Lohan Reflects On Unforgettable Summer Of 1995

The Lohan name will always be synonymous with Clare hurling as Brian and Frank followed in the footsteps of their father Gus by not only donning the Clare jersey, but captaining their county too.

In terms of honours, the siblings hold the upper hand as they soldiered together for two All-Ireland and three Munster titles while also collecting personal honours along the way.

That association continues with Brian now the man tasked with steering the Clare hurling ship as manager and there is no doubt that he will seek the views of his younger brother as time progresses.

Their on field demeanour tended to be quite different, with Brian’s swashbuckling clearances and token red helmet being the stuff of Banner folklore. For Frank, it was more about the unseen work with the crucial hooks and blocks that often go unnoticed. He personified the mantra of doing the basic things right, and that was evident in a career that lasted for 13 years.

His introduction to the panel was in September of 1994 when the National League campaign was imminent. Fellow Wolfe Tones man Ger Loughnane had taken the reins and called the younger Lohan in to join his brother. From there, they would form two thirds of one of the meanest full-back lines in the game.

Frank’s unassuming nature has not waned over the years as he reflects that while that summer of 1995 is one that won’t be forgotten, it feels like a lifetime ago in many respects.

“We had games before Christmas that time and I made my debut around September in a game down in Sixmilebridge. It was all new to me and it was brilliant. These were players that I would have seen playing quite a bit from having gone to watch Brian and I knew they were great sportspeople. Ger brought in a good few younger lads that year that were U-21 at the time and it added to the dynamic. I would have known Ger from growing up in Shannon so I felt comfortable going in and for a young lad starting out at that time, it was great times” he recalled.

Frank says they never felt the pressure to deliver that might have been in the minds of some of the more seasoned campaigners.

“The likes of Anthony Daly and other guys had been through two Munster finals and took big beatings so we knew it was going to be a big year. They were the lads who really drove everything but for me, it was just my first year and I was lucky enough to get a full league under my belt because the intercounty standard is just a different game. We never really felt it was do or die because we were just starting off and we were just hoping that things would progress more than anything. The first championship game I started was the Munster final of 1995 and I remember thinking in the dressing room before the game that this was much more serious than other game I had played in” he said.

Facing such a daunting prospect in his first season at senior level was not something Frank was overly concerned with.

He said: “I think with most things in sport it is all about the level of preparation you put into it. The management team we had made sure that we knew what to expect and we had put a lot of emphasis on the league that year to build us up and try to get the best out of us. We were well prepared and it comes easier when you are. I remember the raw emotion of the whole occasion in the dressing room beforehand, particularly the older lads who had been there the two previous years because for them, it was probably now or never. We took control of the game and Limerick had been strong favourites going into it off the back of the previous year so I think that stood to us too” he said.

It would prove to be the first major honour that the Lohan brothers would join forces for during that era, and the fact that Gus had soldiered without reaching that Promised Land added another layer of emotion to the occasion.

“Looking back, I played most of my sport with Brian so it almost became second nature really. I am sure it was a great day for Dad and for Clare people in general. Plenty of them had gone down to Munster finals in Thurles and came away with their tails between their legs so to get over the line, and to do so convincingly, was great. Everyone will remember that summer and it was just brilliant. I was watching the 1995 All Ireland on TV lately and you will always take some things from it. I didn’t realise at the time just how psychical a game it was. It was just a totally different game to what we have now. It does bring back memories like Ollie Baker’s lineball and Fergal Hegarty got a great point in the first-half so it is nice to look back on those things that can often slip from the memory” he noted.

The standard set in the Clare defence by what was often referred to as ‘Davy and his six pack’ was the platform on which a lot of the success was built. Frank feels the workrate and effort displayed from the back was evident for all to see.

“It was a very good unit at the time. Davy was a brilliant goalkeeper, and the full-back line was solid. Mike O’Halloran went to school in Shannon and we would have known him through the years. The half-back line was a pretty iconic one then so we were a good unit and when you have that, it lasts for a good few years. There was no doubting how big an achievement it was for us to win just going by the reaction to the whole thing. It was evident pretty much straight away within the county but for us it nearly didn’t settle in fully until the winter of that year. There was a huge outpouring of emotion from Clare people and as time went on, people will always remember that summer. The Munster final was very much a Clare thing and was for all the GAA people in the county in meeting that milestone. The All-Ireland final put it on more of a national stage and it was an incredible time” he noted.