Cultural events a huge success

CULTURAL events dominated Clare Community Games activities last weekend with the talent competitions taking place on Sunday in the GAA Hall in Sixmilebridge.
More than 90 acts from 15 areas across the county completed in Irish contemporary dance, singing, music, recitation, drama comedy sketch, set dancing and modern/disco dance, with 13 areas featuring among the prize winners.

The first-placed winners now go forward to represent Clare in the national finals in Athlone in May. Quin/Clooney had five successes, Sixmilebridge had three, with one each for Doora/Barefield and Ballynacally/Lissycasey.

The standard of competition was extremely high in some cases, with the judges having a difficult decision to select the winners. The judges were Bridget Kelly, Ciara Griffin, Ethol Tuohy and Carmel Egan and the MC was Kevin O’Loughlin. The events were co-ordinated by Mary Phelan.

Results
Group dance Irish/contemporary: 1. Quin/Clooney (Tara Conneally, Caoimhe Leamy, Aoife Guilfoyle, Aisling Egan and Cormac Egan); 2. Cranny/Coolmeen (Orlaith O’Connor, Annamarie Meaney and Kate Meaney); 3. Quin/Clooney (Cadhla Ní Chaoimh, Seoda Ní Chaoimhe, Tadhg Ó Caoimh and Oisín McMahon); 4. Inch/Kilmaley/Connolly (Jennifer Griffin, Rebecca Griffin and Carolie Griffin).
Solo singing: 1. Conor Coughlan (Quin/Clooney); 2. Katie Green (Killanena/Flagmount); 3. Saoirse Daly (Doora/Barefield); 4. Mark Coughlan (Doora/Barefield).
Group singing: 1. Doora/Barefield (Roslyn Cuffe Kelly, Aoise Meaney, Louise Cusack, Amelia O’Toole and Muireann Byrne); 2. Clarecastle/Ballyea (Orla Commons, Katelyn Cusack, Teagan McInerney, Jane Tuohy, Aoibhín O’Donoghue and Cliodhna Spriggs); 3. Quin/Clooney (Conor Coughlan, Mark Coughlan and Brian Coughlan); 4. Parteen/St Nicholas/Ardnacrusha (Sarah Connolly, Kate Shanahan, Sophie Shanahan and Carol Gilligan).
Solo recitation: 1. Sinéad Cahill (Sixmilebridge/Kilmurry); 2. Paul Hamilton (Sixmilebridge/Kilmurry); 3. Siobhán McAleer (Doora/Barefield); 4. Holly Deegan (Quin/Clooney).
Group drama/comedy sketch: 1. Quin/Clooney (Paul Hogan, Cathal Browne, Rachel McEvoy, Leah O’Neill, Hannah Conneally and Emma Duggan); 2. Sixmilebridge/Kilmurry (Caoimhe Cahill and Sinéad Cahill).
Group music: 1. Quin/Clooney (Eoin Beirne, Aishling McMahon and Ulick O’Sullivan); 2. Quin/Clooney (Oisín and Conal Egan); 3. Kilmihil (Erin Howley, Clodagh Quinlivan, Catriona O’Gorman, Noel O’Gorman and Catriona Callinan); 4. Killanena/Flagmount (Ella McNamara and Rachael McNamara).
Solo music: 1. Oisín Egan (Quin/Clooney); 2. Noel O’Gorman (Kilmihil); 3. Ulick O’Sullivan (Quin/Clooney); 4. Stephen Kennedy (Ennis, St John’s).
Set dancing: 1. Ballynacally/Lissycasey (Shane Griffin, Evan O’Sullivan, Aodan Hanrahan, Lisa Hill, Caolan Crowe, Michelle Carrigg, Aisling Hehir, Siobhán Kelly and Grace O’Sullivan);
2. Carrigaholt/Cross (Tomás Bonfil, Eileanoir Dunphy, Cillian Hassett, Leah Daly, Eoin Daly, Clodagh O’Callaghan, Adam Haugh, Sophia O’Callaghan, Kieran Shanahan and Ruth Ferguson).
Solo dance disco/modern: 1. Amy O’Connor (Sixmilebridge/Kilmurry); 2. Chloe Boon (Inch/Kilmaley/Connolly); 3. Laura Barnowska (Sixmilebridge/Kilmurry); 4. Eloise De Sousa (Quin/Clooney).
Group dance disco/modern: 1. Sixmilebridge/Kilmurry (Laura Barnowska, Amy O’Connor, Julia Barnowska, Sarah Barry, Doireann Kennedy and Adam Carmody); 2. Clarecastle/Ballyea (Katie Holland, Isabelle Neenan, Eimhear Hodgins, Sophie Morrissey, Lisa Hogan and Laura Hogan); 3. Newmarket-on-Fergus (Lara Costelloe and Katie Sage); 4. Newmarket-on-Fergus (Kaci Toomey and Caoimhe Lally).

Clarecastle-Ballyea win choir final
THE Clare Community Games U-13 choir competition was held last week in Sixmilebridge GAA Hall. The co-ordinator was Dolores O’Loughlin and four teams took part.

The standard was extremely high and the judges, Bríd Dillon, Ethel Tuohy and Mary Finnigan, had a difficult task.

First on stage was Parteen with their rendition of This Song is for the Children and Beidh aonach amárach. Clarecastle/Ballyea sang Close to you, This Song is for the Children and Wakati Wa A Mani.

