Clare teams chase Féile glory

Limerick will host Féile na nGael hurling, camogie and handball competitions this weekend with a number of Clare clubs taking part.

In camogie, Truagh-Clonlara will represent the county while Kilkishen, Clooney Quin, Sixmilebridge, Clarecastle, Cratloe, Éire Óg and Parteen are all hosting for Limerick Camogie Board. Kilmaley received a late call-up just a few weeks ago and they will be hosted by Doon.

Truagh-Clonlara and Kilkishen will compete in Division 1, Clooney-Quin and Sixmilebridge will be in Division 2, Clarecastle in Division 3 with Cratloe, Éire Óg, Parteen and Kilmaley in Division 4.

The Division 1, 2 and 3 finals will be in the Gaelic Grounds on Sunday with the Division 4 and 5 finals in Mungret.

Ciara Doyle, Bodyke, is the Clare camogie Féile skillstar representative. The Féile skillstar competitions in hurling and camogie take place at 12 noon on Saturday in Mick Neville Park, Rathkeale. Ross Hayes will represent Clare in the Féile hurling skills final.

In hurling, the Clare champions, Inagh-Kilnamona, will be hosted by Monaleen whom they will play on this Friday at 3pm. At 1pm on Saturday, the Clare champions will play Ahane, while at 2pm, Inagh-Kilnamona will play Ballyboden St Enda’s.

Games commence on Friday, with all the host clubs playing their respective visiting team, camogie games are at 2pm followed by the hurling game at 3pm.

All teams will then head to the Gaelic Grounds for the official opening at 6.30pm, after which they will parade through the city.

Saturday sees action in all codes with hurling and camogie games scheduled at various venues from 10am. With four games to be played in each venue, last matches commence at 1.30pm. Semi-finals in all divisions take place on Saturday evening at 6.15pm.
The action on Sunday moves between Mungret and the Gaelic Grounds.

Clarecastle
Clarecastle Camogie Club was founded in 1995 under the guidance of Anne-Marie Russell and Ann Kearse.
In its first year, the club captured the U-14B county championship. Growing quickly over the following years, they fielded teams from U-12 to U-18 forming their first adult team in 2001. This team competed at intermediate level and reached both championship and league finals in its first year. The club caters now for girls from U-6/U-8 level up to intermediate.

Panel: Sarah McGuane, Hannah Dinan, Katie McEldowney, Rachel Collins, Lauren Healy, Chloe Considine, Ellen Barry, Amy Kearney, Ali Fleming, Rachel Wiley, Niamh Canavan, Clodagh McDonnell, Katie Holland, Sinead Cullinan, Siofra McInerney, Emma Cosgrove, Eibhlin Carey, Roisin Sprigg’s, Isobel Scanlon, Kelsey Farmer, Jennifer Hanrahan, Veronica Hanrahan, Kirsty O’Hara, Laura Mullen. Mentors: Colm McEldowney, Diandra O’Connell, Aisling Frawley, Fearghus Ryan.

Clooney-Quin
Clooney-Quin was the first camogie club in Clare when it was founded in 1933. Over 150 girls wear the club colours from U-6 to senior level. Club founder Mick Hennessy (RIP), was the first secretary of the Clare Camogie Board. This is the club’s third time in Féile.

Panel: Marie Hall, Bernie Kelly and John Guckian Ciara Grogan (c), Ciara Halpin, Michelle Meere, Sinéad McGee, Eleanor Leonard, Mary Conneally, Rachel Begg, Ellen Liddy, Amy Moloney, Jennifer O’Neill, Orlaith Nash, Aoife Barry, Sinead Considine, Emma Deegan, Shona Hale, Anna Corry, Moya Dunne, Róisín Leamy, Róisín Keogh, Ciara O’Connor, Ciara Halpin, Mary Liddy, Brianna Fennell. Mentors: Kevin O’Brien, Trish Buckley Dunne, Laura Haugh and Orla Considine.

