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Senior Hurling Final - Eire Og v Ballyea

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Clare face tough Oscar Traynor tie

TITLE holders Clare, who have made it through to the knock-out stage of the Oscar Traynor competition, will go into their final group game against Roscommon on Sunday without their captain Stephen Kelly. The Newmarket Celtic junior international suffered a leg injury when helping his club to victory over Aungier Celtic from Dublin in the FAI Junior Cup last week and the injury is likely to keep him out of action until the new year. Clare manager Donie Garrihy hopes to have forward Dave McCarthy available for Sunday’s game. Like Kelly, he missed last Sunday’s Munster Junior Cup tie with Newmarket, ruled out due to ’flu, but Clare boss Garrihy is confident that he will be fit for Sunday’s contest. Tulla’s Darragh Corry has been out of action for a number of weeks and will again be an absentee on Sunday. While Clare have already qualified for the next phase in this competition, they want to top the group and …

THE Clare and District side that won this year’s Oscar Traynor was granted a civic reception by Clare County Council this week, which manager Donie Garrihy said was one of the highlights of his life. The civic reception took place on Monday evening and Garrihy said he was extremely grateful to the local authority. “We are so humbled as a group of players; we are so humbled as a league. It is spectacular to be here.” He said he was delighted that many figures from Clare soccer were in attendance, saying he was in “super company”. Garrihy added, “It’s an emotional time for me as manager. I see the squad here and they are dressed immaculately. They are dressed immaculately in respect of the people who are giving us this opportunity here in the county council chamber. I always said they were men; they are real men. I love every one of them to bits. The league has always supported …

Kilmurry Ibrickane 2-9 Doonbeg 1-8 THE mid Winter evening of December 9, 2016 will be fondly remembered in the history of Kilmurry Ibrickane GAA club. Last Friday in Kilmihil, Kilmurry added their sixth successive Cusack Cup to the senior championship and U/21 titles already won. That they did so was largely thanks to 1-2 from play, all in the second half, from centre back Martin McMahon. Interestingly, while McMahon was definitely the most influential player on view, he was challenged for player of the match by second half substitute Declan Callinan, who won several breaks, in the Kilmurry half back line. Kilmurry played their best football in the second half, having been out played for much of the opening half hour. Doonbeg led 1-3 to 0-4 at half-time but they were dealt a huge blow five minutes before the interval, when Colm Dillon was black carded for a late shoulder on Ciaran Morrissey. Dillon should have been yellow carded but …

Newmarket Celtic 1 Avenue United 1 (after extra time) Avenue won 3-1 on penalties Beaten finalists last season, Newmarket Celtic are out of the Munster junior cup at the first hurdle this year. At McDonough Park in Newmarket this Sunday morning, they had to give best to Avenue United who proved too strong in a penalty shoot out after the teams had endedon level terms at 1-1. By their own standards, the past couple of seasons have been disappointing for Avenue United but they were clearly determined to do well in this one and from the word go they took the game to the favourites. With Dylan Casey in their line up having returned to his home club in midweek after a a few seasons in England, they created the greater number of chances in the opening half. After Davy O’Halloran had seen his effort narrowily miss the target, Newmarket launched a counter attack which ended with the awarding …

First time Clare senior hurling champions Ballyea who went on to win their first Munster title three weeks later, will be presented with the Munster GAA club of the year award at the provincial council’s annual awards function which takes place at the Rochestown Park hotel in Cork on this Saturday night This will be one of three awards presented to Clare on the night, the others going to Michael McNamara from O’Callaghans Mills for distinguished service to Scor in the province and David Conroy from St. Josephs Doora-Barefield who will receive the Munster intermediate hurler of the year accolade. This end of year function is one of the highlights of the Provincial council’s season and will be attended by officials from all counties in the Province. Ballyea’s selection as club of the year is fully merited and comes on the back of an historic season for the club when they won the Clare senior title for the very first …

