By Seamus Hayes Title holders Eire Og are one step away from retaining the under 21 A football title after their comprehensive 1-13 to 0-5 win over Clondegad at Lissycasey. In the final they will face a North Clare amalgamation known as Clan Lir after they proved too strong for Naomh Eoin/O’Currys at Cooraclare. Hennessy Park in Miltown will host the final on Saturday next (November 8). A seven point tally from Paddy O’Malley helped Eire Og to this latest win and their followers will be hoping that they can go on a retain the title and help make up for the disappointment suffered when losing the senior and minor championship finals. They dominated the first half and, helped by a Shane O’Donnell goal, were well on their way to the final by half time when they led 1-11 to 0-3. The other semi-final proved to be a much tighter affair but the physically stronger North Clare combination deservingly came …

One of Dympna Greene and Claire Gavin’s most prized possessions is the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship medal won by their grandfather, Mick Flanagan, in 1914. The sisters were given the medal by their mother, Vera. “We knew since we were very small that our grandfather had been part of the All-Ireland-winning team, as our mother always talked about it and talked about Amby Power,” according to Dympna, who resides in Ennis. Vera passed away in 1997. “Our mother passed the medals onto us and it wasn’t until Clare won the All-Ireland in 1995 that we realised what these meant to our mother,” added Claire, who lives in Ballynacally. Both are adamant they will pass their grandfather’s medal collection onto their children Last week, Clooney-Quin GAA hosted a cultural weekend and while chairman, John Earls, was making preparations for the event, he managed to locate the medal won by Mick Flanagan. “We were looking for team captain Amby Power’s medal and …

By Seamus Hayes There were angry exchanges at this week’s meeting of Clare GAA when Whitegate chairman David Solon claimed that “the reception given to Wexford when they came to Ennis for the hurling qualifier clash with Clare was disgraceful. Challenging the Whitegate delegate to specify the issues, county secretary Pat Fitzgerald reminded the meeting that “the last time I had to speak after complaints by you, I had to fight to talk as well. “We did not give Wexford any better or worse reception that what we gave to any other county and we didn’t get a great reception when we went to Wexford and we are not crying about it. If there is an issue, come out and say what it is”. “There are three issues”, replied Solon. “The first is that after travelling four to four and a half hours on a bus to Cusack Park, they were refused access to the pitch just to walk around …

Having jointly managed the Clare U-21 hurlers to the last three Munster and All-Ireland titles, Donal Moloney takes on the role on his own for the next two seasons. Following the decision of Gerry O’Connor to step down from being joint manager due to his work commitments, Moloney was unanimously ratified for the role at this week’s meeting of the county board. Board chairman Michael McDonagh told the delegates that Moloney “has his team in place and they will be announced at the next meeting”. It is reported that Sean McMahon (St. Josephs), Cyril Lyons (Ruan) and Peter Casey, who is a games development officer with the county board, will be part of that team. Lyons was a member of the management team that led Clare to the Munster and All-Ireland U-21 titles for the first time in 2009. Kenny Morrissey (Clarecastle) will manage the minor hurlers for the next two years and his management team includes Eamonn Fennessy, who is the outgoing …

Kilmaley’s Alan Markham is to join the Clare minor hurling management team for 2015. Clarecastle’s Kenny Morrissey will be the team manager, taking over from Eamonn Fennessy, who will continue as a selector. Martin Duggan (Clarecastle) will also be continuing as a selector. Preparations began last Saturday when they held the first in a series of trials to select the panel that will go into training for next year’s championship. This is just one of a number of Clare management teams that will be ratified at this Thursday’s meeting of Clare GAA. There is little doubt but that Donal Moloney (Scariff) will be confirmed as the new U-21 hurling manager. He has been joint manager with Gerry O’Connor for the past three years, when Clare won both Munster and All-Ireland titles. Amongst those being mentioned to be part of his backroom team are Seanie McMahon (St Joseph’s) and Clare GDA (games development administrator), Peter Casey. Barry Fitzpatrick is expected to …