Parteen
Parteen Camogie has flourished from its small beginnings in 2006 to over 120 girls playing in 2013 from U-6 to U-14 levels. The club is incorporated into Parteen Juvenile GAA Club. The club will host Longford this weekend.

Panel: Leah Mulloy, Maedbh Long, Shauna Murphy, Nicky Walsh, Caroline Mitchell, Erin Slattery, Sarah Guckian, Emma Hall, Courtney O’Brien, Emily Hill, Tara Mannix, Alannah Browne, Sarah Hall, Nicola Carmody, Shannon O’Carroll, Brooke Flynn, Romy Cantillon, Jennifer Collins, Aoife Hurley, Rachel Hannan, Laura Craughan, Moya Kenny, Meabh Nolan, Ruth Lynch. Mentors: Marie Hall, Bernie Kelly and John Guckian

Truagh-Clonlara
Truagh-Clonlara camogie club was started by parishioners in Truagh with the help of Fr Brendan Cleary in the late ’50s.

In recent times, the club has had players such as Cathy Hally and Deirdre Corcoran on county teams (All-Ireland Junior Cup winners ’08). The club had unprecedented success in 2012 winning the U-13B, U-14C, U-16C, U-18C, Intermediate League and Championship and Munster Junior Club Championship.

Panel: Sarah Fahey, Chloe Ryan, Nessa O’Sullivan. Áine O’Loughlin, Sadbh Fennessy, Hannah Horgan, Róisín Byrnes, Laura Foley, Louise Egan, Clare Madden (c) Rebecca Foley, Róisín Begley, Leah Hawes, Róisín Powell, Áine Gully, Jenny Walsh, Rachel O’Meara, Róisín Gillane, Sinéad Ryan, Katyle Hannon, Lisa Whelan, Chloe Milikan. Mentors: Declan Fahy (manager) John Fennessy and Kieran Foley (selectors) and Helena Foley (first aid).

Cratloe
Over the years, Cratloe’s camogie players have played with neighbouring clubs who have welcomed them but on April 17, 2011, the relaunch of the camogie club took place. Chairperson Michelle Gardner and former senior club chairman Pakie O’Gorman welcomed the club into the fold of Cratloe GAA. The club now fields teams from U-8 through to U-14.

Panel: Niamh Murphy, Niamh O’Kelly, Muireann Scanlon, Ciara Murphy Wright, Ava Cunningham, Niamh O’Leary, Michaela Arthur, Aoife O’Brien, Jade McMahon, Laura Chaplin, Caoimhe Ryan, Ellie O’Donoghue, Emily Downes, Alison Hayes, Aoife Murphy, Marie Healy, Sarah McMahon, Amy O’Connor, Tierna O’Shea, Claire Daly, Andrea Murphy Wright, Ava Gardner, Orla Gallagher, Róisín McGonigle. Mentors: Pakie O’Gorman, Vincent Murphy, Sean Healy and Michelle Gardner.

Sixmilebridge
The current camogie club in Sixmilebridge was formed in 1981. In the ’80s and ’90s, the club won nine senior titles in-a-row and are the only Clare club to have won a Munster senior title.

Since its revival, the club has tasted success at all underage levels and in 2007 they swept the boards, winning U-11 ground camogie, U-12A, U-14A, U-16A and U-18B titles. In 2009, the club contested the U-11 ground camogie, U-14A and senior championships and won the U-12A, Clare Community Games and U-16A titles. In 2011, the club were the Clare representatives a Féile na nGael in Galway and reached the final, where they were unlucky to lose out to St Killian’s of Offaly.

