A TOTAL of 198 children representing Golden Vale Clare Community Games took part in the first of three HSE national finals weekends in Athlone where they won a total of 96 medals – 40 gold, 26 silver, 22 bronze and eight fourth-place medals. The second and third national finals weekends will be held on August 12 to 14 and August 19 to 21.
Over 2,500 children travelled to Athlone Institute of Technology to compete in over 60 cultural and sporting competitions including art, model making, chess, choir, cross country, draughts, handball, handwriting, indoor soccer, relays and table tennis and talent competitions including disco dancing, Irish dancing, singing, music and comedy sketch. The standard of competition in the solo music, group dancing and solo singing was particularly high.
Clare maintained a high standard in the cross-country events with all teams qualifying for the finals. The U-13 mixed cross-country team won gold, as did Jamie Roche of Ennis St John’s, when he was the first boy home. Shauna Melican, Kilkee and Caoimhe Harvey were placed third and fourth respectively. The U-12 boys won gold in the mixed distance relay.
In model making, Sixmilebridge brothers, Paul and David Hamilton won gold. Shannon’s two chess teams brought home silver and bronze medals, while Tulla’s two draughts teams got silver and fourth-place medals.
In the group Irish contemporary dance, Broadford won gold, as did the Quin/Clooney modern disco dance group, while the set dancers from Carrigaholt/Cross won the gold medals again, repeating last year’s performance.
A new event this year was handwriting and Niamh Enright from Newmarket-on-Fergus won a silver medal.

Results

Gold
U-10 model making, Paul Hamilton (Sixmilebridge/Kilmurry); U-13 individual cross-country, Jamie Roche (Ennis St John’s); Boys’ U-12 mixed distance relay, Tony Odubote (Ennis St John’s), Faruok Sobayo (Ennis St John’s), Conor Malone (Ennistymon/Lahinch/Liscannor), Paul Martin (Ennis St John’s), Luke Carmody (Doora/Barefield) and Thomas Clancy (Carrigaholt/Cross); U-13 mixed cross country, Elaine Shannon (Ennistymon/Lahinch/Liscannor), Caoimhe Harvey (Carrigaholt/Cross), Sharon Egan (Kilmihil), Shauna Melican (Kilkee), Sinead Hogan (Ennistymon/Lahinch/Liscannor), Jamie Roche (Ennis St John’s), Eoin Looney (Miltown Malbay), Patrick O’Rourke (Ennistymon/Lahinch/Liscannor), Cathal O’Brien and Killian McDermott (Clarecastle/Ballyea); Group dance irish/contemporary, Broadford/Kilbane/Kilmore – Aoife Cremins, Sarah Ward Murphy, Claire Dillon, Aoife O’Brien, Alexandra Troy and Marie Vaughan; Modern disco group dancing, Quin/Clooney – Douglas Reddan, Harry McCarthy, Aoife Deane, Rachel McCarthy, Róisín Keogh and Shona Hale; Set dancing, Carrigaholt/Cross – Damien Griffin, Sean Bonfil, Laura Dunphy, Aoife Hassett, Mark McQuaid, Tomás Bonfil, Leah Daly, Clodagh O’Callaghan, Ruth Ferguson and Cillian Hassett.

Silver
U-12 model making, David Hamilton (Sixmilebridge/Kilmurry); U-10 handwriting, Niamh Enright (Newmarket-on-Fergus); U-16 project, Sixmilebridge/Kilmurry – Aoife Corbett, Niamh O’Dea, Katie Freeman and Aoife Hurley; U-16 chess, Shannon – Yee Shing Man, Robbie Meaney, James Danaher, Ross O’Connor, Evan Quigley, David Hanley and Samuel Lenihan; U-12 draughts, Tulla – Sean Cahill, Jack Noonan, Rebecca McEvoy, Brian McSweeney, David Meehan, Ronan Molloy and William Halpin; Boys’ U-13 handball, Kilkishen/O’Callaghan’s Mills/Oatfield – Sean McInerney, Sean Murphy, Henry McGrath, Gary Cooney, Killian Nugent and Michael Cotter.

Bronze
Individual cross-country, Shauna Melican (Kilkee); Badminton, Ennis St John’s – Cian Ruane, Cathal Ruane, Eoin Fynn, Amy McNamara, Emma Kavanagh, Sophie Marron, Áine Ryan and Karen McNamara; U-12 chess, Shannon – Adam Cole, Joseph Cesar, Jamie Nelson Cole, Ronan Singpurwala, Hazel Meaney, Mark Quigley and Jessica M Danaher; Girls’ U-15 handball, Derg – Clodagh Nash, Alice Akers, Katie Minogue, Trudy McGonigle, Amy Barrett and Fiona Hayes.

Fourth-place medals
Individual cross country, Caoimhe Harvey (Carrigaholt/Cross); U-10 draughts, Tulla – Jack McSweeney, Oisín McEntee, Stephen Moloney, Orna Mulconroy, Liam McInerney, Daniel Withycombe and Darragh Noonan.

Pitch and putt
THE county finals in the pitch and putt competition will be held at the Clare Road Club in Ennis on Saturday morning at 9.30am, co-ordinated by Jimmy Maher, Quin/Clooney.

