Sports

When it comes to the greatest stage in hurling no Clare person is more experienced than Davy Fitzgerald. Having witnessed both sides of the emotional rollercoaster that is All-Ireland final day Davy has won and lost All-Ireland finals as a player (Winner 1995 1997, Runner Up 2002) and as a manager (Waterford 2008 runner up, Clare winners 2013) and knows exactly what it takes to bring Liam McCarthy home. The three time All-Star goalkeeper feels that to win at the highest level you need special players. “It’s quite simple really. You have to have the players. No amount of hard work or tactical know how will turn a team into All-Ireland champions. You have to have that raw material that is quality players and we definitely possess those players in Clare. This Clare team have been very unlucky not to have won an All-Ireland in the last five or six years and that’s despite the fact that they had to …

On September 28, 2013 eighteen year old Shane O’Donnell sensationally wrote his name into hurling history when scoring a never to be forgotten 3-3 from play which secured the Banner their fourth ever All-Ireland Senior hurling title. Eleven years on from that glorious Saturday evening Clare are back in the greatest show and as if it was written in the stars it’s the rebels of Cork that stand in the way once more. It’s Hoggy versus O’Donnell, it’s the Reds versus the Saffron and Blue, it’s the Banner versus the Rebels but as far as the man who holds a PhD in microbiology  is concerned the 2013 final will count for absolutely nothing once Limerick referee Johnny Murphy throws in the sliotar on Sunday. “On a superficial level there’s so many parallels between now and then but on a hurling level it’s almost chalk and cheese to be honest about it. It’s very hard to draw much relevance from the game …

Conor Cleary will become the first Miltown Malbay man to play in an All-Ireland senior final since 1934 – 90 years on from Georgie Comerford’s big day he’s eagerly looking forward to it writes Joe Ó Muircheartaigh. Just 30 seconds into the spinetingling promotional video posted on Clare GAA’s social media channels accompanying the announcement of the team for the All-Ireland semi-final told you how far hurling has come in the county over the past 30 years. With the backdrop of ‘The Mighty Rio Grande’ by post-rock band This Will Destroy, it cuts to stunning mural of pipers Willie Clancy and Michael Talty on the Ennis Road into Miltown Malbay and then to a young girl holding the number three jersey aloft opposite the statute to Clancy on the Main Street. All this just days before the 2024 Willie Clancy Summer School, but as Anthony Daly might say about Miltown Malbay by recalling his lines from the Ard Comhairle of …

John Conlon is the elder statesman of the Clare team in his 16th year of senior inter-county hurling but the Clonlara titan is kept young by those around him within the set up writes Joe Ó Muircheartaigh. There aren’t many players who last the test of time by getting to play senior championship hurling in three decades, but that John Conlon has managed this feat is a testament to his endurance, longevity and ability to better himself into his mid-30s. It’s All-Ireland final week and as the elder statesman of the side the Clonlara titan has seen it all in his 16 years since stepping up to the senior ranks after the 2008 Under 21 campaign. That he’s still there and a rock on which Brian Lohan has built his team over the past five years is easy to understand. Attitude. Humbleness. In Brian Lohan’s own likeness in many ways. Then there’s the fact that the primary school teacher in …

Are you Clare’s biggest hurling fan? Do you have what it takes to rival Kildysart superfan, John Joe Costello, when it comes to the amount of saffron and blue that you have on your house, your car or your clothes? As All Ireland excitement reaches fever pitch, The Clare Champion wants to help turn social media saffron and blue this weekend. If you have gone that extra mile while decorating your house or anything else, tag The Clare Champion or send us a message through any of our social media platforms and we will share your efforts with the rest of the county. Hon the Banner!

The relief; the jubilation on the field when it was all over; the calm and satisfaction afterwards as Clare left Croke Park secure in the knowledge that they’d be back in a few weeks time. These were the winning moods and personas displayed among the players as they went on their way after the glass ceiling of this All-Ireland semi-final stage had finally been cracked. A first All-Ireland semi-final win over Kilkenny since 1997 and only a second championship win over Kilkenny ever; a day of atonement for the most recent semi-final defeats against Kilkenny; an All-Ireland final day out to look forward to on July 21. “It’s a special feeling for sure,” said Diarmuid Ryan. “A special day and a special win but we’re going to knuckle down for two weeks and the All-Ireland final.” As he spoke the reset had already taken place – the hoopla had died down, with Ryan and the rest of the players being …

It’s a measure of the standards that Tony Kelly has set in his 13 years as a senior inter-county hurler and of his star quality that despite being subdued for the first 45 minutes of the All-Ireland semi-final that he still ended up as one of the game’s most influential players. Doing the maths tells this story – no Clare player ended up with more than him from play as he top-scored jointly with David Reidy who had a huge game in the 61 minutes of game time that he got. And for the Ballyea colossus, who has slipped into the veteran classes almost unnoticed, his three-point burst down the long home straight of this All-Ireland was a crucial part of the power-play that ultimately swamped Kilkenny and left them shellshocked at the end. And you could say that this comeback was really kickstarted by Kelly, with his opening point being the first response to the Billy Ryan goal, which …

Newmarket-on-Fergus 1-19 Inagh-Kilnamona 1-11 The victor wasn’t a surprise but the manner of Newmarket-on-Fergus’ 26th Clare Cup title certainly proved to be as the roll of honour leaders had a rather bloodless final triumph in Clarecastle on Friday evening. Bridging a six year gap to their last Clare Cup crown, it was an utterly commanding display when first responding to the hammerblow of an early goaled Inagh-Kilnamona penalty to outscore them by 1-7 to 0-1 in the second quarter and carve out a match-winning 1-11 to 1-04 interval cushion. Indeed, it wouldn’t have flattered the Blues had the half-time chasm been doubled as amidst their second quarter siege, James Carrig’s side passed up four glorious goal chances in as many minutes just before the recess. Niall O’Connor was outstanding at the back, Peter Power was equally influential at the other end while Stephen Casey was also hugely effectual when switched to shadow Inagh-Kilnamona’s talisman Fred Hegarty. This was an impressive …