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Senior Hurling Final - Eire Og v Ballyea

Sport

A lifelong love of Clare and Cratloe hurling

A couple of pivotal factors combined to allow Frank O’Brien maintain his interest in Clare and Cratloe hurling while he lived and worked in Birmingham for 33 years.Now 84 and living in Tulla with his sister May, Frank feels that not drinking or marrying was a big help in his regular visits home, when Clare were playing league or championship hurling. “No, I never married,” Frank confirmed to The Clare Champion. “That was a big help. Needless to tell you, I won’t call it a handicap but I suppose if I was married, I wouldn’t have been as free. That’d be a terrible anchor altogether. The fact that I wasn’t drinking in England was a big help as well. They drank differently in England than they did in Ireland,” he notes. Frank was never gone for more than a month. Aside from the hurling, he also visited his elderly parents. Before he emigrated in the late 1950s, Frank had served …

The more Kilmurry play, the luckier they get

Ability, self-belief, emotion and steely resolve have been clearly visible in the plentiful mix that has propelled Kilmurry-Ibrickane to Croke Park.Last Sunday in Limerick, it fell to Michael O’Dwyer, Stephen Moloney and Noel Downes to avail of the summer-like surface in The Gaelic Grounds and leave Portlaoise breathlessly adrift. Some of their breathlessness can be linked to the fact that they only had 15 men for 20 seconds and had to make do with just 13 for the last 21 minutes. Unwittingly, yet almost to the letter, Portlaoise followed Kilmurry’s 2005 example. That day in Ballinasloe, Kilmurry had two men sent off and tumbled out at the All-Ireland semi-final stage, at odds with the world. Last weekend, Portlaoise imploded. As early as Brian Mulligan’s indiscretion was, he just had to go. Kilmurry didn’t relax though and rely on their numerical advantage. They tore at Portlaoise, playing the best football ever played by the club, at a pace that Portlaoise couldn’t …

Clare players in the hunt for Harty Cup glory

While there isn’t a Clare school involved, there is still huge Clare interest in the Dr Harty Cup, Munster Colleges Senior A hurling final, at Nenagh this Sunday.Five Clare players are members of the Ard Scoil Rís panel as the Limerick school contest the final for the first time. They take on champions Thurles CBS in what promises to be a lively contest.In addition to the five players, Ard Scoil have Clonlara’s Jimmy Browne as one of their backroom team, which is headed up by manager Derek Larkin.The Limerick side is unbeaten in this year’s championship. They started the campaign with a draw against Midleton CBS and followed up with wins over St Colman’s and Cashel to take top spot.In the quarter-final they had to work hard for a four-point win over Our Lady’s Templemore before reversing last year’s semi-final result when accounting for St Caimin’s from Shannon at Meelick. In this game, Clare’s Cathal McInerney, joint captain of the …

Reason to celebrate for Spancilhill owner/trainer

Spancilhill owner-trainer Noel Glynn had good reason to celebrate after his Becauseicouldntsee justified good support when landing the €17,000 Irish Stallion Farms EBF Beginners’ Chase at Fairyhouse last Saturday.Second on two of his four previous outings over the larger obstacles, Becauseicouldntsee made no mistake this time round as he strode to a hugely impressive win that catapults him into the upcoming Cheltenham Festival picture in a big way. Sent off 3-1 joint-favourite, the seven-year-old by Beneficial, who won a point-to-point at Killaloe in 2008, was always in the van and, jumping really well in the hands of top jockey Davy Russell, he turned into the home straight in this two and three-quarter mile contest with a healthy lead. Facing up to the final fence, the opposition had been well and truly burned off as Becauseicouldntsee went on to beat fellow joint-favourite Corkskeagh Royale by a distance. Glynn, who has over 20 horses in training at his Durra House yard, where …

Hosts through to Fitzgibbon Cup semi-final

This year’s Fitzgibbon Cup hosts, NUI Galway, booked a place in the semi-final when they scored a 1-24 to 1-12 win over St Patrick’s, College, Drumcondra, at Dangan on Wednesday.Seven Clare men were in the starting line-up and an eighth was introduced in the second half. They were again without the injured Cormac O’Donovan (Clonlara) and Caimin Morey (Sixmilebridge).Scariff’s Diarmuid Nash turned in another outstanding performance at corner-back while Patrick Kelly from Clarecastle had his best game in this season’s campaign at wing-back. Other Claremen in the starting line-up were goalkeeper Donal Tuohy (Crusheen), full-back Noel Casey (Kilmaley), midfielder Domhnaill O’Donovan (Clonlara), wing-forward David Barrett (Newmarket) and full-forward John Conlon (Clonlara). Kevin Heagney from Corofin was introduced during the course of the game.The winners were three points in front at half time when the score was 0-12 to 1-6 and they went on to hold the upper hand in the second period.In the semi-final, NUI Galway will play either Limerick …

