Clare’s epic 2024 season that saw them capture the Liam MacCarthy Cup for the first …
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Athletes from as far away as France and Switzerland gathered with a host of Irish competitors at this year’s Burren Charity challenge.
Read More »After a month of inactivity due to frost, the Clare soccer squad travel to Galway on Thursday evening for a tie they must win to have any chance of staying in the race for the Oscar Traynor, inter-league title.Beaten finalists last year, Clare went into this year’s title race with high hopes of going all the way and bringing the title back to the county for only the second time. They met a strong and well-balanced Limerick side in the opening round and ended up on the wrong side of a 3-1 result.This evening’s game with Galway was originally scheduled for the beginning of December but the inclement weather conditions led to a cancellationClare will be looking to goalkeeper, John Healy, David Russell, Damian O’Rourke and goalscorer in the opening round, Stephen Hickey to lead the way against Galway who will carry the favourites tag into the game Tournament rescheduledAs the pitches in Lisdoonvarna were frozen last weekend, the organisers …
Read More »Clare camogie kids discoClare camogie will host a disco for all young members from 8-13 years at the Auburn Lodge Hotel on Thursday from 5-8pm.
Read More »Bord na nÓg Péil convention will re-convene on Tuesday, January 4, to elect an executive for 2011 and to debate the eight motions that have been submitted. Forty eight hours later their hurling counterparts will re-convene to engage in a similar exercise.
Read More »JOE Cooney from O’Callaghan’s Mills is the new vice-chairman of Clare GAA. In a three-way contest for the post, he emerged victorious on the second count.Chairman of his club for the past four years, he stepped down from that position at the recent annual meeting of the club. He defeated PJ McGuane (Cooraclare) and Oliver Hanrahan (Éire Óg) for the position.After the first vote, Cooney and McGuane were level with 69 votes each. Hanrahan, who received 22 votes, was eliminated and delegates were then asked to vote for Cooney or McGuane. The second vote saw Cooney, a Fine Gael councillor, emerge victorious on a count of 80 votes to 75.Thanking the delegates, Cooney said he was “a committed GAA man” all of his life.PJ McGuane told the meeting he was a dedicated club and parish man. He said, “There were no recriminations or rancour and I hope this is the way forward.”“We have a generation of young married couples who …
Read More »The weather forecast is likely to be the main topic of conversation among racing fans in the build-up to Christmas, with hopes that the present cold snap, which has decimated racing on both sides of the Irish Sea of late, relents in time for the high-profile racing festival programme to go ahead. Met Éireann are predicting a thaw to arrive on Christmas Eve and it is very much a case of fingers crossed that the forecasters are correct, as all is set for the busiest week of racing is this country. Limerick’s four-day Christmas racing festival has long been a mecca for punters in the Mid-West and this year’s programme looks bigger and better than ever. Course manager Russell Ferris and his team have been working overtime to get this meeting on and speaking to The Clare Champion on Monday, Ferris was optimistic that the fixture would get the green light. “We have been very lucky here that we didn’t …
Read More »ENNIS boxer Lee Brady made a welcome comeback to ring action in the finals of the Munster Leagues in a frost-bound Ennis last Sunday.It was Brady’s first action of the new season, having been sidelined with injury since September and he was anxious to return to the winners’ rostrum against Limerick’s Callum Ryan (St Francis). He ticked all the right boxes in this one and emerged victorious on all three judges’ scorecards in a pulsating three rounds of action in the 67kg class.He conceded height and reach to the rangy Limerick fighter but was always busy and kept Ryan on the back foot, scoring with left and right hooks for a comprehensive victory.Brothers John and Simon McDonagh, who were unbeaten in their previous respective outings, almost made it 100% success ratings in the leagues but a rather harsh decision deprived Simon in his battle with Chester O’Mara from Clonmel. He will rue the absence of the computer scoring and, in …
Read More »The Munster Masters Indoor Championships plus the juvenile multi-events for U-12 to U-18 were held at the Nenagh Indoor Arena. Clare athletes gave outstanding performances when taking nine gold medals, nine silver medals and three bronze medals.Richard McArthur, in the O-45 category, came away with five gold medals. After winning the 60m, he followed with gold in the long jump and high jump, and later on that afternoon he won gold in the 200m and added a gold in the 56lbs without follow.David Courtney, Ennis Track, competing in the O-45 section came away with the gold medal in the shot putt and he added silver in the long jump and 56lbs for distance and a bronze medal in the high jump.In the masters O-40 Tommy Greene, St John’s, came away with gold in the shot putt (10.49m) and he also captured the 56lbs for distance. He won a silver medal in the long jump and a bronze medal in the …