SIXTEEN days before Christmas Day and nine months after the Cusack Cup started on March 19, the league, which consists of seven rounds before the top three are finalised, will conclude in Kilmihil on Friday evening. When referee John Hannon throws the ball in for the 2016 final, two fierce rivals will shorten the winter’s evening as they go in search of the cup, €2,000 in prize money for the victors from The Clare Champion and a winning conclusion to their footballing year. Kilmurry are seeking an unprecedented six in-a-row, a feat never achieved by any club. Kilmurry have won 10 Cusack Cups up to now, while Doonbeg have 14 on the sideboard but none since 1994. Kilmurry have enjoyed a superb year, winning their 14th senior championship and 13th U-21 title, while their minors and juniors also reached their respective county finals. The one downside to Kilmurry’s year was their 1-14 to 0-8 loss at home to Dr Crokes …

East Clare is to benefit from a state-of-the-art 4G IRFU standard indoor rugby pitch, the first of its kind in the county, after Scariff Rugby Club got the green light from Clare County Council to develop the playing facility. The only other pitch of its kind in the locality is the 3G pitch at the University of Limerick North Campus and the club said the development will benefit the entire community, as well as help grow its rugby base. Vice-president of Scariff Rugby Club Michael Madden outlined the club’s plans for the indoor facility. “It’ll be community based, so it will be available for everybody because we want to make it so that anyone can have the use of it. It will be the first of its kind in Clare. It’s the biggest shed you can build with internal structures, so it will be 40m by 20m and it will have a viewing stand going along by the pitch. There …

AS Sunday’s U-21A county football final nears, Kilmurry Ibrickane and Lissycasey are approaching with a common agenda, yet a vastly contrasting record at this level. While Lissycasey are seeking their first U-21A title, Kilmurry have already put 13 on their sideboard, although none since they completed five in-a-row in 2007. They were beaten in the 2008 replay by St Joseph’s Doora-Barefield. This weekend’s final in Corofin will represent Lissycasey’s third at this level, having won successive minor A championships in 2013 and 2014. They lost their previous U-21 finals to Kilmurry Ibrickane and Ennistymon. En route to the final, Lissycasey have beaten Cooraclare, reigning champions Éire Óg and Kilmihil/Shannon Gaels in last Friday’s semi-final. Kilmurry will field for the fifth successive weekend, having defeated Kilrush-Killimer, St Breckan’s (replay) and Ennistymon in the semi-final. Interestingly, in the three games that Kilmurry have won, the club they defeated scored 1-7. Most of these players participated in the 2013 minor A final, when …

Johnstownbridge, Kildare 1-10 Scariff-Ogonnelloe 1-9 There was heartbreak for Scariff-Ogonnelloe in this afternoon’s All-Ireland junior club camogie championship final at St. Brendans Park in Birr where they suffered a one point loss to the reigning champions, Johnstownbridge from Kildare. The value of experience was highlighted in this hard fought contest when the experience gained by the Kildare and Leinster champions over the past two years helped them to get over the line. Overall, they were marginally the better side but when the Clare girls review this tie, they will reflect on opportunities which were missed and which might have made the difference on the day. The teams swapped points three times in the opening quarter before Scariff-Ogonnelloe edged a point in front for the third time. Eight minutes from the half time whistle the holders and favourites struck a vital blow when Roisin O’Connell struck for their goal and this helped them to lead at the break on a scoreline …

Lissycasey and Kilmurry-Ibrickane will meet in the final of the 2016 Clare under 21 A football championship. A 1-12 to 1-7 win over Ennistymon at Corofin on this Saturday afternoon saw Kilmurry move a step closer to adding the under 21 A title to the senior crown they won last month. They had led by the minimum margin at half time when the score was 0-7 to 1-3. Lissycasey qualified for the final last evening, Friday) when they scored a 2-13 to 1-7 win over the Shannon Gaels/Kilmihil combination in a game played under lights at Cooraclare. Lissycasey laid the foundation for that win in the first half at the end of which they were ten points clear, 2-7 to 0-3, the goals coming from Padraig McNamara and Aaron Griffin. The final is a repeat of the minor A final of three years ago, a game won by Lissycasey by the minimum margin. Two competitions remain to be completed and …

