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A legend of The Magpies from Doonbeg is celebrated in a new book on the great heroes in gaelic football history A DOONBEG sporting sensation has been honoured in a new book celebrating some of the country’s top names in Gaelic football. Michael Haugh from Killard was born in 1943 and has truly earned his place in Clare’s sporting hall of fame. His football feats span three decades. Between the ‘60s and the ‘80s, he won nine County Senior Football Championships with Doonbeg (1961,’67, ’68,’69, ’72, ’73, ’74, ’82, ’83) and 11 Cusack Cup Titles (1961, ’62, ’65, ’67, ’68, ’69, ’70, ’72,’ 74, ’81, ’82). He has a Clare Minor Football (U-18) title (1959) under his belt, as well as a Clare Under-21 Football Titles (1963). Michael also has a New York Junior Football Championship title and a London Senior Football Championship title to his name. These accomplishments, as well as a glittering athletic career, have earned Michael a …

Senior Football Championship Final Éire Óg 1-11 Kilmurry Ibrickane 0-09 ÉIRE Óg deservedly bridged a 15-year gap to wrestle back the Jack Daly Cup after usurping Kilmurry Ibrickane’s throne in Cusack Park this afternoon, reports Eoin Brennan. Facing a ‘Bricks side that were bidding for a fourth title in six seasons, the Ennis side belied their final inexperience by taking the game to their opponents from the outset to lead from start to finish. In such a low-scoring yet compelling encounter, a goal was always going to be a huge score and it was the Townies who grabbed it just after the first water break when Einne O’Connor cut in from the left corner before centring for Mark McInerney to flick home at 1-3 to 0-2. Some welcome home for Jack and these legends 🇮🇩🔥 pic.twitter.com/kEGQAi4Zyv — Éire Óg EnnisCamogie (@Eireogenniscam) November 8, 2021 Buoyed by that score, Clare duo Conall Ó hAiniféin and Gavin Cooney tacked on further points …

THERE is much excitement and anticipation for the welcome return of drama to Doonbeg. The One-Act Drama Festival will take place on Saturday November 13, Sunday 14 and Monday 15 at Doonbeg Community Hall with a host of drama groups from around the county and the country. Corofin Drama Group; Oakhill Players, Knockerra and Sliabh Aughty, Mountshannon will be joined by groups from Cork, Galway, Leitrim, Offaly and Roscommon in West Clare to entertain audiences with a selection of short plays. Organised by the volunteer committee of the West Clare Drama Festival, the Doonbeg One-Act usually takes place annually in November, however it was cancelled in 2020 and this year marks it’s 34th undertaking. Speaking about the festival, Chairperon John Keane said “Doonbeg has established itself as a very popular festival with groups and audiences alike. After what has been a difficult time for everyone and the absence of quality live entertainment this year, people are very much looking forward to …

A PITCH is being made for the provision of shelters around the playing fields of an Ennis amenity to protect exposed sports fans. Ennis’ Deputy Mayor Councillor Paul Murphy says sports fans are being “drenched” on the sidelines at Active Ennis, John O’Sullivan Park, Lees Road. Speaking at a meeting of the Ennis Municipal District the councillor urged that funding be sourced to provide a large dugout or small stand to provide shelter on the perimeter of the pitches. “Provision of these would give much needed shelter from the elements to players and management of teams as well as vulnerable groups such as the elderly and disabled,” he urged. He said signage should be added to indicate that priority be given to vulnerable people to use the shelter. The councillor recalled his own first-hand experience of being on the side-lines recently. “The rain was falling and it really opened my eyes to what it could be like in December or …

THE Ennis 2040 plan shows a pathway forward for the county town, but in Clare’s second largest town there has been a feeling in recent years that it is far from a priority. Sinn Féin Councillor Donna McGettigan represents Shannon and she said while a new masterplan is being created for the town, it does seem like Ennis is receiving far more care and attention. “The population in Shannon is stagnant for a long time and there’s nothing to draw people in,” she said. While there have been complaints for years that a conventional streetscape hasn’t been developed, she also has concerns about the local housing situation. “Housing is a huge issue in Shannon. There are loads of companies and where are their staff to live? It could discourage companies from coming in if there aren’t houses there for their workers. That’s a big issue.” She said that what new houses have been built in Shannon have been left without …

Clare TD joins commission to refine party’s direction DEPUTY Cathal Crowe has been given a new role by An Taoiseach Micheál Martin to come up with a national strategy to give Fianna Fáil a major shot in the arm. The Meelick Deputy has been appointed on to a new commission, which will examine the aims and objectives of Fianna Fáil. He is clear on what position Fianna Fáil should hold in the political spectrum. “While Fianna Fáil will be measured on how it delivers in government, we have to stand for something greater. I see Fianna Fáil being a little bit left of centre, republican in outlook, supporting the marginalised by tackling rural isolation and poverty. “Fianna Fáil has a broad church of support but needs a bit of refinement and redefining.” A majority of Clare Fianna Fáil councillors expect a new party leader will be elected once Micheál Martin’s term as Taoiseach ends when Leo Varadkar takes over at …

CLARE saw the completion of 86 new dwellings in the third quarter of the year, according to figures from the Central Statistics Office. It comes on top of the completion of 120 in the second quarter. The months of July, August and September saw the completion of 21 dwellings in the Ennis Municipal District area. In the Killaloe MD the figure was 20, for the Kilrush MD it was 18, For the Shannon Md the figure was 15 and in the Ennistymon MD it was 12. In the second quarter the Shannon MD had been on top with 59 completions, while Killaloe had 20 and Kilrush 17. Both Ennistymon and Ennis had 12 each. Across the country the number of completions in the third quarter was down on the same period last year, according to CSO spokesperson Justin Anderson. “The number of new dwelling completions have fallen by almost 8% in comparison to Q3 2020. There were 4,656 completions which …

Éire Óg manager Paul Madden is hoping his side’s battling qualities will be on display once more when the Townies face Kilmurry/Ibrickane in an eagerly anticipated showdown. Unlike this Sunday’s opponents, Éire Óg have suffered a defeat in this year’s Championship when falling to a 0-14 to 1-10 defeat against Clondegad in the group stages. With much talk surrounding the five team group which contained some of the traditional powerhouses of Clare football, Madden states that when the draw was made, it was immediately apparent that his side would face a huge test when pitted against Lissycasey, Clondegad and Doonbeg. “It was obvious to me that our group was always going to be difficult. Every team would have fancied their chances of progressing. Lissycasey got to the semi final last year, Clondegad reached the county final not so long ago and Doonbeg got to the semi finals two years ago. We knew if we could make it out of the …