Sport

Féile success for Clare handballers

Two Clare clubs captured All-Ireland Féile honours last week when the National festival was staged in Dublin.Kilkishen won the boys’ Division 2 title when they defeated Cork side Mallow. Kilkishen’s girls also reached the Division 2 final but were defeated by local rivals Tuamgraney, who made it a double, the club’s first ever Féile wins, when their boys’ team took the Division 4 honours. This was another all-Clare final, with Clarecastle claiming the runners-up spot.

Read More »

Silver medals for three Clare athletes

The National Juvenile Track and Field Championships (U-12 to U-19) were held in Tullamore on Saturday and Sunday.On day one, in the boys’ U-19, Cormac Lynch (Marian) won a silver medal in the 100m as did Alice Akers (Marian) in the girls’ U-17 discus, with Tony Odubote (Ennis Track) taking a bronze medal in the 80m.In the girls’ U-16, Clonlara girl Deirbhile Ryan, competing with Nenagh AC, won a silver medal in the high jump and a bronze medal in the javelin.On day two, Niamh Markham (Ennis Track) in the girls’ U-18, captured a ­silver medal in the 800m and a bronze medal in the 400m.In the girls’ U-16 high jump, Rachel Clancy (St John’s) and Deirbhile Ryan (Clonlara and Nenagh AC) produced outstanding jumping over six rounds, with Ryan clearing 1.61m to take a silver medal. Rachel Clancy cleared 1.55m and on a countback, she finished in fourth spot. ResultsGirlsU-14 800m: 7 Aishling Kelly (St John’s) (2.25.93).U-16 high jump: …

Read More »

Juniors lose out to superior Kerry

  Kerry  3-17 Clare  3-7 FOR 40 minutes of the Munster Junior Football final at Hennessy Park in Miltown on Wednesday, a Clare victory looked a distinct possibility. Then, in a matter of a few minutes, it all changed. In a 10-minute spell from the 37th minute, Kerry hit 2-4 without reply to go 10 points clear. To make matters worse for the home side, they had Darren Hickey sent off as the end of the third quarter approached and matters went steadily downhill after that.There were strong hopes in the lead-up to the tie that Clare could end an 87-year wait and bring the provincial title to the county for the first time since their only success in 1925.These hopes were reinforced during the first half when Clare, despite wasting some good possession, outscored the visitors in front of an attendance of 1,913.Bright sunshine and a light breeze greeted the attendance at the well-appointed Miltown venue, where there was …

Read More »

Can Clare maintain winning run over Limerick?

FROM the moment the final whistle sounded at Cusack Park on Saturday evening, signalling a great win for Clare over Dublin, the odds were that Limerick would be the Banner’s next opponents.“It’s a tough draw. They are a seriously strong team. They have improved and they will be very focussed on Saturday’s game. They feel they should have won the league final and they will want to atone for that result. There is no greater incentive,” Clare selector Mike Deegan said when looking ahead to Saturday’s clash at Semple Stadium.Clare aren’t expected to name the team for this game until Friday but it is predicted that it will be similar to that which lined out against Dublin. Enda Barrett is still out of action due to injury. There are fitness concerns about Conor Cooney and Cian Dillon. Both picked up knocks in last week’s win, with Cooney forced out of the game after 20 minutes. The expectation, however, is that …

Read More »

‘We still have a lot to work on’

THERE was pressure on Clare to deliver on Saturday evening against Dublin but it was put on by themselves. “We wanted the pressure, we wanted a good game. We said after the Waterford game that this was a tough draw but we had to find out what we are about,” manager Davy Fitzgerald said after Saturday’s victory.Clearly delighted with the result, the manager said, “We are not the finished article. We still have things to work on”.Fitzgerald acknowledged, “You have to be patient with this team. They are trying to use their heads out there and do the right things. They have the spirit. We still have a lot to work on but we know there is character there. Wasn’t it fantastic to see that spirit out there? We didn’t fall away and I knew they wouldn’t. I knew they would keep fighting to the very end.“The crowd was getting frustrated in the first half. I knew that but we …

Read More »

Banner dug a bit deeper – Daly

FROM the moment the qualifier draw paired Dublin against Clare, it was always going to be a tough evening for Anthony Daly.A Clareman through and through, he captained the county to provincial and All-Ireland glory in the latter half of the ’90s and then went on to manage Clare.In charge of Dublin for the past few years, he led the Leinster side to league honours last year. There were high hopes throughout the hurling world that Dublin would make further strides in 2012 but their results have been poor.They needed a win on Saturday evening to prolong their season and atone somewhat for the disappointments of league relegation and a hammering from Kilkenny in the Leinster semi-final.Clearly the Clarecastle man was disappointed with his side’s defeat but he paid due tribute to Clare.“It was a Cusack Park night that I have been lucky enough to have been part of sometimes. I was at the other end of it tonight. Fair …

