch. Moral victories with a young side against Cork and Kilkenny were decent indicators of developmental improvement but it’s how Clare fare against the best of the rest such as Limerick, Dublin, Waterford and Tipperary that will be seen as the essential battleground. Being a derby should be motivation enough but add in last year’s humbling reverses to their Shannonside neighbours that first put Clare into a Division 1 relegation play-off with Dublin before Limerick also subsequently knocked the same opponents out of the Munster Championship and it’s essentially must-win for the Banner. Being effectively a relegation …

FORMER Doolin Coast Guard volunteers have claimed the current reconstituted interim unit, which has eight members, is not fully functional in its current form, more than four months after the previous group was officially disbanded, writes Dan Danaher. Last November, Minister of State at the Department of Transport Hildegarde Naughton asked the Irish Coast Guard (IRCG) to begin the process of reconstituting the Doolin Coast Guard unit, which was stood down from operations and training activities following the resignation of six volunteers. This decision was made following receipt of a report and recommendation from independent mediator, Kieran Mulvey, who concluded that certain relationships within the Doolin Coast Guard Unit have irretrievably broken down and that the mutual trust, respect and confidence required to effectively operate a Coast Guard Unit does not exist within the Unit. The report concluded that the interpersonal difficulties are not capable of being resolved through the normal mediation process. Deputy Darren O’Rourke recently asked Minister Naughton …

Scariff’s Junior B hurlers will be hoping to keep the feelgood factor going in East Clare, writes Ivan Smyth The first quarter of this year certainly belongs to East Clare. St. Joseph’s heroic Harty Cup triumph brought nationwide attention East of the county while on the camogie front Scariff-Ogonnelloe’s unforgettable Munster final win only served to increase the feel good factor. Scariff’s Junior B side will be hoping to maintain that momentum when they face in to their Munster final showdown with Tipperary’s Clonoulty-Rossmore this Saturday in Killeedy. The East Clare outfit will be hoping to claim their first ever provincial crown at any grade with their intermediate team robbed of the opportunity to pursue Munster glory in 2020 due to COVID. Manager Brian Harte states there is one key ingredient behind the recent success; hard work. “A lot of it is down to the trojan work behind the scenes and the amount of people willing to volunteer. Ger Rodgers …

It’s rare to meet a woman at a schools game, Ennistymon CBS coach Tara Rynne tells Ivan Smyth ahead of the school’s All-Ireland final this weekend Tara Rynne’s Ennistymon CBS side travel to Duggan Park, Ballinasloe, this Saturday (throw in 2pm) as the school goes in search of a first ever Senior All Ireland title while she is part of the hurling management team that are also gunning to lift national honours in the same grade. She admits this is a unique situation for any school to find themselves in and one that has come about due to hard work and careful planning. “We couldn’t ask for it to go any better. It is hurling one week and football another with us. The lads take it all in their stride. Between the Dome and Dublin it was a very busy week for everyone but we are delighted to have come through both games.” Rynne has no shortage of final experience …