Sports

Ennis RFC’s U-16s go in search of just their second ever Pan Munster title at this grade when they face Waterford side Waterpark RFC this Sunday in Musgrave Park (kick off 12.45pm). Their route to this final has not been a straightforward one. After coming through Phase One of the Pan Munster Championship in good nick, Ennis suffered a 30-15 defeat to Kinsale in the opening round of Phase Two. They then fell to a disappointing North Munster League semi final defeat to Bruff. With their season in danger of petering out before it had blossomed, U16 Head Coach John Queally sought the advice of U18 men’s managers Padraig Brennan and David Murphy, U18 ladies coach John Cullen and Richard Murphy who has worked with a plethora of teams within the club. “I got advice from a few coaches as it can be hard when you are on the sideline to assess certain things happening in the game. They had …

AFTER Doonbeg edged out Éire Óg by 1-10 to 1-9 in the Cusack Cup and Lissycasey had three points to spare over Kilmihil 0-13 to 0-10 in the Garry Cup on Thursday, Eoin Brennan previews the rest of the weekend’s football action here Cusack Cup (Division 1 League) Round 2 Clondegad v St Joseph’s Miltown at Ballynacally, Saturday 2pm The first real evaluation of Clondegad’s mettle as they crave a kick following a disappointing opener against St Breckan’s. With Miltown having won the 2019 Cusack Cup over their hosts and then managed to retain it in the corresponding fixture in Miltown last July, Clondegad shouldn’t require any additional motivation. Both will be understrength but it also an opportunity for Miltown to up the scoring ante, having only kicked 1-6 last time out albeit sufficient to win. Kildysart v Ennistymon at Kildysart, Saturday 3pm Outside of O’Gorman Cup meetings, they haven’t met too often in competitive action, although there will be …

Clare minor footballers will play their opening game of the Championship at Wolfe Tones’ GAA Grounds. Dermot Coughlan’s charges will face Waterford on April 14. The game was initially due to be played at Hennessy Memorial Park but after last night’s Munster GAA CCC meeting, the game has now been moved. In the Munster Minor Football Championship, Clare, Limerick, Tipperary and Waterford are placed in to a group of four with the top two teams progressing through to the Phase One Final. Kerry and Cork meet in the provincial semi final with the winner moving 60 minutes away from Munster glory. Meanwhile, the loser of the Cork and Kerry clash plays the team that emerges from the group of four. Seven days after hosting Waterford, Clare will travel to Mick Neville Park to face Limerick. Finally, Clare host Tipperary at Hennessy Memorial Park on April 28 with that game throwing in at 7pm. The Phase One Final is down for …

Kildysart’s Emmet McMahon has been named at centre-forward on the Electric Ireland GAA Rising Stars Football Team of the Year. McMahon made his first start for Clare in this year’s Allianz National Football League. His strong Sigerson Cup campaign for the University of Limerick has been rewarded with his inclusion in the Higher Education team of the year. The talented forward was key to UL reaching the Sigerson decider with his point scoring from distance aiding them on their run. He kicked two points in their semi final triumph over DCU, including a booming effort which gave his side a 0-13 to 0-11 lead. He started at centre forward in his side’s three point final defeat to NUIG last month. The third year Physical Education and Maths student was joined by fellow Clare men Daniel Walsh (Kilmurry Ibrickane), Ciaran Downes (Kilmihil) and Oisin Looney (St Joseph’s Miltown) on the UL panel which reached a first Sigerson Cup final in 25 …

Ivan Smyth speaks to Ennis RFC president Dermot Hallahan in the wake of club graduates Tony Butler, Ethan Coughlan and Conor Moloney becoming Grand Slam champions with Ireland U-20s Barefield’s Tony Butler and Ethan Coughlan alongside Kildysart’s Conor Moloney were part of the first Irish squad to ever win a Grand Slam at this grade. All three men are products of Ennis RFC’s underage system with Butler and Coughlan coming off the bench in last Sunday’s thumping 59-5 win over Scotland. The former kicked three conversions while scrum half Coughlan’s pin point pass culminated in Josh Hanlon crossing the whitewash. Moloney came off the bench in Ireland’s nail biting 17-16 win over France in Round Two with the win igniting dreams of a first U-20 Grand Slam. #U20SixNations Watch: Behind the scenes at Ireland's U20 Grand Slam win.#FutureIsGreen pic.twitter.com/QCbxPlHy2P — Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) March 16, 2019 Ennis RFC President Dermot Hallahan states it was a proud day for the club …

Ruan’s own Bríd MacNamara has earned more success for Clare camogie at a national level. The 2021 Camogie Association Media Awards and Mick Dunne Memorial Awards were announced on Tuesday morning with a Clare winner in the Best Match Programme category. Clare Camogie PRO, Brid MacNamara produced the publication for the senior decider between Scariff/Ogonnelloe and Truagh/Clonlara which has now been named as the best of its type in the country. The accolade has been secured three times previously under her stewardship, in 2016, ’17 and ’18. Aidan Ryan, based in Meelick, received the photography award. He submitted two photos for the award. The first one was of Truagh/Clonlara’s Eimear Kelly in action during her side’s county final replay against Scariff/Ogonnelloe in November. The other featured Limerick’s Áine Cunningham competing against Kilkenny duo Colette Dormer and Grace Walsh in the league quarter-final last June. Former Clare FM broadcaster Darren Kelly, has also been honoured. SportsDaz received the award for Digital …

What an unbelievable time of it 20-year-old Cratloe jockey Mark McDonagh has had in the past week! Tipped by many shrewd judges as a rider to keep an eye on, McDonagh certainly wrote his name in lights when bagging his first Cheltenham winner aboard Banbridge in the final race of the 2022 Festival, the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle, last Friday. Banbridge completes the festival for 2022 and gives the Irish 7 winners on the day🍀🍀 He gives Joseph O’Brien another festival winner and he’s proving to be an excellent dual purpose trainer and has some career ahead of him👀#CheltenhamFestival pic.twitter.com/Xoejw79Mt3 — Grant James Thomas🧲 (@Grant_Some92) March 18, 2022 A glorious 96 hours for McDonagh, whose grandad, Michael, is a very successful trainer, began in Down Royal on St Patrick’s Day where his guided Roi Mage (13/2) to victory in the featured Bluegrass Stamm 30 Chase for Dublin trainer Patrick Griffin. It was on to Prestbury Park then for …

Eoin Brennan previews all the Clare Cup hurling action over the weekend Clare Cup Division 1A Round 2 Sixmilebridge v Inagh-Kilnamona at O’Garney Park Sixmilebridge, Friday 7.30pm Amazingly, a first competitive senior meeting since their 2019 championship Semi-Final clash that appeared to be going in Inagh-Kilnamona’s favour, only to be outflanked by a more wily ‘Bridge side that went on to claim the Canon Hamilton before backing it up in 2020. Inagh-Kilnamona are now the ones in the ascendency after last year’s final appearance so it makes this an intriguing early battle as both are off the back of disappointing first round reverses. Clooney-Quin v Ballyea at Clooney, Saturday 2pm One thing’s for certain, there won’t be a 23 point margin between the sides as there was in 2020 when the sides clashed in the senior championship. That was a particularly low-ebb for Clooney-Quin who were languishing without Peter Duggan at the time. The County senior’s return last time out …