Read More »

Féile titles for Tuamgraney and Kilkishen

THERE was more success for Clare juvenile handball over the weekend with two Clare clubs picking up three 40×20 Féile na nGael titles. Two more teams reached the final of their respective divisions. Kilkishen won the boys Division 2 title when they defeated Cork side Mallow. The club won the 2009 boys’ Division 1 title. The winning team was Gary Cooney, Ben McLoughlin, Cillian Nugent, Tiernan Agnew and Sean Murphy. Kilkishen’s girls also reached the Division 2 final but were defeated by local rivals, Tuamgraney. The winners here were Clodagh Nash, Fiona Hayes, Amy Barrett and Ciara Doyle. Tuamgraney made it a double, the club’s first ever Féile wins, when their boys’ team took the Division 4 honours. This was another all-Clare final with Clarecastle filling the runners-up spot. The winning team featured Cian Minogue, Oran Treacy, Ian Murray, Sean Pearl and Ciarán Hickey. The Féile festival (handball, hurling and camogie) was this year hosted by Dublin and the handball …

Read More »

Ladies gear up for Round 2

THIS weekend, the second round of the Armada Hotel Junior, Intermediate and Senior Championships take place.West Clare Gaels and Liscannor are in action on Sunday in Quilty at 10am, while Banner Ladies and Cooraclare are also in action (venue and time to be confirmed). West Clare Gaels will be eager to get a win having suffered defeat at the hand of Banner Ladies last Sunday, while Liscannor, who recorded a seven point win over Cooraclare, will push the West Clare outfit all the way. In the intermediate championship, Clooney-Quin who had a bye last weekend, play Fergus Rovers on Sunday evening. The game is provisionally fixed for Éire Óg at 7pm, while Doonbeg have a bye in this round. Last weekend, Fergus Rovers suffered a two-point defeat against the Magpies so they must win on Sunday to stay in the competition. In the junior championship, Kilmurry-Ibrickane play Burren Gaels in a repeat of the recent Division 3 League final which …

Read More »

Clare stand off Cork in one-sided Munster final

WHATEVER chance Clare had of competing with Cork in the 2012 Munster final, they simply had to employ a legitimately aggressive approach in every sector of the Gaelic Grounds. On top of that, they had to defend resolutely, get men behind the ball, leave their most mobile forwards upfield and try to hit Cork on the break. Clare did none of the above and that’s largely why this game was over in the 20th minute when Aidan Walsh ambled through the Clare back line and shot Cork 2-5 to 0-4 up. Getting beaten is one thing but losing without making a sustained fight of it was the most disappointing aspect of Clare’s display. Let’s acknowledge that Gary and Shane Brennan, Rory Donnelly, Michael O’Shea and Joe Hayes all contributed manfully, while the full-back line did their best to withstand the first-half barrage, without any protection. There is no point in ignoring the fact that Clare’s lack of a coherent, defensive …

Read More »

Should have adopted a more defensive approach

AFTERWARDS, Micheál McDermott stood by Clare’s tactical approach. He was adamant that man to man was the way to go. If Clare had adopted a more defensive approach, would they have been beaten by less than 12 points? It’s impossible to say conclusively but to see Clare not opting to defend in number was very surprising. This approach led directly to Cork’s three goals. Once they broke one tackle, that was it. They were through on goal. If Joe Hayes had help from Iker Casillas and Gianluigi Buffon, Cork would still have buried all three first-half goals.  Take Fintan Goold’s 13th minute goal as an example. Aidan Walsh outfielded Ger Quinlan from Alan Quirke’s kick-out, cantered through the Clare defence and offloaded to Goold who buried Cork’s first goal. Seven minutes later, Walsh won another kick-out and walked through the Clare back line before netting his county’s second. Once Walsh hit open ground, there wasn’t a Clare man within shouting …

Read More »