SCARIFF-Ogonnelloe full-back Marian O’Brien started out the season taking charge of the strength and conditioning programme for the team. Having retired from competitive camogie three years ago, she had no intention of returning as a player. A community sports development officer by occupation, she ended up playing when the team was short of players. Now she’s goiong to line out in an All-Ireland final. “It’s great and I am loving it. I never thought we would be back in another All-Ireland final. We started in January with a focus on what we wanted to achieve. We have worked very hard; a massive commitment, which has brought us this far. We have a good fitness level and a good strength and conditioning level. We are now concentrating on our skill level ahead of the final,” she said. An All-Star nominee in 2013, O’Brien won senior shield, intermediate and league titles in 2013, All-Ireland Sevens in the same year and was part …

SUPPORTERS of Scariff-Ogonnelloe Camogie Club will travel to St Brendan’s Park in Birr on Sunday hoping to see their team go a step further than in 2013, when they compete in the All-Ireland Junior Camogie Club Championship final. Leinster champions will again provide the opposition and this time Johnstownbridge stand between them and the All-Ireland title. Three years ago, Myshall from Carlow proved too strong for the Clare side. Johnstownbridge will carry the favourites’ tag, as they are the defending champions but Scariff-Ogonnelloe have shown impressive form all season and their supporters are confident that the Clare girls will give a good account of themselves in Sunday’s game, which throws in at 2pm. In the semi-final two weeks ago, the Clare intermediate champions recorded a facile win over the Ulster champions, Ballysaran, and they will have learned little from that outing. Johnstownbridge, on the other hand, had to fight all the way for victory in their match against a strong …

Ballyea 1-21 Glen Rovers 2-10 A truly outstanding performance by Ballyea brought an end to a sixteen year wait when the first time Clare senior hurling champions added the Munster title to their roll of honour at Semple stadium in Thurles this afternoon Their fully merited eight point win over Glen Rovers from Cork saw them become the first Clare club since Sixmilebridge in 2000 to bring the Munster club title back to Clare. rechampion.ie”);There will be no arguments about the merit of their victory as they dominated this contest, played before an official attendance of 4,583, from the early minutes. Yes, Glen Rovers did enjoy a period of dominance in the early minutes of the second half when they hit 2-1 inside seven minutes but three points was as close as they got to the Clare champions who bounced back with some great points before dominating the closing ten minutes when they outscored their opponents, 0-7 to …

AT this time of year, Robbie Hogan would normally be spending his Sunday afternoons at home watching the club games on TV and aspiring that some day Ballyea would be in that position. Well, now they are. “In fairness, while it’s a bit surreal, it’s all happening so fast the last few weeks. You win something and there is another challenge put in front of you straight away. I have to be honest and say that preparing for a Munster final as the end of November approaches wasn’t on my mind when we set out at the start of the year.” How did he find himself in the position of senior team manager with Ballyea? “I got a call from Michael Keane [club chairman at the time] five years ago. Tom Ryan was coming from Limerick at the time and Michael said it’s a great opportunity to see how these fellas work. Tom came and went and myself and Reggie …

HAIL the Comeback Kings! Ballyea’s fairy tale run to capture their first Canon Hamilton trophy and qualify for their maiden Munster club final has been fashioned with some unbelievable comebacks when all seemed lost. Having lost their first-round clash with Éire Óg, Ballyea had to win the rest of their games to remain in contention for a place in the knock-out stages. This was in sharp contrast to 2015, when the men in black and amber won their first two outings and advanced straight through to a quarter-final. Now in his third year as club chairman, Pat Moylan acknowledged that his charges have produced some extraordinary fight-backs this year during the championship, which culminated in an amazing late flourish to force extra time against Tipperary kingpins Thurles Sarsfields before registering a memorable two-point win. “Ballyea went seven points down against Crusheen early on in that game. The lads dug deep and ground out a result. They did the same against …

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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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