Shannon were third up with Rhythm of Life, The Lord bless you and Keep you and Good Morning Baltimore. The final group on stage were Newmarket-on-Fergus with their version of Da do Run Run, Oh Won’t You Sit Down and Don’t Worry, Be Happy.

Clarecastle/Ballyea were named the county champions and now go on to represent Clare in the national finals in Athlone on the weekend of May 26. Kevin O’Loughlin was the MC for the evening.

The members of the winning Clarecastle-Ballyea winning team are Liam Halpin, Noel Shannon, Katie Holland, Elise Mulcaire, Shauna O’Keeffe, Sinéad Cullinan, Muireann Long, Elizabeth Russell, Aisling Donnelly, Aoibhin O’Donoghue, Ciara O’Dell, Cliodhna Spriggs, John Cullinan, Laura Mullen, Katelyn Cusack, Theruni Jayasinghe, Teagan McInerney, Orla Commons, Jane Tuohy and Chloe Guinane.

The silver medallists, Shannon, comprised Sejal Bhatt, Ciara Butler, Caitlin Casey, Blathnaid Madine, Emma McNulty, Chloe Durkin, Ciara Maxwell, Charleen Makoni, Tania Sharma, Sarah Moore, Navareet Dadiala, Ailbhe Fitzgerald, Asha Murray, Jashill Phili, Conor McNeilis, Caoilinn Kirby, Colin Morris, Naomi Akhimein, Rachel Wren and Sarah Cusack.

The Parteen/St Nicholas/Ardnacrusha bronze medallists were Sean Connelly, Sarah Connelly, Aisling Cooney, Daniel Cooney, Jake Mackey, Patrick Nathan, Rachel Hannon, Alannah Browne, Sophie Shanahan, Kate Shanahan, Laura Kelly, Isabelle McMullen, Michael McEvoy, Hannah Gilligan, Carol Gilligan, Anne Marie Brennan, Ellie Williamson, Sarah Hanley and Anna McCarthy.

The fourth-placed Newmarket-on-Fergus team members were Lizzie Gough, Jade McNulty, Joshua Sage, Conor O’Gorman, Kate Burke, Eamonn Cavanagh, Aaron Cavanagh, Aidan Larkin, Mia Cullinan, Tara Hogan, Ellie Cotgreave,  Jessica O’Gorman, AJ Reynolds, Lauren Whelan, Katie Arthur, Sophie McCarthy, Kaylee McCoy, Rosalie O’Connell, Robert Hanton and Katie Sage.

Cycling finals
THE county finals of the cycling competitions for U-12 and U-14 girls and boys were held in Quin National School field recently and resulted as follows:
Girls’ U-12: 1. Ava Garner (Cratloe); 2. Tierna O’Shea (Cratloe); 3. Kate O’Mahony (Killaloe); 4. Laura McGrath (Killaloe).
Boys’ U-12: 1. Fintan Caulfield (Tulla); 2. Sean McGrath (Quin/Clooney); 3. Jonah Bartelink (Tulla); 4. Cian Wall (Quin/Clooney) and Evan Flanagan (Corofin/Kilnaboy).
Girls’ U-14: 1. Aisling McGrath (Quin/Clooney); 2. Róisín McMahon (Killanena/Flagmount); 3. Shauna Canny (Killanena/Flagmount).
Boys’ U-14: 1. Kevin Caulfield (Tulla); 2. Alex McConway (Quin/Clooney); 3. Cormac Keating (Sixmilebridge).

Judo finals
THE Clare Community Games judo competitions for boys and girls U-16 were held in Ennis recently. The gold medal winners go forward to represent Clare in the Munster finals in Tralee this Saturday.

Results
Boys
Up to 25kg: Brian McDonagh (Ennis, St John’s); up to 30kg: Nicky Hardiman (Doora/Barefield); up to 35kg: Aodhan O’Shea (Doora/Barefield); up to 40kg: Pádraig Cahill (Doora/Barefield); up to 45kg: Ben Cosgrove (Doora/Barefield); up to 50kg: Jack Neville (Ennis, St John’s).
Girls
Up to 25kg: Carissa Mulqueen (Ennis St John’s); up to 30kg: Róisín Cahill (Doora/Barefield); up to 35kg: Anna Cosgrove (Doora/Barefield); up to 50kg: Aoife O’Doherty (Doora/Barefield); up to 55kg: Emma Culliney (Doora/Barefield); open: Ciara Cahill (Doora/Barefield).

Munster draws
THE draws for the upcoming Munster competitions were made last week and resulted as follows:
In badminton, the Clare boys face Tipperary in the semi-final, while the girls will take on Kerry in a preliminary round, with the winners to play Waterford. In U-12 chess, Clare will play Kerry in the semi-final and they will face Tipperary in U-16 chess.

In U-10 draughts, Clare will play Kerry, whilethey will face Tipperary at U-12 level.
Limerick will be Clare’s semi-final opponents in judo.

The Clare boys’ U-10 indoor soccer team will face Cork, with Waterford awaiting the winners in the semi-final. In the girls’ U-10 category, Clare will face Limerick, with Waterford also awaiting the winners in the semi-final.

At boys’ U-13 level, Clare will face Limerick, with the winners going on to play Cork, while the U-13 girls will play Waterford, with Tipperary awaiting the winners.

In mini rugby, Clare play Tipperary, with the winners facing Kerry in the semi-final.

In U-11 tag rugby, Clare face Kerry in the semi-final and Clare are also into the semi-final at U-14 level, where they play Tipperary.

Limerick will be Clare’s opponents in both the boys and girls table tennis semi-finals.