Recent Posts

‘Fix the one percents and you’ll reach the magical one hundred’ – Hogg

2023 All Ireland Junior winner Sinead Hogg is a mainstay at the heart of the Clon defence and after a monumental battle with Eimear Bourke and Cait Devane she is ready to push on and claim the biggest camogie prize in Munster. ” Today wasn’t easy and the body is sore. It was a serious battle and in fairness to both teams it was a war of attrition. We had to just try and stay in the game at different stages because their six forwards are unbelievable players and can hurt you in the blink of an eye. It’s great to have that half back line in front of you cutting out the supply which makes it a bit easier for us in the full back line though and I think we did quite well. We were fully focused on delivering not only a performance but delivering a result and thankfully we did both.” Sinead feels as a group they have …

Read More »

‘I feel like I’m in a dream’ – Morris

Former coach to the Clare Senior set up and in his fourth year training his beloved Truagh-Clonlara Ryan Morris feels like he’s dreaming but admits this was their ultimate objective. ” I feel like I’m in a dream that I don’t want to wake up from. To see how far we’ve come from winning an Intermediate title to claiming a first ever McMahon Cup, going back to back and now a Munster final. It’s magical, it truly is. Last year we enjoyed celebrating after the County championship and the buzz around the place was incredible. The whole day out against Sarsfields was also really special but in truth we let the day be our focus and not the game itself. It wasn’t until we sat down to plan for this year that we felt the pain of that defeat. We set in motion a plan to retain our crown and have another crack at Munster but to do so we …

Read More »

Controversy reigns as Tulla denied at death

Dr. Harty Cup Round 2 St Joseph’s Tulla 0-17 Cashel Community School 0-17 After an opening day defeat to Cork school Blackrock, the pressure was firmly on Tulla to deliver in Cappamore. Showing tremendous character against a quality Cashel side they managed to stay in the game throughout thanks to an outstanding defensive display by fullback Fionn O’Gara and a series of top drawer saves from Broadford’s Jack Lovett. It was the player affectionately known as ‘Fog’ though that towered above everyone else on the field and was quite simply majestic all afternoon. Decisive hooks, critical blocks and booming clearances were the order of the day from the Clooney-Quin player. When Cashel did manage to break through the Tulla rearguard, they met a wall of resistance in Lovett. On three occasions the netminder came to the rescue, firstly denying Briain O’Donoghue with a brave point blank save in the 15th minute, then thwarting corner-forward Ryan O’Sullivan just before the interval …

Read More »

21st celebrations as Éire Óg return to helm

Clare Senior Football Championship Final Éire Óg 1-10 Kilmurry Ibrickane 0-6 “The Townies are back and we’re not going anywhere’ was the passionate concluding words to captain Aaron Fitzgerald’s speech as Éire Óg bounced back to Jack Daly winning ways in Cusack Park, writes Eoin Brennan.  Having only lost one of their last 21 matches and that to Cratloe in last year’s semi-final after penalties, the Ennis side’s third senior crown in four years was fully merited as they rolled with the punches of a difficult day weather and opposition-wise before finishing in powerful fashion. The ‘Bricks, fueled by an intriguing mix of youth and vast title winning experience, certainly made Paul Madden’s side sweat after hitting the ground running with the first three points through Keenan Sexton (2) and Daryn Callinan. However, on a day in which they almost needed a perfect performance, crucially they coughed up possession at halfway for Mark McInerney to pick out Gavin Cooney for …

Read More »

Strong Ennis performance seals win over Cobh Pirates RFC

Senior Men’s Junior League 2: Ennis RFC 26 – 6 Cobh Pirates RFC The Ennis Senior men’s rugby team were victorious 26 – 6 over Cobh Pirates during the Junior League 2. Ennis started off with a strong scrum, followed by Dylan Kenny breaking through tackles to score a converted score under the posts. Ennis’ defence stood firm and soon Joey Keane managed a huge steal with the Cobh Pirates just short of the try line. At the end of the first-half, the opposition scored a penalty, bringing the half-time score to 7 – 3. At the start of the second-half, the Cobh Pirates scored another penalty. With the score at 7 – 6, Ennis increased their defence and attack, allowing Cian Guilfoyle to score Ennis’ second try. Brendan Keane scored their third try, converted by Kenny, after a dominant Ennis scrum. With the game almost over and the Cobh Pirates on the attack, Guilfoyle intercepted on the halfway line …

Read More »

