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Under 15 Division 2 Championship Round 3 Cooraclare 5-11 Corofin 1-08 Cooraclare put themselves in pole position to secure an Under 15 Division 2 Semi-Final spot after leapfrogging previous table-toppers Corofin in Páirc Finne on Monday evening. Four second half goals against the conditions proved decisive for the visitors who could be thankful to ace marksmen Kevin Marrinan (2-3) and Rory Lillis (2-2) for keeping their side in front throughout. A glorious evening for football was accentuated by the backdrop of two opponents with perfect records. So while it didn’t exactly live up to those lofty expectations, at full strength both will feel that they can make an impact on the latter stages of the championship. Having chalked up 13 goals in their two previous outings, the home side weren’t used to finding themselves on the backfoot but with the wind at their backs, Cooraclare set about trying to make the most of this opportunity. An early siege carved out …

After an encouraging U-20 football campaign last year, Clare manager Michael Neylon is keen to see his side build on the progress made last year. Although this age grade often sees a high turnover of players year on year, Neylon is hopeful his side can improve after they defeated Waterford last year before being a narrow two point defeat to Cork ended their campaign. The draw for this year’s Championship has presented Clare with an opportunity as Cork and Kerry face each other on the other side of the draw. This leaves Waterford, Clare, Limerick and Tipperary battling it out for a place in the provincial final. Clare face the Déise this evening (Thursday) in Fraher Field, Dungarvan, with a throw-in time of 7.30pm. Neylon is refusing to look beyond the clash although he admits every team in the section of the draw will fancy their chances of reaching the provincial showdown. “We are looking at Thursday night first and …

A resilient Shannon Town held off the challenge of Corofin Harps to win the U-16 girl’s shield final on Sunday. Thantra O’Callaghan’s well taken goal midway through the first-half gave Shannon a lead they did well to preserve during what at times was a thrilling encounter. Corofin created plenty of chances and put their opponents under huge pressure. But they could not find a way past Shannon’s hard working defence and goalkeeper Ella Henchy who produced a series of excellent saves. Both sides served up a terrifically entertaining contest and plenty of moments of quality in last season’s postponed decider. Corofin centre forward, Grainne Burke, a threat throughout, came close to giving her side the lead in the 7th minute when her curled effort hit the cross bar. Burke and the impressive Keelan Fitzgerlad were both involved in a flowing move that ended with Ella Henchy saving Elisha Twomey’s half volley. But anchored by Ella Kelly’s classy performance in midfield, …

THE tragic death of a young Doora-Barefield lifeguard while he was surfing off the West Clare coast has sent shock waves throughout the county. Glowing tributes have been paid from Clare lifeguards, Doora-Barefield GAA club, Ennis RFC and others who experienced a cloud of “devastating grief” following the passing of Fionn O’Brien, Knockanean, Tulla Road, Ennis, on Monday. Ennis Parish Priest, Fr Tom Ryan, recalled last Monday a cloud of “devastating grief” descended on the Doora-Barefield parish, the town of Ennis, communities throughout Clare and on many young people who knew or were part of Fionn’s life. “I have heard very kind and genuine words about Fionn over the last few days. He was a good young man, a swimmer, lifeguard, water enthusiast and an accomplished hurler and footballer with his beloved club St Joseph’s Doora-Barefield. “There are occasions in life when no words seem appropriate, when we enter total sadness and desolation. “We are numbed and speechless since news …

A MINUTE’S silence was held at the monthly meeting of the Ennis Municipal District this week following the tragic death of young lifeguard Fionn O’Brien. Meanwhile, the chaplain of Fionn’s former secondary school in Ennis has offered its support to past and present students affected by the loss. The 20-year-old, who was from a well-known Ennis family and lived on the Tulla Road, died after getting into difficulty while surfing off Lough Donnell beach on Monday. Fionn has been remembered as a “wonderful, smiling and talented young man” by his former school Rice College. A statement issued on behalf of the school states, “The Staff and Board of Management of Rice College would like to extend our deepest and heartfelt sympathies to the O’Brien family on the tragic death of their beautiful son, our past pupil, Fionn. To Fionn’s parents, Pat and Michelle, and his siblings Niall, Conor and Saidhbh, you are in our thoughts and prayers at this most …

CONCERNS over a landmark property in East Clare, which remains empty despite being earmarked for sheltered housing for the last two decades, are being addressed, the Council has pledged. The issue of Mountshannon House was raised at the AGM of the Killaloe Municipal District when Councillor Pat Burke sought an update, after flagging the matter previously last April. At that time, councillors heard that while the property had been bought by the Respond Voluntary Housing Association, in 2002, thanks to a Council-supported loan, the proposed accommodation had not materialised. Speaking last week, Councillor Burke said that with developments on the way for The Old Rectory building, which is set to become an interpretative centre for Inis Cealtra, there is growing concern about Mountshannon House. “The issue hasn’t gone away,” he said. “In recent times, I’ve gotten a number of requests from members of the community who want an update on what’s going on. “There’s a lot happening with the rectory …

BANK of Ireland has issued a warning to the public advising extra caution around fraudulent text messages in circulation this week.  There has been a spike in ‘smishing’, where fraudsters send fake text messages, which appear to come from Bank of Ireland, and direct customers to fake websites imitating Bank of Ireland websites.  Since last month, the number of new ‘phishing’ websites detected by Bank of Ireland’s Fraud Prevention team has doubled, with an unprecedented increase in activity in the last week and up to 20 new fraudulent sites appearing per day. Bank of Ireland advice to customers in response to the current activity: Do not click on links or to respond to SMS text messages, which are designed to appear as if sent by the bank and look like originating from a genuine phone number. Bank of Ireland will never send you a text with a link to a website that asks you for your online banking login details …

A QUIN cancer patient has decided to have a cut at raising money for the Clare Crusaders’ Clinic following his recent recovery. John Colleran, a 52-year-old father-of-two has opted for a few “wacky” hair and beard cuts until he has nothing left to take off. His initiative has paid off with donations totalling €3,850 for the charity up to Wednesday. In an interview with The Clare Champion, John admitted he was very lucky his doctor detected a problem very early and he had an operation to remove the tumour within five weeks of a colonoscopy. “I was so lucky it was caught early. When I went to Dr Dermot Boyle I had an upset stomach. After a few weeks, he wasn’t happy and ordered a colonoscopy. “It was a shock for me and my wife, Tracy when I was told I had cancer. It wasn’t something we expected, as I thought I had a problem with my gall bladder. “Professor …