Panel: Katlyn Harrington, Hayley Brookes, Caoimhe O’Callaghan, Sarah Quinn, Ruth O’Neill, Emma Kennedy, Mary O’Connor, Rachel McGrath, Niamh Lyons, Saoirse Young, Sarah Loughnane, Caoimhe McNamara, Maygan Griffin, Olivia Phelan, Kiah Mellett, Claudia Chaplin, Sarah O’Grady, Ciara O’Gorman, Katie O’Grady, Aobha Carey, Ciara Maloney, Hannah Wilson, Amy Maloney, Erin Slater, Kate Quinlavan.

Éire Óg
The Ennis club was formed in 1967 by Michael Brennan who led the senior team to win eight county titles in-a-row and two more titles, in 1978 and 1979.

Kitty McNicholas took over in 1980 and the club won two more titles in ’80 and ’81. In recent years, success has been more with the younger members of the club.

Panel: Eva Whyte, Elaine Walsh, Jenni Corry, Maria Redmond, Leah Ryan, Róisín Martin, Erin Hehir, Ciara Kennedy, Saoirse Warren, Emma Burke, Lia Kelly, Eabha Keane, Mary Tiernan, Leanne Considine, Dearbhla Kennedy, Alana McInerney, Elizabeth Russell, Amy Russell, Kate Neylon, Leanne Russell, Aimee Daniels, Chloe Barry.

Kilmaley
Kilmaley Camogie Club has had many memorable occasions since it was reformed in 1983. One such occasion was the Féile finals in Wexford in 1984.

The club has won honours at every level from U-12 to senior and have added Munster honours at junior level.

In 2011 Kilmaley hosted Camross from Laois. The midlanders were beaten in the final by Éire Óg.

Panel: Sadbh Ní Cheallaigh, Martina Keane, Fia Coote, Catriona Callinan, Trese Pyne, Eilis Cahill, Gráinne Glynn, Laoise Hurley, Eimear Kennedy.Chloe Neylon, Lucy O’Halloran, Katelyn Fitzpatrick, Clara Neylon, Chloe Boone, Catriona Hegarty, Megan White, Leona Grace, Caoimhe Carmody, Sarah Ní Cheallaigh Emily Cahill, Linda Keating, Adeline O’Malley, Lana Browne, Sinead Rooney, Caroline Casey, Siobhán Fitzpatrick, Tresa Ni Chathain. Mentors: Ann McMahon (manager), John Carmody, Mairead and Lisa Kennedy.

Kilkishen
Kilkishen Camogie Club was established in 1934. They kept playing until the late ’40s when there was a decline due to emigration.

In 1973, the club was reformed by Elizabeth Brady and Mary Hehir and has gone from strength-to-strength since then with approximately 110 girls donning the green and yellow club colours.

Panel: Orla McInerney, Ava Bentley, Micheala McNamara, Donna Gleeson, Moll Nolan, Alannah Ryan, Laura Philpott, Mollie Heffernan, Angharad Loughnane, Sarah Madden, Niamh O’Gorman, Ella Donnellan, Áine Lynch, Odessa Sammon, Jenny O’Neill, Eilis Whitney, Megan Boland, Leah Donovan, Siobhán Lenihan, Caoimhe Kelly, Róisín O’Neill, Ellen Lenihan, Katelyn Baker. Mentors: Sean McInerney, Steve Donnellan and Cushla Hehir.

Inagh-Kilnamona
Since the mid-Clare neighbours joined forces, they have won every county honour available. This will be their first time to represent the county in Féile and last week they achieved another first when they won the Clare U-14A crown for the first time.

Panel: Dean Nugent, Evan Howley, Shane Wynne, David Mescall, Cian McInerney, Eoin Fitzgerald, Barry Rynne, Brian Fitzgibbon, Cillian Roughan, Keith White. Aidan McGeary, Jason Griffin, Pádraig Devitt, Sean Clancy, Eamon Foudy, Shane Vaughan, Darren Cullinan, Matthew Davenport. Shane Dowling, Darragh Power, Keelan Guyler, Aidan McCarthy, Marc Barry, Eoin Timlin, Cian Shannon, Conor Leyden, Ian Kerin, Thomas Barry.