Meehan and McEvoy shine as Banner overcome Wolfe Tones

Junior C camogie final Banner 1-9 Wolfe Tones 0-9 Novel could best describe this meeting on Saturday afternoon last between Wolfe Tones and Banner in the Junior C camogie final that drew a sizable attendance to Father McNamara park.  Wolfe Tones with an experienced group of players faced up to a youthful Banner side with many dual players. Both sides had freetakers of a standard far higher than Junior C as Ciara Meehan and Sarah McEvoy shared a dozen scores over the hour. Wolfe Tones netminder Anna Brennan retired injured after 15 minutes as the Shannon side started slowly and didn’t score until the 17th minute from McEvoy with Laura Meaney adding a second Tones scores a minute later. Two further scores from Wolfe Tones in the final minutes of the half left them on four points, one behind Banner at the interval. Ciara Meehan was excellent from placed balls and missed just one over the hour. Half-time Banner (0-5) …

Read More »

Whelan and Meaney score as Clondegad lower Banner

Junior B football final Clodegad 2-11 Banner 2-8 A season of underachieving in the view of both clubs in the Intermediate championship came to an adult end in Lissycasey on Sunday afternoon in the Junior B county final decider. As with most Junior finals it can be a hazardous task to allocate a favourites tag so all was up for grabs before what was a disappointing following from the two clubs. Scores were hard to come by the opening quarter with the two sides sharing a paltry five points as Clondegad led (0-3) to (0-2) before Ciaran Connelly struck for the first of four goals in the game. Within two minutes Banner had cut the lead of Clondegad to the minimum with their first goal as long time performer Fiachra Hayes who started in place of William Bello was their shooter. Clondegad full forward Oisin Griffin won a high ball and his breaking ball was doubled to the net by …

Read More »

Éire Óg Fawle as Kevin’s goal seals final place

Junior A football semi-final Michael Cusacks 1-9 Éire Óg 0-8 Renowned Michael Cusack’s defender Kevin Fawle is not recognised as a goalscorer but should ultimate success come the way of the men from the Burren and Belharbour they will look back at Fawle’s 50th minute goal as one of the decisive moments of the year. Éire Óg will have left Corofin with deep regrets posting perhaps their least effective showing of the season that was well below their quarter-final showing against Cooraclare as Michael Cusack’s were very fortunate to get extra time before dispatching the challenge of St Breckan’s second string. Éire Óg opened the scoring with goalkeeper Cian Howard kicking over their first score from a free and he added a second free after eight minutes. Domhnall McMahon operating at full forward with others pulled out kicked over Michael Cusack’s first score just before Jack McGann and McMahon once more were on the scoresheet after 13 minutes to take the …

Read More »

Flynn and Duggan goals keep St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield senior as the ‘Bridge drop down

Senior camogie relegation final St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield 2-9 Sixmilebridge 1-10 There was heartbreak for Sixmilebridge and jubilation for St Joseph’s in equal measure in Clooney on Saturday afternoon. Relegation to Intermediate camogie for the Bridge who in a bygone era won multiple championships as St Joseph’ chasing their first maintained their status and once more are the only Clare club to possess four senior GAA, Camogie and LGFA sides. With the LGFA county final on the horizon for St Joseph’s they did not want a low note to be played in the run up with relegation from senior camogie and set out their stall early with (2-2) in the opening half with Ciara Duggan and Siobhan Flynn scoring (1-1 each). Chloe Morey hit back between the 14th and 18th minutes with (1-2) to keep Sixmilebridge in contact as Olivia Phelan had initiated the scoring for Sixmilebridge after four minutes. Determined tackling by both sets of defenders ensured a low scoring contest as …

Read More »

Tulla fall to Harty Cup opening round loss

Blackwater Community School, Lismore 2-16 St. Joseph’s Tulla 0-20 St Joseph’s Secondary School, Tulla suffered an agonising two-point reverse in their Harty Cup Group 3 campaign on Wednesday afternoon. The defat, at the hands of a pacy Blackwater Community School from Lismore, leaves them under pressure to advance to the knockout stages. For all that Tulla did well in this contest, a sloppy start proved detrimental to their chances in Kilmallock, falling eight points behind inside the opening quarter. It was a position that the students, coached by Terence Fahy, Aidan Harte and Tomás Kelly couldn’t recover from fully. Even when they were on top and looked like taking the lead, they were hit with a sucker punch of a goal that filled the Lismore confidence heading into the second half. Indeed, a stunning save from Billy Murphy in the Lismore goal denied them a potential game changing goal, with Darragh White having to settle for a point instead. The …

Read More »