Read More »At a function in the Temple Gate Hotel on Monday night, Munster Council distributed development grants to clubs for work on pitch and dressing room developments.Over the three years (2007-2009) Munster GAA has distributed € 5,600,000 to clubs across the province. This money has, in the main, been generated from gate receipts. Central Council has contributed €2,381,805 to club physical development grants over the same period. In 2010, Munster GAA distributed €1,608,149 to club and county physical development projects.In addition to the expenditure in relation to physical development, Munster GAA has also provided other financial support in 2010 to counties, with a total of €480,752 paid out to Clare. Team expenses and field rent amounted to €67,853; €121,602 was for coaching with €58,790 for projects. The biggest figure, €232,507, went to physical development in a selection of clubs.The Clare clubs to benefit are: Ballyea (€16,000); Broadford (€11,305); Kilrush (€16,000); Moy (€1,689); O’Curry’s (€9.965); St Joseph’s Doora-Barefield (€32,085); Sixmilebridge (€21,379); Banner …
Read More »CLARE GAA chairman Michael O’Neill said when he addressed the convention for the first time as chairman in December 2007, no one could have envisaged the changes that have taken place in the country since then.“While it is vitally important not to get bogged down in the negativity which has engulfed us in such a short time, we can’t ignore the detrimental effect that emigration is having on our clubs in particular and to a lesser extent on our county teams. As an organisation, there is only a certain amount we can do to alleviate the genuine hardships our members are facing throughout the country. The GAA has built a massive infrastructure in every town and village thanks to the hard work, every genuine member of the association has put in on the ground and we need this work to continue,” the Ballyea club man said in his address to delegates at the end of his third year in office.On …
Read More »THE growth in alcohol and substance abuse resulted in a national committee being formed, which in turn has led to a decision that every club must now have an ASAP officer (alcohol an substance prevention).Munster ASAP officer, Diarmuid Gowan from Cork and the first chairman of the national committee, Joe Connolly, the former Galway All-Ireland winning hurling captain addressed the meeting. They were introduced to the gathering by the Clare ASAP officer, Des Crowe who is also the assistant county board secretary.“This is a local problem and it’s there whether we like it or not,” Connolly told delegates. “Don’t anybody tell me that the villages and the parishes of Clare don’t have a problem with underage drinking and drugs abuse. It’s there on the ground whether we like it or not. We did in our time what our age group was doing and we gave it stick in our own way but it has gone on a lot from that …
Read More »As the severe weather conditions continued throughout the past week, many golf courses across the county remained closed for the most part. Officials are keeping their fingers crossed that weather conditions will improve enough to have courses re-opened this week. A number of competitions are planned at clubs across the county for the holiday period. Ennis The incoming captains at Ennis Golf Club, Michael and Phil Butler, will have their drive-in on January 1 at 3pm.In conjunction with the drive-in, there will be a team-of-three team competition and the timesheet for this opened on Tuesday of this week. A big turnout of members is expected for the occasion. Ennis Seniors Having recently secured the accolade of senior golfer of the year, Seán O’Gorman continued his winning ways at last week’s Christmas hampers outing of the Ennis Men’s Senior Social Group.Sixty played in the outing and Seán returned 36 points over 14 holes to win from Luke Coote, who also carded …
Read More »Kilmurry-Ibrickane have appointed Laois man Ger Lawlor as their senior manager for 2011 season. In 2010 the former Doonbeg selector guided Monaleen to the Limerick senior championship. Lawlor has also been involved with Cratloe GAA club at various levels in recent years. He will be joined by Patrick Murrihy and Joe Hurley on the management team. Former Clare senior manager John Kennedy had been linked with the post but although talks did take place, the Kerry man wasn’t appointed. Meanwhile, Kilmurry-Ibrickane will host a 10km walk through their parish on Monday, December 27. The walk will commence at Coore Church at 12 noon and continue through Mullagh village, ending at Quilty church, followed by refreshments at the clubhouse in Pairc Naomh Mhuire. Participants can register at Coore church from 11.15am on the day of the walk.
