Not very civic reception for Clare girls

CLARE County Council and Ennis Town Council organised a civic reception for the Clare minor hurlers in Ennis on Monday evening. No problem there. The minor hurlers represented their county with fierce pride, skill and dignity in Croke Park on Sunday and at the very least, they earned their civic reception on their return home.

The problem arises, however, when the county minor camogie team’s exploits are placed beside those of their hurling counterparts simply because they too reached an All-Ireland A final, only to lose to Galway in a replay in Thurles on August 22.
Let’s repeat a couple of things here; both of these teams are minor (U-18) and both reached and were beaten in their respective All-Ireland finals. That’s where the similarity ends, though.
In the eyes of Clare County Council and Ennis Town Council, the teams are not equal because officials opted to accord a civic reception to the minor hurlers and not to the minor camogie team.
It’s crystal clear whose achievements both councils admire most.
While it’s fairly certain that neither team would be desperate for the nod of approval from the local council, the message sent forth from officials is still not a good one. Why do they feel that the lads’ achievement dwarfs that of the girls when both reached the exact same level?
The Clare Champion contacted Clare County Council secretary, Michael McNamara, who said that Mayor of Clare, Christy Curtin should answer the question, while Ennis town clerk Eddie Power was unable to return a call as he was attending meetings.
Councillor Curtin was tied up in a county council meeting, which was addressing the Clare–Limerick boundary issue.
So the question remains unanswered. Why do Clare County Council and Ennis Town Council feel that the Clare minor hurlers deserved more recognition than their female counterparts?