The Clare Champion Clare news, sport, entertainment and local notes
Heroes of North Clare’s basketballing past will return home this weekend for the 29th edition of the Annual Frank Gallery Basketball Tournament. The tournament, which will take place at the Inagh Community Centre from 11am this Sunday, September 22, is played in memory of Frank Gallery, a key member of the Claremont Admirals team who competed in the National Basketball league from 1983 to 1989.
Frank was an ESB employee at Moneypoint Power Station and was tragically killed in a motor accident outside the village of Cree.
This year’s tournament logo will honour the late Mike O’Connor, founder of Celtic T-Shirts. Mike was the designer of all the t- shirts in the early years and Frank Gallery worked with him for a period of time.
Following the success of last year’s 3v3 format this year the games will be 4v4 Mixed. Former club members return for the event each year and join with current players for games. Following the Final at 4.45pm Presentations will be made at the Good House.
The Gallery Cup, presented by Claremont Admirals team of 1982 and the Moneypoint Most Valuable Award will be presented as well as medallions for the finalists.
The Farragher family from Evanston in America will travel again for this year’s tournament. Reamon Farragher walked away with the MVP plaque last year and mother Stephanie and father John Joe will also be lining out. The Farragher family were key investors in the Irish American Support Group for the Claremont Admirals National League days.
The club is in existence since 1955 and has marked its 25th, 50th and 60th years with special events and publications. The club has certainly made a significant contribution to the game locally and nationally in that time and the current Clare Cascaders are leaders in the Clare Basketball world.
The club brought the tournament to Breezy Point in New York in 2018 and were joined there by most of the former American players from the National League times.
Next year is the 30th hosting of the event and it is hoped that the Breezy Point players, lead by Dan Leary, who was the first US player with the Admirals, will be joined by a Chicago group with many former players of that era.
A great day of basketball is on offer at Inagh and after the pool games the Cascaders U14 boys and girls will take the floor to show their talents.
Andrew Hamilton
Andrew Hamilton is a journalist, writer and podcaster based in the west of Ireland.
