GAA set May dates for Banner’s return to inter-county action

THE Clare hurlers are set to begin their National League campaign on the weekend of May 8/9, while the county’s footballers will return to action the following weekend, according to the GAA fixture calendar released today.
Intercounty teams are to resume training on April 19, and the football league will see a regionalised format this year, with Clare facing Cork, Laois and Kildare in Division 2 South. They will begin with an away tie against Kildare.
After the action begins the hurlers will have five league games, but the competition will not have a specific final this year, with the winners of Divisions 1A and 1B being joint winners, or if they meet in the championship, this will double as a final.
As in 2020 the Munster and Leinster hurling championships will be knock out, with a back door qualifier system. The football championship will be knock out, with no qualifier system.
Both the football and hurling championships will get underway on the last weekend in June, with the Munster hurling final slated for the weekend of July 17/18, with the Munster football final the following weekend. The All-Ireland finals will be on the last two weekends in August, with the hurling first.
While details of when club training and games will resume is not yet available, the rest of the calendar is free for club games, with the All Ireland club finals set for mid February 2022.