Sports

Derrick Lynch Most people involved in sport will tell you that there is no such thing as a certainty, but in the case of Denis Hynes that is not necessarily true. If there is something positive happening for soccer in Clare, you can take it as read that the Ennistymon man will be involved in some capacity. Hynes was appointed as the full time FAI Devlopment Officer in Clare in 2008, and in that time he has played a key role in taking the standard of the game in the county to the next level. His passion for the game coupled with his easy-going demeanour are the perfect combination for someone fostering the Clare soccer stars of the future, while his standing in the game in the county makes him a respected coach for the flagship Oscar Traynor side. It also means that when Clare take to the field on Saturday for their Oscar Traynor showdown with Wexford, Hynes will …

Derrick Lynch The Clare U-13 soccer team go in search of national glory this weekend when they make the trip to Mullingar for the Subway SFAI All-Ireland Plate Final. The young Banner stars have already tasted success this season by winning the Munster Championship Plate in recent weeks, and booked their spot in Saturday’s final with a hard fought 1-0 win over Donegal last time out. Coach Davy Kerins praised his side for coming through such a tough battle. He said: “It was tough the last day. Donegal are a quality side and the conditions weren’t great. We were lucky that the long ball over the top fell to Darragh Ball and fair play to him, he finished it well. He showed great confidence to take that chance and the whole team played really well”. The squad have been training since last September, with coach Wayne Burke having to step aside due to work commitments early in the campaign. That …

Munster U20 Football Quarter-Final: Clare 3-14 Waterford 0-6 Clare set up a last four showdown with Cork after a dominant display on a wet and windy night in Miltown. Shane Meehan’s first half goal was the major difference between the sides at the break as the Banner GAA man slotted a classy finish to the net inside the closing ten minutes. Waterford had the aid of a gale for the opening period, but it was Clare who were playing the more controlled football with support runners hitting the line at pace. Waterford held the upper hand on their own kick-outs and anything positive they did came from that platform. Cillian Rouine and Daniel Walsh were anchoring the defence well but Waterford still found space when they broke. The sides were level at the 15 minutes mark at 0-2 each with Mark McInerney notching both of Clare’s scores, and that dovetail between the Eire Óg man and Meehan was threatening to …

Clare will have a representative at this year’s Olympic Games. Ballyvaughan native Liam Jegou will compete in the Canoe Slalom event in the C1 category, which is due to be held in Kasai Canoe Slalom Centre in Tokyo on July 26 and July 27. Jegou has already stamped his mark on the international stage, winning silver in the 2014 Junior World Championships and bronze in the 2019 U-23 World Championships. The 24-year-old is only the second Irish athlete ever to compete in the C1 Canoe Slalom at the Olympics, with the only other athlete being Mike Corcoran, who last competed in Atlanta 1996. He said: “Being an Olympian has always been my biggest dream since I started training at 11 years old. The past month has been unbelievable knowing that I going to be competing for Ireland at the Olympics. In my sport, the Olympics is everything and it is what everybody works towards. It is such a select thing …

Clare’s Munster U-2o Football Quarter-Final v Waterford has been postponed. The game was due to be held this evening at Hennessey Park in Miltown, but with poor weather conditions forecast for the evening, the decision was taken to postpone the fixture. The game has been re-fixed for this Thursday evening in Miltown with a 7pm start.

Derrick Lynch Clare begin their U-20 football championship campaign on Wednesday evening when they host Waterford in the Munster quarter-final. Hennessey Park in Miltown will host the fixture with Clare coming into the game off the back of a mixed pre-season which saw them reach the O’Connor Cup final before losing out to Offaly. Manager Michael Neylon is confident that they are ready for the challenge but admits they will not know where they are until the first whistle is blown. “It feels like we have only been with the players for five minutes in this campaign it has been so quick. We are delighted with the response and we feel preparations have gone well but we are also very aware that everything up to now has only been preparations and it will all come down to championship. We have about 30 players who have been with us from the beginning and they are extremely committed. They have energised us …

Clare manager Michael Neylon has named his side for Wednesday evening’s Munster U-20 Football Quarter-Final clash with Waterford.  Captain Seán Conway makes his return from injury to line out in the half-back line while the other wing-back spot is filled by Kilmurry Ibrickane’s Daniel Walsh who is making his first appearance of the year. Senior panellists Cillian Rouine and Emmet McMahon start, while star forward Shane Meehan is on the edge of the square. Clare U-20 team v Waterford: Tom O’Brien (Doora Barefield); Manus Doherty (Eire Óg), Micheál Murray (Miltown), Ciarán McMahon (Ennistymon); Daniel Walsh (Kilmurry Ibrickane), Cillian Rouine (Ennistymon), Seán Conway (Doonbeg, c); Oisín Looney (Miltown), Eoin Rouine (Ennistymon); John Murphy (Ennistymon), Emmet McMahon (Kildysart), Thomas Clancy (O’Curry’s); Diarmuid O’Donnell (Kildysart), Shane Meehan (Banner), Mark McInerney (Eire Óg). Subs: Oisin O’Loughlin (St Breckans), Eoghan Thynne (Doora Barefield), Morgan Garry (Clondegad), Gavin D’Auria (Éire Óg), Seamus Casey (Kildysart), Stephen Sheehan (Kildysart), Cian McDonough (Doora-Barefield), Cian Meaney (Lissycasey), Darren O’Brien (Éire …

One of the greatest mysteries of Clare GAA appears to have been solved. 35 years have passed since The Clare Champion first reported on the saga of Tommy Guilfoyle’s missing jersey, but thanks to the power of social media, the famed number 14 jersey has been found. The background to the story was first outlined in the Clare Champion in the aftermath of Clare’s loss to Tipperary in the 1985 Munster U-21 Final, with the Feakle man lining out on the edge of the square.   The story reemerged in recent days after a picture of the article was posted online with Guilfoyle’s daughter Lauren posting a public appeal for information. I LOVE this. Dad called up in front of the county board for swapping his Clare jersey for a Tipperary one after a Munster U21 Final. #GAA pic.twitter.com/Ifmqoc5cDw — Lauren Guilfoyle (@LaurenGuilfoyle) February 17, 2020 Her tweet gained traction, and eventually led to the most infamous jersey being discovered …