Swimming
Girls
U-8 freestyle: 1. Ella Doherty (Clarecastle/Ballyea);
2. Shauna O’Gorman (Cooraclare/Cree); 3. Ava Lenihan (Doora/Barefield);
4. Rebecca Griffin (Inch/Kilmaley/Connolly).
U-10 freestyle: 1. Emma O’Brien (Clarecastle/Ballyea); 2. Anna Riordan (Ruan); 3. Anna Nagle (Doora/Barefield); 4. Michelle Honan (Ennistymon/Liscannor).
U-10 backstroke: 1. Elise Pyne (Ennis); 2. Jennifer Whelan (Doora/Barefield);
3. Laura Devitt (Inch/Kilmaley/Connolly); 4. Sophie Looney (Ennistymon/Liscannor).
U-12 freestyle: 1. Eva Guinnane (Ennistymon/Liscannor); 2. Keeva McHugh (Doora/Barefield);    3. Rachel McNicholas (Ennis); 4. Amy Lenihan (Doora/Barefield).
U-12 backstroke: 1. Ivana Pyne (Ennis St John’s);
2. Tara McEvoy (Doora/Barefield); 3. Ciara Murphy Wright (Cratloe); 4. Briana Fennell (Quin/Clooney).
U-12 breaststroke: 1. Aoife Floyd (Tulla); 2. Laura McDonnell (Doora/Barefield);
3. Aisling Reidy (Doora/Barefield); 4. Clara Desousa (Quin/Clooney).
U-14 freestyle: 1. Rachel O’Brien (Corofin/Kilnaboy); 2. Róisín Cahill (Clarecastle/Ballyea); 3. Suzanne Connolly (Ennistymon/Liscannor); 4. Aoife Glavin (Ennis St John’s).
U-14 backstroke: 1. Eimear McGrath (Quin/Clooney); 2. Niamh Staunton (Inch/Kilmaley/Connolly); 3. Caoimhe McCabe (Doora/Barefield);
4. Lea Gosseau (Ennistymon/Liscannor).
U-14 breaststroke: 1. Aoibheann Hogan (Kilnamona); 2. Aoife Deane (Quin/Clooney); 3. Isobel Coleman (Ennistymon/Liscannor); 4. Rachel Cushen (Sixmilebridge/Kilmurry).
U-14 butterfly: 1. Odette Gleeson (Ballyvaughan).
U-16 freestyle: 1. Alanna Brennan (Cratloe); 2. Emily O’Neill (Doora/Barefield); 3. Fiona Quinn (Kilnamona); 4. Aisling O’Rourke (Ennistymon/Liscannor).
U-16 backstroke: 1. Ciara Ryan (Ruan).
U-16 butterfly: 1. Katie Shannon (Clarecastle/Ballyea); 2. Niamh Dolan (Ennis St John’s).
U-13 squad: 1. Ennistymon/Liscannor; 2. Doora/Barefield; 3. Quin/Clooney; 4. Derg.
U-16 squad: 1. Quin/Clooney;
2. Doora/Barefield.
Boys
U-8 freestyle: 1. Tiernan Niji (Derg); 2. James Curran (Doora/Barefield); 3. James McGrath (Doora/Barefield); 4. Sean Treacy (Derg).
U-10 freestyle: 1. Eoin Rouine (Ennistymon/Liscannor); 2. Sean Heany (Clarecastle/Ballyea); 3. Tony Butler (Doora/Barefield); 4. Dylan O’Brien (Corofin/Kilnaboy).
U-10 backstroke: 1. Sean McGrath (Quin/Clooney); 2. Archie Connolly (Doora/Barefield);     3. Manuel Lucia (Cratloe); 4. Damien Keogh (Cratloe).
U-12 freestyle: 1. Luke Carmody (Doora/Barefield); 2. Noel Shannon (Clarecastle/Ballyea); 3. Eoin Beirne (Quin/Clooney); 4. Dara O’Donnocha (Ennistymon/Liscannor).
U-12 backstroke: 1. Sean Conway (Doonbeg); 2. Patrick O’Rourke (Ennistymon/Liscannor); 3. Darren O’Brien (Ennis St John’s); 4. Matt Lucey (Cratloe).
U-12 breaststroke: 1. Thomas Coleman (Ennistymon/Liscannor);
2. Ruairí Power (Clarecastle/Ballyea); 3. Conor Devitt (Inch/Kilmaley/Connolly); 4. Gavin Cosgrove (Corofin/kilnaboy).
U-14 freestyle: 1. Hugh McMahon (Doora/Barefield); 2. Colin Hart (Derg); 3. Conor Murphy (Ennistymon/Liscannor); 4. David Moloney.
U-14 backstroke: 1. Rory McEvoy (Doora/Barefield); 2. Niall Coote (Inch/Kilmaley/Connolly); 3. Eoin McNamara (Ruan); 4. David McDonnell (Doora/Barefield).
U-14 breaststroke: 1. Lorcan Casey (Doora/Barefield); 2. Kealan Butler (Doora/Barefield); 3. Liam Cosgrove (Corofin/Kilnaboy).
U-14 butterfly: 1. Dara Gleeson (Ennis St John’s).
U-16 freestyle: 1. Luke Dillon (Derg); 2. Fergal Breen (Ruan).
U-16 backstroke: 1. Barry Clancy (Ruan).
U-16 butterfly: 1. Patrick Cooney (Doora/Barefield).
U-13 squad: 1. Ennistymon/Liscannor; 2. Doora/Barefield;
3. Inch/kilmaley/Connolly;
4. Corofin/Kilnaboy.
U-16 squad: 1. Doora/Barefield.