Read More »REACHING what he described as “a watershed decision” to step down from the position of vice-chairman of Clare GAA, Johnnie Hill told delegates, “I have served on the executive for almost 25 years and I have held various positions along the way. I was elected vice-chairman three years ago and in that time, I have seen some highs and lows,” he said.Being chairman of the 125 commemoration committee was one of the highlights the Lissycasey man said. “We had a great committee and a great programme of events. Clare led by example and the onus was on Clare to lead the way. That programme finished with the rededication of the GAA offices in Clareabbey,” he said.“The low for me was being part of the committee charged with the distribution of the €250,000 of which I was chairman. I didn’t realise at the time that it was going to become so difficult. Our wish was that 25 clubs would benefit …
Read More »A GREAT team effort by members of Tradaree Coursing Club saw them beat the weather conditions and get through a successful meeting at their new venue last weekend.The stretch at Lemenaghbeg, Newmarket-on-Fergus was covered as a precautionary measure and although the starting time was delayed on Saturday and Sunday because of the frosty conditions, the card was completed in record time on both days. Traderee and coursing were the winners.The O’Donovans from Killaloe went close to bringing off a nice double at the meeting. Jimmy won the John Murray Memorial all-age bitch stake with Highland Glow but Highland Harbour, owned by Jack and Jimmy O’Donovan, was beaten in the final of the Olde House all age dog stake by Homestead Kerry, trained by Dan Lynch.Soundmanpaddy, who already won cups in Limerick City and Rathcormac, was the pre-coursing favourite for the all age dog stake but he was a non-runner. The new favourite was the George Gallery-trained Colossal Storm, who also …
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Clare’s epic 2024 season that saw them capture the Liam MacCarthy Cup for the first time since 2013 and the Allianz League title for the first time since 2016 sees them deservingly dominate the list of PwC Hurling All-Stars nominees announced this morning. The Banner braves are the standout contingent in the list of 45 names and have 14 players nominated across all areas of the field. In addition, star forward Shane O’Donnell is nominated for PwC GAA/GPA Hurler of the Year where he is joined by Cork’s midfield dynamo Darragh Fitzgibbon and Limerick’s defensive rock Kyle Hayes. The PwC GAA/GPA Young Hurler of the Year nominees are Clare’s Adam Hogan, Cork’s Eoin Downey and Limerick’s Cathal O’Neill. There are eight counties represented in total. The breakdown is Clare 14, Cork 10, Limerick nine, Kilkenny four, with Waterford, Wexford, Dublin and Antrim having two representatives each. Goalkeepers: Patrick Collins (Cork), Nickie Quaid (Limerick) and Eibhear Quilligan (Clare). Defenders: Adam Hogan …
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Intermediate Hurling Championship Round 3, Group 1 Clarecastle v Smith O’Brien’s at Páirc Micheál Uí hEithir Cratloe, Saturday 5pm, (Andy McMahon, Cratloe) They’ve met regularly in the Clare Cup and even the Magpies’ second string have battled Smith O’Brien’s but at adult championship level, this appears to be the first time that their flagship sides have clashed. It would potentially have been a heavyweight showdown if the Killaloe-Bridgetown side were at their 2021 or ’22 levels while it will still be a battle, the loss of key players to emigration for Smith O’Brien’s should mean that Clarecastle possess the better balance to shade matters and top the group. Verdict: Clarecastle Ruan v St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield at Crusheen, Saturday 5pm, (Jim Hickey, Cratloe) It’s only three years ago since St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield’s first team raided for five goals to floor Ruan in the intermediate semi-final. However, it’s a strong sign of the Parish that while their first team is now operating …