First-time winners at Cumann na mBunscol finals

The finals of the Clare Cumann na mBunscol indoor camogie and hurling competitions were staged in Cratloe on Wednesday.As was the case last year, two new schools were added to the roll of honour. This brings to seven in camogie and nine in hurling the number of different schools that have been victorious since the inception of the competitions in 2000.There were some tremendous contests in both competitions in the past number of weeks. The camogie competition comprised 32 teams and the group winners were Inagh/Cloonanaha, Quin, Kilmurry, Sixmilebridge, Ennis NS, Clonlara, Kilnamona and Feakle. Kilnamona and Feakle progressed to the final. Thirty-three teams signed up for the hurling competition group stages. The group winners were Inagh/Cloonanaha, Barefield, Ennis CBS, Kilmurry, Clarecastle, Cratloe, Clooney, Clonlara and Feakle. Clonlara and Cratloe were involved in a play-off to see who would progress to the second round proper. Clonlara won that particular game before Kilmurry and Barefield emerged to contest the final. Kilnamona …

Flawless Kilmurry heading for final

Kilmurry Ibrickane 1-14 Portlaoise 0-8 Sensational. Kilmurry Ibrickane crossed the footballing Rubicon in Limerick last Sunday on an afternoon that culminated with a Clare club reaching an All-Ireland club football final for the first time. Portlaoise’s indiscipline definitely helped but the Clare and Munster champions best ever display contributed more significantly to Kilmurry reaching the national decider on March 17 in Croke Park. Tactically, Kilmurry out-thought Portlaoise, who were perhaps slightly complacent. Michael O’Dwyer and Noel Downes, who scored a combined 1-5 from play, largely operated in a two man full-forward line, with Johnny Daly playing a deeper role. Blossoming in the space available in the Gaelic Grounds O’Dwyer ran riot, kicking three points from play and contributing to at least four further points, via frees won or from open play. Downes showed that he hasn’t lost his class or big-match temperament, kicking 1-2 from play. The goal, 13 minutes into the second half and a minute after Downes had …

Playing to tactics pays dividends

PUTTING Portlaoise on the back foot had been a priority for Kilmurry Ibrickane, according to midfielder Peter O’Dwyer. “They’re a real running team, they’re a flair team and they move the ball quickly. We felt we had to take the game to them and get a good start. We didn’t want to be chasing the game against Portlaoise, they’re a confidence team. We just wanted to move the ball quick, be in their faces, tackle hard, get it into the full-forward line quickly and get scores, which is what we did.”Often teams struggle to make the best use of a numerical advantage and he felt that during the second half they had been guilty of some over-elaboration. “Sometimes a team that goes a man down can be galvanised by it and play a bit better. They’ve a bit more room and they move the ball a bit quicker because they have to. When you’ve an extra man you can end …

Portlaoise manager rails at ref

ONE of the talking points on Sunday afternoon was the abuse heaped on referee Michael Duffy at half-time as he made his way to the dressing room.Portlaoise manager John Mulligan was clearly irate as the Sligo official left the field but afterwards he said the first-minute sending off of his son wasn’t the issue. “All I asked was what do you have to do to give a proper hand-pass. He was saying we were throwing the ball. In fairness, he has a job to do and he wasn’t going to entertain me.”He claimed that Duffy seemed to have been implementing the experimental rules being used in the National League. He also disagreed with the first red card. “The game was on, the guy went for a tackle and he caught him a bit high. It was certainly a foul, maybe a yellow card. If the ref is going to be consistent, and I don’t want to sound like a bad …

Coughlan shocked at first minute red card

Kilmurry Ibrickane captain Enda Coughlan was the primary beneficiary of Brian Mulligan’s first-minute sending off. The All-Ireland finalists’ centre-back became the loose man and he took immediate advantage, rampaging up field and kicking an inspirational third-minute point.“It was a hard call to make for the ref, very early on in the game,” Coughlan said of Mulligan’s red card. “It was a high tackle but if it got a yellow card you wouldn’t have heard too many roaring on our behalf. When he walked it was a bit of a shock to all of us,” he acknowledged. The county and Munster championship-winning captain felt that Kilmurry learned from their own indiscipline in the 2005 All-Ireland semi-final. They had two men dismissed that day in Ballinasloe, when they lost to Ballina. “We know how they feel. We lost our discipline in 2005 and we lost the game. We learned from that. They, unfortunately, lost their discipline today,” he said. Kilmurry’s 1-4 to …

Hurlers expected to overcome Laois

Impressive performances against Galway and Kilkenny in the Walsh Cup and Walsh Shield in Leinster in recent weeks suggest that Laois will prove difficult opponents for Clare in round two of the National Hurling League (Division 2) at Portlaoise on Sunday (throw-in 2.30pm).The Midlanders didn’t have a game last week when the race for the title got underway, as their scheduled game with Kildare was cancelled due to inclement weather. It has, like most of the other games that fell foul to the weather last weekend, been re-scheduled for Saturday week.The last competitive meeting of the counties at senior level was in round two of the league two years ago when both were in Division 1. That game was played in Scariff and Mark Flaherty, top scorer against Down last week, was also the top scorer on that occasion, with 1-12 to his credit.While the team to face Niall Rigney’s Midlanders wasn’t announced at the time of writing, it is …