THE year 1914 was significant in both a national and international context. In June, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated by Gavrilo Princip, a Serbian nationalist, in Sarajevo, an incident which would lead to the outbreak of World War 1. John Redmond’s Woodenbridge call to arms for that war, in September 1914, created a split in the Irish National Volunteer Force from which would emerge the National Volunteer Force and the Irish Volunteers. The latter would go on to shape the Irish political landscape in the years following the 1916 Rising. However, during this turbulent time, the subject dominating the headlines, in the Banner County at least, was the fact that the Clare hurlers had made history by becoming the first county to capture All-Ireland senior and junior honours in the same year, beating Laois in both finals. By Tomás Mac Conmara The story of 1914 in Clare, from a sporting, social and historical context, is told  in  this week’s …

By Seamus Hayes Tipperary 0-12 Clare 0-10 A slicker Tipperary side deservingly overcame Clare in the final of the Daryl Darcy under 17 tournament played at the Gaelic grounds in Limerick on Monday night. The sides had met in the opening round of the tournament when the Premier outfit recorded a one point win at Gurteen. Clare travelled to Limerick for Monday’s final confident that they could overturn that result but, while they played some good football, they had to give best to a livelier Tipperary side who led from the ninth minute Clare captain Keelan Sexton gave his side the lead inside the opening minute but they had to wait twenty minutes for their next score. In the meantime Tipperary kicked five points as they dictated matters in most areas. The Banner side came a little more into the game in the last ten minutes of the half and when the half time whistle sounded, the margin was down …

By Seamus Hayes Cratloe 3-7 Ballygunner 1-1o Cratloe continued their history making feats when they defeated Waterford champions Ballygunner in the opening round of the Munster senior club hurling championship at Walsh Park in Waterford on Bank holiday Sunday. The victory was the first by the club’s hurlers as, in their only previous venture into this competition, they lost to Ballygunner at the same venue back in 2009. A near galeforce wind made playing conditions very difficult for the players but Cratloe show that, despite their long season, they are still hungry for success. Having won the toss, team captain Liam Markham elected to play with the aid of the wind and it proved to be a wise decision. Two goals from man of the match Conor McGrath had the Clare champions ahead by seven points, 2-2 to 0-1, at the end of the first quarter. They were eight clear, 2-4 to 0-2, when the half time whistle sounded and …

By Seamus Hayes Clare and Galway shared the spoils in the opening round of the Oscar Traynor inter legue junior competition at Doora on Saturday evening. Played in difficult weather conditions, Clare went ahead twice but failed to hold the advantage. Galway’s second equaliser came three minutes fromthe end, a minute after they were reduced to ten players when Darragh Corry picked up a second yellow card. The visitors’s equaliser came from the penalty spot after Darren Murphy was penalised. Overall, Clare should be pleased with a share of the points as the visitors created the greater number of cha nces, particularly in the opening half. A goal line clearance from Paddy O’Malley and the crossbar denied Galway in this period before Clare took the lead after  thirty two minutes. Stephen Kelly cross to his Newmarket Celtic clubmate Eoin Hayes whose effort on goal was handled by a Galway defender. Dave McCarthy, another member of the Newmarket club, converted to …

Ennis man, Padraig Sutton will referee the FAI Ford Cup Final between Derry City and St Patrick’s Athletic, at the Aviva Stadium on Sunday, November 2. For Sutton, it is his second major domestic final in 14 months, as he refereed the 2013 EA SPORTS Cup. He is looking forward to taking charge of a competitive game at the Aviva Stadium, having previously refereed Manchester City v Airtricity League XI in 2011 and Shamrock Rovers v Liverpool earlier this year. “Being appointed to referee your own domestic cup final is the greatest honour that can be bestowed upon an official so I am absolutely delighted and looking forward to refereeing in the Aviva Stadium,” said Sutton, who is a member member of An Garda Siochána. “I’m stationed at Roxboro Road in Limerick and everybody there has been hugely supportive of me over the years, as has my partner Claire,” said Sutton who has been on the FIFA list since 2011 …