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On initial viewing, the race for the Fr. Murray Memorial Cup (intermediate camogie) appears fairly straight-forward. After all, with all three semi-finalists from 2023 (Tulla, Whitegate and Éire Óg) and senior demotee Clooney-Quin split evenly between the two groups, the business end overtly looks clear-cut. Clooney-Quin’s senior experience along with negotiating their way to intermediate glory as recently as 2021 makes them the stand-out candidates, with Tulla currently ranking a close second having contested back-to-back intermediate finals, three if you include the replay in 2022 against eventual champions Clarecastle/Ballyea. They won’t want to see another mid-Clare side join them in the second tier but for Tulla, it’s all about learning from their previous deciders and leaving no stone unturned in the pursuit of reaching the promised land of senior. Whitegate were beaten finalists to Clooney-Quin in 2021 and actually meet them first this Thursday evening at 7pm, in what is potentially a Group A decider in Clooney and the same …
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Current kingpins Truagh-Clonlara and Scariff-Ogonnelloe may have switched roles last October after the latter’s two year reign but having clashed in the last three finals, they will be overwhelming favourites to do so once more come October 19th. It’s up to the chasing pack to alter that perceived narrative as with only the finalists seeded for this year’s race for the McMahon Cup, the groups initially appear a bit lopsided. After all, with three of last year’s semi-finalists (Scariff-Ogonnelloe, Inagh-Kilnamona and Feakle-Killanena) pooled in Group B, the fact that there are two business end berths means that one major contender has to fall at the group stages. Scariff-Ogonnelloe’s vast experience of three titles in the last five seasons makes them the forerunners to maintain their perfect group record as since bounding back to senior level in 2017, they have progressed to the penultimate stage at a minimum. That’s a seven year record that no other senior side in the county …
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St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield 6-10 Kilmurry Ibrickane 2-13 Senior Ladies’ Football Championship Group A Round 1 It took free kicks to finally separate these sides in the Division 1 League decider but this time it was six timely goals that ensured revenge for St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield but also a major opening boost to what is unquestionably the group of death in this year’s senior ladies football championship in Gurteen on Sunday afternoon. Such a heartbreaking means of losing a final seemed to be channelled into Sunday’s display for the Parish who were never behind at any stage despite facing into the strong conditions in the opening period. Decisive first half goals through Roisin Fowley, Lyndsay Clarke and Aoibhinn McMahon kept wind-assisted Kilmurry Ibrickane at arm’s length in the opening period, with Chloe Moloney inevitably leading the charge with seven points in what was a compelling tussle with fellow county senior Siofra Ní Chonaill at 3-5 to 0-9 by the break The …
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When Limerick referee Johnny Murphy blew his full time whistle at the end of what was arguably the greatest All-Ireland final of all time there was naturally a huge outpouring of emotion the length and breath of this beautiful County. For the people, especially the hurling fraternity, in places like Ennistymon, Clonbony and Kilkee there was also an overwhelming sense of pride as Miltown’s Conor Cleary and Ennistymon’s Cathal Malone walked the steps of the Hogan Stand. Heroes forever more to every Clare person, be they man woman or child, these two great warriors are now the proud owners of a coveted Celtic Cross medal and their achievements will no doubt inspire a whole new generation of children to pick up a hurley and dream of following in their footsteps. Sport has always been part of the DNA of the Banner and hurling has always had a massive following all over the County. In recent weeks the John Hynes Memorial …
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The resilience shown by Clare hurlers Ryan Taylor and Tony Kelly to battle back from serious injuries has been lauded by team physiotherapist for the last three years, Shane Malone. While Shane has attended All-Ireland homecomings in his native Kerry following All-Ireland successes, he described last week’s welcome for the Liam McCarthy Cup in Clare as “incredible”. He will never forget the hundreds of Clare hurling supporters who lined the streets and rural roads to welcome the team home, which was a real “eye opener”. “The enthusiasm and love for Brian Lohan and the team is quite different from my previous experiences. I was very impressed by the volume of support out there for the Clare team. It shows the high esteem they are held within the county. “The response from Clare fans all year has been unbelievable. There is a great connection between Brian Lohan and the county and people respond when they like what they see. “The way …
