Sports

Relief was Marcus Horan’s predominant emotion when his mystery ailment was diagnosed as a minor heart condition. The 66 times capped Munster and Ireland forward, who is hoping that Saturday’s Shannon v St Mary’s All-Ireland League game won’t be postponed, had known for four years that something was not quite right but nobody could unearth the specifics of the problem. He last lined out for Munster against Treviso on October 17 but had to leave the field after just 10 minutes. After that, his condition was diagnosed and he was subsequently operated on. Horan returned to Munster training on December 29 but his planned competitive comeback with Shannon last weekend didn’t happen because of the adverse weather.The Clonlara man told The Clare Champion on Tuesday that his heart problem only manifested itself during competitive match situations.

The remaining link with Clare’s All-Ireland winning team of 1997 has called time on his inter-county career.Siximlebridge’s Niall Gilligan has declined an invitation from new manager Ger O’Loughlin to be part of the 2010 squad. Gilligan received the invite last week and asked for time to give it consideration before deciding against a return. He is, however, to continue playing with his club.

Kilmurry Ibrickane’s Odran O’Dwyer is not ruling out the possibility that he’ll be fit in time for his club’s All-Ireland quarter-final with Tír Chonaill Gaels in Ruislip on January 24.

Newly-appointed Clare ladies football senior manager David O’Brien is hoping that a number of his more experienced players will continue to play for the county throughout 2010.

Cratloe GAA celebrated a truly memorable year in the club’s history at the West County Hotel in Ennis last week when the Clare senior hurling (Hamilton Cup), intermediate football (Talty Stores Cup) and U-21 A football (Jim Marrinan Cup) trophies were on display.

Aidan Moloney will be in charge of Cooraclare for the 2010 season, although the Kilmurry Ibrickane man won’t be joined this time by his former inter-county teammate Tom Morrissey.

Micheál McDermott’s first game in charge of the Clare senior footballers has been deferred for at least a week. Clare were due to play UCC in the quarter-final of the McGrath Cup in Cooraclare on Sunday at 2pm.

IN the first move of its kind by the Irish Greyhound Board, the new greyhound racing stadium in Limerick is following in the footsteps of the Point Depot in Dublin (now the O2) and the Lansdowne Road rugby headquarters (now the Aviva Stadium to be opened later this year) by inviting offers for the naming rights for the new Limerick facility.