Clare Immigrant Support Centre and Polish sports activists have organised an “anti discrimination” mini football tournament in Ennis on Saturday. At Clare Leisure World, Drumbiggle, local footballers can join the thousands of others worldwide to use the power of football to present a unified stand against discrimination, as part of Football People Action Weeks 2014. The FARE (Football Against Racism Europe) action weeks brings together groups of all sizes in over 50 countries to counter discrimination and celebrate diversity through the game. The FAI has run several events in the past weeks in Clare, as part of the Football People movement. On Saturday,  between 2 and 5pm, six teams with players from many different backgrounds will play on the astro-turf pitches followed by refreshments after the tournament for everyone to enjoy. Mayor of Ennis, Councilor Johnny Flynn will present the winners with the inaugural Robert Godzisz perpetual cup in memory of Robert who was very involved in playing and organising football …

By Seamus Hayes Gerry O’Connor, joint manager of the Clare U- 21 hurling team which won a third successive Munster and All-Ireland title a few weeks ago, has stepped down from the post. Jimmy Browne, a member of the highly successful management team, which led Clare to Munster minor success also, has also stepped down from the position of selector A month ago, team coach and selector Paul Kinnerk stepped down from his role as senior and U-21 team coach which leaves only Donal Moloney (joint manager) of the outgoing selection committee in place and it is understood that he will be proposed as the incoming team manager at the next county board meeting. O’Connor explained this week that “work commitments” influenced his decision to step down from the post. “I have been involved for almost 10 years and there is a huge commitmentment. I would not have been able to do this job without the support of my employers, Mincon …

By Seamus Hayes Is there any stopping Cratloe GAA?. Thats the question after the South Clare club moved a step closer to adding another three titles to their collection for 2014. The senior hurlers moved a step closer the senior championship and league double when they defeated Feakle (0-18 to 1-9) in the Clare Champion cup (senior league) at Glenomra park in Broadford on Sunday afternoon. This latest victory was hard earned with the Clare champions having to fight back from a one point half time deficit and overcome the handicap of being a player down. Just before half time Cratloe had defender Philip gleeson dismissed on a second yellow card and they went to the half time break trailing by a point, 0-6 to 0-7. However, despite the disadvantage of being a player short, they battled back in the second half and four unanswered points helped them to lead by three at the three quarter stage when the score …

NEWLY-appointed Clare senior football coach, Ephie Fitzgerald  has cited breaking down coaching into particular strands as central to his philosophy. The Cork-based Youth Reach teacher, who deals primarily with early school-leavers, has enjoyed sustained success with his club, Nemo Rangers, while, just last weekend, he led Ballylanders to the Limerick senior football title. They play the Waterford champions in the provincial semi-final, with the winners playing Cratloe at home on November 16. “I’m just delighted to get back into the intercounty scene. I did a year with Limerick a few years back but I was under pressure to come back with the Cork minors. The intercounty scene is where it’s at for me at this stage. I’ve been involved in the club scene for a long time and I’ve had quite a bit of success with Nemo Rangers,” Fitzgerald told The Clare Champion this week. “At the start of this year, Ballylanders asked me to give a hand. I wasn’t …

Kilmaley 4-18  Clooney-Quin  2-5 KILMALEY assumed control of the county senior camogie final after a quarter of an hour and didn’t relinquish it, dominating in almost every position thereafter. It goes without saying that losing three county finals-in-a-row is very disappointing for Clooney-Quin but the manner of this defeat was also hard to take for them. “We pride ourselves on putting in a fight and a hard shift and while Kilmaley outplayed us and out-thought us, the biggest disappointment is that they out-fought us, probably in most sectors of the field. I said to the girls during the week that it would take a good team to beat us. We felt we were in a good place coming into the final and we were beaten by a very serious team and good luck to Kilmaley,” said manager, Ger O’Halloran. Clooney-Quin were actually first on the scoreboard, Deirdre Murphy pointing a free in the second minute. Kilmaley captain, Claire McMahon, who …