Sports

The group tasked with preparing a five year strategic plan for Clare GAA has outlined that they will be adopting a “grass roots up” approach in its workings. Group member Mark O’Connell, CEO of Repucon Consulting, addressed club delegates at this weeks county board meeting to detail the process the group will be following. He stated that they will be following a “structured approach” with an emphasis on ascertaining the views of club members and supporters of Clare GAA to identify their views on how the association should move forward over the coming years. Surveys have been compiled which have been issued to club secretaries to feed back information with further surveys planned for the coming weeks for both club members and the public to have their say. He also outlined that development squad coaches, S&C coaches along with referees and past and current players will also be canvassed for their opinion on the process. Once all that information has …

Clare’s ladies footballers will have just one home game in the group stages of the 2021 National Football League. Evan Talty’s side are grouped with the Meath side who ended their championship run last year, along with neighbours Kerry and fellow intermediate side Wexford. The campaign will start on May 23 with a home tie against Wexford, before trips to Kerry and Meath to round off the group stages. Talty has also confirmed his management team for the coming year, with former Mayo ladies goalkeeping coach Donal ‘Doc’ Hughes, former Meath star Odharnaith McKenna (Performance Analysis) and Cooraclare’s Andrew O’Neill (physio) joining the set up. Training is set to begin in earnest next week when restrictions will be lifted to allow elite level sides to resume on field training, with that session being the first time in 2021 that the squad will have met face to face. It will also be the first opportunity for new Clare ladies football chairperson …

Secretary of Clare GAA Pat Fitzgerald has claimed that there is a witchhunt aimed at him going on in the county. The comments came during tetchy exchanges at this week’s board meeting, in which issues relating to the still to be completed €4.8 million Centre of Excellence at Caherlohan were once more to the fore. Whitegate delegate David Solan raised the issue when querying the content of an Irish Independent article in recent weeks, which claimed that the pitches at the venue were in “pristine condition”. “It is my opinion that when we got someone in to see what is wrong with the pitches and to cost how much it would be, he came out with a figure of €70,000 per pitch for six pitches which is nearly €500,000. It is what I would call negligence by somebody in the county board, because when you do a sand based pitch, you are given a maintenance plan. We have one in …

Fixture details have been announced for the Clare senior and junior camogie squads 2021 Littlewoods National League campaigns. Ger O’Connell’s charges have been grouped with neighbours Galway and Limerick in Group One of Division One, and begin their campaign with a trip to take on the Tribeswomen on Saturday May 15. Clare will have home advantage a week later against Limerick, before a bye in the final round. Last weekend also saw the Camogie Congress taking place, where the trial rules introduced last year were ratified for the coming season. Clare captain and Inagh-Kilnamona clubwoman Clare Hehir, feels it was a progressive step. “It was all very positive with the new rules being passed which is good to see. We are no longer allowed handpass goals or drop the hurley, but hopefully things like the contact rule will make a big difference. It is something we had been waiting to happen so it was good to see that passed and …

Fixture details have been announced for the Clare senior and junior camogie squads 2021 Littlewoods National League campaigns. Ger O’Connell’s charges have been grouped with neighbours Galway and Limerick in Group One of Division One, and begin their campaign with a trip to take on the Tribeswomen on Saturday May 15. Clare will have home advantage a week later against Limerick, before a bye in the final round. The Division One quarter-final is set for the weekend of June 5, with the semi-finals and relegation playoffs taking place a week later. The Division One final and Relegation final are both fixed for the weekend of June 19. Group Two in Division One is made up of Cork, Tipperary and Waterford with Kilkenny, Dublin and Offaly competing in Group Three. The Junior side, who missed out on last year’s championship after “second teams” were forced to stand down amid Covid-19 restrictions, will also get their Division Three campaign underway on Saturday …

There will be plenty Clare interest in today’s Aintree Grand National as Tubber’s Derek O’Connor will be among the 40 strong field for the prestigious event. The point to point legend is set to take on the famous fences in one of the world’s biggest races for the first time in his career, as he partners with the Nicky Henderson trained OK Corral. The JP McManus owned runner is currently around an 80/1 shot with Henderson bidding for his first ever win in the race. O’Connor has already faced the big fences this week at the Aintree Festival, and finished fourth aboard Snugsborough Hall in Friday’s Topham Chase. The big race is set to go post this evening at 5.15pm.

Irish rugby legend and Clare man Marcus Horan is among the growing number of voices expressing their concern about circumstances surrounding the latest signing by Munster. It was announced last week that Johann van Graan has added the former Bulls and Springbok lock Jason Jenkins to his side, as cover to replace Munster stalwarts Billy Holland and CJ Stander. The move has led to much criticism as it is seen as favouring a big money move over homegrown players being given their chance to make that step to the next level. Clonlara native Horan, who played 225 times for the province, outlined it is a decision which has left those close to the scene confused as to its logic. “It goes against everything we have been told and it is hard to comprehend even from an IRFU point of view as to how it was allowed. If the player himself was more experienced and was going to be someone who …

It was clear from an early age that bravery was a prime trait for Jack Lynch, and one that he has carried through his entire sporting career. His battling qualities as a defender will come as no surprise to those who followed his father Tommy’s career in England, with his place in the annals of Shrewsbury Town history secured when he was voted on to the clubs greatest ever team in 2016. Like his son, Tommy also made his name as a defender, and the evidence of him passing on the tricks of the trade to the next generation at an early age were uncovered in the Lynch house recently. “My Dad was a huge influence on me. My first memories as a child always have some sort of a ball involved. I was watching back some home videos that my mother transferred on to DVD. I was only two or three years old and I was trying to slide …