“I’m glad the point meant something. It would have meant nothing if we’d lost the match” said Domhnall O’Donovan of his last gasp point which resulted in Saturday’s replay.
He made his comments while being interviewed in front of thousands of Clare people at the team’s homecoming in Ennis this evening. The Clonlara corner back also said the score had been “one of the best things I’ve done in my life.”
Captain Patrick Donnellan said he hoped Clare “will have many more of these days” and he said the under 21 success had helped to focus the seniors. “We’re on the crest of a wave and the under 21s showed us the way to a degree,” he commented.
Donnellan now has his first Celtic Cross and he said the All Ireland will be well celebrated. “Days like yesterday have been few and far between in recent years so we’ll make the most of it.”
Wing forward John Conlon said his nerves had been soothed when Conor McGrath struck for his goal with nine minutes left. “When I saw Conor McGrath put the ball in the top corner I knew we were going to win the All Ireland.”
He also said that the Banner’s supporters are “the best in the country.”
One of the lighter moments of the evening came when Clooney’s Fergal Lynch slightly misquoted Pope John Paul II saying; “People of Clare, we love you!”
Owen Ryan has been a journalist with the Clare Champion since 2007, having previously worked with a number of other publications in Limerick, Cork and Galway. His first book will be published in December 2024.