Sports

HAVING achieved all he could in kickboxing, David Ryan has now secured a pro boxing licence and will make his debut within a few months. The 27-year-old, who works as a butcher at Morrissey’s in the Town Centre, comes to the sport having enjoyed huge success as a kickboxer. “Basically there was nothing else I could win in kickboxing. I’ve won everything, Irish, European, pro world titles, so I thought I’d move on and give it a go.” Ryan got involved in combat sport with Howie Vincent at the Shannon Kickboxing Club, while still a child in national school. While he won numerous titles there, his last kickboxing fight was before the pandemic and he plans to have his first outing in the boxing ring in September. He already trains all the time, but the intensity will be increasing now. “I’ll be training six days a week, I’ll get 11 sessions in a week. Sunday is a total rest day …

Clare Cup Final Kilmaley 0-25 Clonlara 0-15 AN ideal pre-championship boost for Kilmaley who deservedly garnered their second Clare Cup crown in three attempts in Cusack Park on Sunday evening. Leading from the eighth minute to the finish and never behind at any stage of the contest, Kilmaley seamlessly moved through the gears to record a comfortable victory and more significantly a 25 point turnaround from their group stage clash only three weeks earlier. Contrasting fortunes were stark as despite losing talisman Mikey O’Malley to injury in the opening period, Kilmaley will be not only be thrilled with securing timely silverware ahead of their championship opener against Éire Óg in three weeks time but did so thanks to nine different scorers. On the flip side, Clonlara saved their most lacklustre Clare Cup display of 2022 for last but more worryingly saw early retirements through injury for captain Cathal O’Connell, former All-Star Colm Galvin, Gareth Kennedy and chief marksman Micheál O’Loughlin …

All-Ireland Intermediate Ladies Football Semi-Final Clare 2-19 Laois 2-21 (AET) HEARTBREAK for Clare in extra time as Laois superstar Mo Nerney guided her side to victory after what can only be described as a contest of epic proportions, writes Derek Dormer. An absolute outstanding opening thirty minutes with massive intensity by both teams, great scores, point blank saves, a huge penalty claim ignored before another being awarded and missed. Mo Nerney opened the scoring straight from the throw in after only twenty nine seconds her first of five first half points. Fidelna Marrinan with an immediate response landing a beauty before the game’s first green flag. Sensational work by Niamh O’Dea bursting through the centre shrugging off tacklers with ease before off loading to Roìsìn Considine who blasted home superbly. The teams traded scores but it was Clare who were the dominant force however lady luck was most certainly not on their side hitting the post on no less than …

SIOFRA Ní Chonaill isn’t one for backing down from a challenge. The Doora-Barefield clubwoman has spent much of her inter county career balancing work commitments, her studies and competing for Doora-Barefield and Clare. In September Ní Chonaill will enter her final year studying Mental Health Nursing in UL which has seen her work in a psychiatric ward, a vaccination centres and in a nursing home. She decided to jump in at the deep end when COVID hit these shores two years ago as she welcomed at the opportunity to work in St. Joseph’s Hospital, Ennis. Ní Chonaill believes the experience of working in a hospital setting at the onset of the pandemic provided her with the perfect opportunity to gain hands on experience. “It was very tough but it was something I wanted to do. I got an email one day from college, seeing if we wanted to be healthcare assistants. I had my course work done and I had to …

CLARE manager Evan Talty insists that his side are embracing the pressure as they face Laois for a place in the TG4 All Ireland Intermediate Ladies Football Final, writes Ivan Smyth. With Clare just 60 minutes away from a place in Croke Park, Talty admits that although his team are focused on the task at hand, the prospect of lining out at GAA HQ is one that will enter the thought process of the players. “Some girls were there in 2016. I am a realist. It will one hundred percent enter the heads of both sets of players. If you lose the semi final you don’t get to experience playing in Croke Park. If you get to the final, whether you win, lose or draw you at least get that experience.” “I won’t be naïve to say it doesn’t enter the head of a player. These things are there. It’s a pressure game but pressure is a privilege. You can’t …

With just over four weeks to go to the start of Galway’s 2022 Summer Festival, preparations are continuing apace in Ballybrit for what looks set to be a bumper week. Thankfully, things are back to normal now and the week-long meeting – that runs from Monday, July 25th to Sunday, July 31st – can look forward to big crowds and record prize money. This year’s Galway Summer Festival has a total prize fund of €2.164 million – representing an increase of €346,500 on 2021. Each day offers a minimum prize of €100,000 for the feature race, with the minimum value for any race at Ballybrit now standing at €17,000. Galway offers a mixed card for the week with National Hunt and Flat races being held on all seven days. The flagship Tote Galway Plate is one of the highlights of the week. This mid-summer showpiece now carries a purse of €270,000 (up €20,000 from last year) and it looks set …

It was former Clare captain Gary Brennan who put it best after the Roscommon game when he said the air was going to get a lot thinner from here on in as the championship really kicked to life from the quarter-final stage. Gary knows. He was there and saw at first hand the difference between beating Roscommon in a final round Qualifier and taking on Kerry in an All-Ireland quarter-final in Croke Park. It was a quantum leap — in footballing terms, but also of the mind, body and spirit. Gary was the man in Clare’s campaign that year as he was for so many years, but for the All-Ireland quarter-final Kerry put Kieran Donaghy out around the middle and it ensured that Eamonn Fitzmaurice’s side had a strong foothold in the area, and from there on it went. Derry are no Kerry you might say, but maybe by the year’s end we’ll be saying that Kerry are no Derry, …

With the way the championship has unfolded, fate has been rather favourable to Clare. It goes without saying that Brian Lohan’s side would have loved to have captured provincial silverware and certainly would have appreciated lifting the inaugural Mick Mackey Cup much more. However, apart from that set-back, the hand of destiny has thrown up Leinster duo Wexford and Kilkenny, two sides that Clare would arguably have handpicked themselves if they had the choice to potentially tee up a historic fifth competitive outing against Limerick in the All-ireland decider. All that speculation aside, the reality is that while the Wexford game was expectedly close, they were possibly the perfect team for Clare to pip at the post too. Not reaching anywhere near the heights of their previous provincial displays would have meant an early exit against a much clinical side. However, Wexford left a wounded Banner in the contest so when Brian Lohan’s side did manage to find their groove …