New Clare ladies football manager

IN a statement this afternoon Clare LGFA announced the appointment of Listowel’s Graham Shine as the new Intermediate team manager for the coming season. The former Limerick and Kerry Ladies manager has been appointed for two years, with an option of a third, in charge of the county’s flagship side. Board Chairman Sean Lenihan advised that there were a number of applicants for the post from both within and outside the County and thanked the unsuccessful candidates for their interest in the position.  He outlined Shine’s extensive experience at Club and County level over many years and wished him and his backroom team well over the next couple of years starting soon with preparation for Clare’s return to Division 2 of the National Football League commencing in mid-January. A qualified personal trainer and fitness instructor, Shine was part of former Manager Wayne Freeman’s Backroom Team last year so he knows the panel of players involved here to date. He has …

Read More »

Banner five still alive in Munster Junior Football PPS Championships

Clare’s interest in the Munster Junior (Under 17) Post-Primary Schools Football Championships have been reduced to five after a busy week of derbies in all five grades. St Joseph’s Spanish Point (C), St John Bosco Community College, Kildysart (D) and Under 17E trio St Michael’s Community College Kilmihil and St Patrick’s Comprehensive School, Shannon and Ennis Community College who are due to face each other this morning (Thursday) in Wolfe Tones at 10.45am are the only schools left in the first provincial championship of the 2024/25 season. The Frewen Cup is destined to return to Kerry for another year after St Flannan’s College bowed out at the quarter-final stage to St Michael’s Listowel by 1-13 to 1-09 in The Bog Garden in Rathkeale on Wednesday afternoon. Trailing by 1-4 to 0-4 by the break, the Ennis College grabbed a lifeline on the restart when Kieran Doyle converted a penalty. With Dara Kennedy and TJ Moore dominating the engine room, Darragh …

Read More »

Crusheen present double trouble for Parteen-Meelick

Junior A Camogie Championship Cup Final Crusheen v Parteen-Meelick at Fr McNamara Park Ennis, Saturday at 4pm (Kevin Walsh, Wolfe Tones) Momentum is the clear driving force as heavyweights Crusheen and Parteen-Meelick finally meet in earnest to decide the Junior A Camogie Championship honours. I say finally as they were forced into a dress rehearsal final group decider a fortnight ago but as expected it was merely a shadow-boxing exercise especially on the red half of the divide as Parteen-Meelick eased to a 9-27 to 0-07 win. Don’t expect the same in Fr. McNamara Park on Saturday afternoon as Crusheen, off the back of their commanding Junior A Ladies Football Final triumph over Cúil Gaels last Sunday will be determined to achieve a historic double. Parteen-Meelick were pencilled in for a ladies football final too last Saturday but being a Junior B Shield Final, they opted to put their full focus on this prestigious decider. There’s no shortage of camogie …

Read More »

Clancy crushes Cúil dreams of silverware

Junior A Ladies’ Football Final Crusheen 3-10 – Cúil Gaels 0-14 Crusheen back at the start of the century under the management of the late Michael Cullinan possessed some of the best underage players in the county winning four Under 16A titles plus Minor, Junior A and Intermediate honours finally contested a senior final joined with Kilmihil. Time moved on, players left and lean times followed but once more Crusheen are back in the Intermediate championship for 2025 following a five-point success over Cúil Gaels in Lissycasey on Sunday evening. Cúil Gaels for their part had ample scoring chances over the course of the hour and really worried Crusheen but unfortunately from the estuary’s perspective they kicked a dozen wides as opposed to just five for the title winners. At least four of the Cúil Gael points skimmed the Crusheen crossbar much to the relief of Grace Gleeson. Yet, the matchwinner was at midfield for Crusheen, namely Anna Clancy with …

Read More »

Shannon Town shade cup spoils in low-key derby

(FAI Junior Cup) Shannon Town A 2 – Bunratty/Cratloe 1 Shannon Town inched the derby spoils to book their place in the next round of the FAI Junior Cup but it wasn’t the greatest of advertisements for an early morning kick-off in Lynch Park in Shannon on Sunday. Don’t get me wrong, all the ingredients were ripe for a memorable derby as a sizeable crowd was in attendance to witness a rare clash of these neighbours while there was the added layer of new Shannon Town manager Davy Hogan playing against his former Premier winning club. However, perhaps the players weren’t given sufficient notice of the 10:30am kick-off as the teams never really livened up until the final quarter. Amazingly, there wasn’t a shot of note throughout the entire opening period and essentially it was only with Charlie Morrison’s 68th minute penalty that this prudent tie finally opened up. It was a huge relief to hosts Shannon Town who, as …

Read More »