Easy start to Clare’s league campaign

Clare 2-10 Down 0-6 Clare opened their campaign to get back to the top division in the Allianz Hurling League with, as expected, a comfortable win over Down at Cusack Park on Sunday. While the result was never in doubt, there were some worrying aspects from a Clare viewpoint and there will have to be an improvement in a number of areas ahead of this Sunday’s game with Laois in round two.The home side should have had a few more goals but a combination of excellent goalkeeping by Graham Clarke, allied to some poor finishing, meant that a number of chances were wasted and against stronger opposition this could prove costly.There will be concern in the Clare camp at the fact that Down recorded 20 wides, 11 coming in the second half.“The scoreboard looks bad but we had a lot of wides. Fellas worked hard and never dropped the heads and they responded in the right way. They worked very, …

Tough opening match for Banner County

ST Joseph’s, Doora-Barefield man Patsy Fahy will take charge of the Clare senior camogie team for the first time in a competitive game when they travel to Athenry on Sunday to play Galway in the opening round of this season’s national league.Grouped with Galway, Dublin and Wexford, the Banner County squad have been handed a tough task against such experienced opposition.“I will know a lot more on Sunday about what is ahead of us this year. Galway would be in the top four in senior camogie, along with Kilkenny, Cork and Tipperary, so we know that we have a difficult task but we have trained well and we are looking forward to the game,” Fahy said this week.Clare will face their neighbours without Dee Corcoran, Aoife Ryan, Denise Lynch and Laura Linnane, who have indicated that they will not be playing this year.“We will have a relatively young team on duty on Sunday but we also have some experienced players …

Clare ladies fall in Meelick

Tipperary 1-11 Clare 1-8 The Clare ladies fell to a disappointing second home league defeat in Meelick last Sunday.Gillian O’Brien’s unstoppable second-half goal was the decisive score, in a game that included three sin binnings.Minus a number of regulars, including Sinéad Kelly, Fiona Lafferty and Ailish Considine, Clare played some good football but didn’t have the balance or depth of the Tipperary panel.Shortly after Mairéad Morrissey pointed Tipperary ahead from a free, Niamh Keane goaled for Clare after her shot was dropped over the line by Tipperary goalkeeper Nora Noonan.Come the interval, Tipperary had re-established their advantage and led 0-7 to 1-3, following points from Morrissey, Gillian O’Brien and Anne Marie O’Gorman.Louise Henchy, Sinéad Sexton and Eimear Considine, with a top-class score, responded for Clare.Considine pointed twice inside the opening three minutes of the second half to put Clare 1-5 to 0-7 ahead, before Morrissey and Áine Kelly traded points.It was at this stage in the game that Gillian O’Brien …

Winning start for the champions

Cooraclare 2-13 St Senan’s 2-7 Cusack Cup champions Cooraclare got off to a winning start in defence of the county senior football league title when they proved too strong for St Senan’s Kilkee at Cooraclare on Saturday. In a game that marked the return to senior competitive football of Denis Russell, the winners were always in control and at one stage in the game they were 14 points clear.The seasiders put in a strong finish to give the scoreboard a much more respectable look come the final whistle.Full-forward Michael Kelly scored his side’s first-half goal although some Kilkee people will argue that the ball did not cross the line. The seasiders goalie Kevin Harte appeared to have turned the ball behind for a 45, only for the umpire to raise the green flag signalling that the ball has crossed the line before Harte got it away. The goal helped the winners to a 1-7 to 0-3 half-time lead.On the turnover, …

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Banner brilliance dominates hurling All-Star nominations

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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Tones just shade 12 goal thriller
Can the real Inagh-Kilnamona please stand up?
Group of Death comes alive
Intermediate predictability dashed by compelling Group 4

Intermediate predictability dashed by compelling Group 4

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 …

Clooney or not Clooney, that is the question

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 …

Clare camogie power base is still in the East

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 …

Doora/Barefield hit the ’Bricks for six

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 …

‘There was hurling in Clonbony before there was hurling in Sixmilebridge’

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 …

The rocky road to recovery

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 …

‘A special day and a special win’ – Diarmuid Ryan

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 …

‘We grabbed it with both hands’ – Tony Kelly

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 …

Dominant display drives Blues to record 26th Clare Cup title

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 …

Kearns’ golden goal secures Division 3 Hurling League title for the Parish

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 …

Éire Óg go to town on the ’Bridge

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 …

Clare set for Wexican stand-off

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 …

Promotion the main prize for semi-final winners

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 …

Ballyea in a league of their Eoin after powerful finish

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 …

900 million fans shows the popularity of volleyball

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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