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The relief; the jubilation on the field when it was all over; the calm and satisfaction afterwards as Clare left Croke Park secure in the knowledge that they’d be back in a few weeks time. These were the winning moods and personas displayed among the players as they went on their way after the glass ceiling of this All-Ireland semi-final stage had finally been cracked. A first All-Ireland semi-final win over Kilkenny since 1997 and only a second championship win over Kilkenny ever; a day of atonement for the most recent semi-final defeats against Kilkenny; an All-Ireland final day out to look forward to on July 21. “It’s a special feeling for sure,” said Diarmuid Ryan. “A special day and a special win but we’re going to knuckle down for two weeks and the All-Ireland final.” As he spoke the reset had already taken place – the hoopla had died down, with Ryan and the rest of the players being …
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It’s a measure of the standards that Tony Kelly has set in his 13 years as a senior inter-county hurler and of his star quality that despite being subdued for the first 45 minutes of the All-Ireland semi-final that he still ended up as one of the game’s most influential players. Doing the maths tells this story – no Clare player ended up with more than him from play as he top-scored jointly with David Reidy who had a huge game in the 61 minutes of game time that he got. And for the Ballyea colossus, who has slipped into the veteran classes almost unnoticed, his three-point burst down the long home straight of this All-Ireland was a crucial part of the power-play that ultimately swamped Kilkenny and left them shellshocked at the end. And you could say that this comeback was really kickstarted by Kelly, with his opening point being the first response to the Billy Ryan goal, which …
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Newmarket-on-Fergus 1-19 Inagh-Kilnamona 1-11 The victor wasn’t a surprise but the manner of Newmarket-on-Fergus’ 26th Clare Cup title certainly proved to be as the roll of honour leaders had a rather bloodless final triumph in Clarecastle on Friday evening. Bridging a six year gap to their last Clare Cup crown, it was an utterly commanding display when first responding to the hammerblow of an early goaled Inagh-Kilnamona penalty to outscore them by 1-7 to 0-1 in the second quarter and carve out a match-winning 1-11 to 1-04 interval cushion. Indeed, it wouldn’t have flattered the Blues had the half-time chasm been doubled as amidst their second quarter siege, James Carrig’s side passed up four glorious goal chances in as many minutes just before the recess. Niall O’Connor was outstanding at the back, Peter Power was equally influential at the other end while Stephen Casey was also hugely effectual when switched to shadow Inagh-Kilnamona’s talisman Fred Hegarty. This was an impressive …
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St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield 2-14 O’Callaghan’s Mills 0-17 It really doesn’t matter if you lead early in a match or are chasing the game for lengthy spells but what does matter though is who is ahead when it counts the most and that’s at the final whistle. On Sunday morning out in Tulla the men from the Parish epitomised resilience and got their just rewards for never surrendering when grabbing the lead for the only time in the sixtieth minute to practically steal a cracking league final that was played in a hugely sporting manner. It was two second strings but nobody who was in Dr.Daly Park would have guessed that as these two played out a superbly contested battle that ebbed and flowed throughout with the result in doubt right up until referee Pat Healy’s full time whistle. Level on six occasions it took a late late Conor Kearns goal to decide the destination of league honours. One could only …
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Éire Óg 3-20 Sixmilebridge 2-14 There’s always a certain level of respect between clubs but sometimes there’s also a level of contempt that is evident for all to see. On Sunday evening this Division 2 final was practically over by the end of the opening quarter. The townies who would have genuine Canon Hamilton ambitions were going through the motions and without much exertion had eased to an eight point lead. Fast forward to the final minutes and after battling throughout the Bridge’s second team who will compete in the Intermediate Championship to their credit only trailed by nine. Gerry O’Connor’s charges are in complete and utter control with several tap over point opportunities but rather than take them they continually try to engineer another green flag to inflict more pain on their opponents. I suppose a series of high profile clashes between the clubs in recent years will have that effect and they did eventually get their third major in …
