AS 2025 dawned a new way of life was beginning for Paul Flanagan, as for the first time in his adult life he would not be part of a Clare panel.
Inter-county hurling is all consuming nowadays, demanding of time and mental and physical energy, and now that his involvement is over for Flanagan he notices the changing of relationships with people he shared so much with.
“I was saying to somebody recently that the big thing that you do notice is the connection with guys you would have been spending time with four or five times a week, that has changed,” he said.
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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.