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The distinctive stench of turpentine has permeated around the county in the last two weeks as slates have been cleaned and canvases blanked ahead of Clare’s senior hurling championship resumption in Thurles this Saturday. Following the heartbreak of a third consecutive Munster Final reverse to trophy hoovers Limerick at the same venue last time out, picking up the pieces has never been more important as they look to regather self-belief, confidence and momentum once more in the All-Ireland series. While earning the unwanted record of being only the second team ever to lose three Munster deciders to the same opposition was harrowing enough, the despondency surrounding the below-par performance made it arguably the most disappointing of all three provincial final clashes. After all, Brian Lohan’s side had exceeded all expectations to push Limerick all the way to extra-time in a Munster Final for the ages in 2022 while the Banner subsequently almost took down the champions in their own home …
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Adult Football League Semi-Finals (Winner on the day) Cusack Cup Semi-Final Lissycasey v St Joseph’s Miltown at Lissycasey, Friday 7.30pm (Jim Hickey, Cratloe) Considering the seesaw form of these sides in recent seasons, it’s hard to believe that only three years ago, Miltown were Cusack Cup and Lissycasey were Garry Cup champions. All because both have been in the second tier since and are now vying for a pre-championship boost of attempting to dethrone holders Ennistymon in the final. Lissycasey were subsequently beaten finalists to Corofin in 2022, the same season that Miltown dropped to the second tier. However, having secured a first Garry Cup crown in 18 years twelve months ago, it would be a major jolt to qualify for the Cusack Cup decider once more. Meanwhile it’s 17 years since Lissycasey last contested and won their sole Cusack Cup title, a major carrot in itself this Friday evening as they look to make home advantage count. The sides …
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Under 18A Hurling League Final Ballyea 1-20 Sixmilebridge 1-11 A devastating finish saw Ballyea complete a remarkable 13 point second half turnaround to snatch their first ever Under 18A League title on the away soil of O’Garney Park in Sixmilebridge on Wednesday evening. Having led for the previous 30 minutes, the ‘Bridge seemed set for victory themselves when accentuating their 0-8 to 0-7 half-time edge with a goal after only 25 seconds of the restart as good play from Stephen Gavin was finished to the bottom right corner by Donal O’Leary. However, it was if subconsciously the home side assumed that the job was done as they would be sorely second best for the remainder as the defiant visitors outscored them by 1-13 to 0-03 in the final 30 minutes. Eoin Kennedy found his range from frees while the talismanic Eoin O’Connor provided the real spark to ignite Ballyea’s challenge when fielding a Dillon Killoughery delivery to cut in from …
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Volleyball is one of the most popular sports there is with over 900 million fans worldwide. That fanbase is growing all the time and the sport consistently ranks in the top five of the most watched global sports. At the end of the month Ireland will head to San Marino for the CEV SCA (European Volleyball Small Countries Association) Championship where they will face Scotland, Malta, Northern Ireland and hosts San Marino in the group stages. The Banner County have had huge success in the sport with the Senior and Junior All Ireland titles residing in the county courtesy of the Coláiste Muire and the Munster Thunder clubs. The strength of the sport in Clare can be highlighted by the fact that four Banner players will represent Ireland in the tournament. Amy O’Sullivan, Catriona Ní Riordan, TJ Sweeney and Maria Jones will all proudly don the green jersey in Serraville from May 30th to June 2nd. Three of the girls …
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