There will be a special meeting  of Clare GAA in two weeks time (Tuesday September 27) when reports from the outgoing hurling and football team managers will be presented. This decision was arrived at when delegates attended the October meeting of the board at Clare GAA’s centre of excellence in Caherlohan this Tuesday evening. It had been expected that a number of inter county team managements for 2017 would be put before the meeting for ratification but chairman Joe Cooney explained that they weren’t in a position to propose any management team but he hoped to have proposals for the October meeting. “We haven’t got to meet the senior football manager but he contacted me last night and we will be meeting later this week. We have met with the outgoing hurling manager and he  has still to make a final decision”, the chairman explained. Clonlara’s Flan Mullane pointed out that “as per a motion from Eire Og passed last …

The Clare senior football champions of the past two years, Miltown St. Josephs who are the current title holders and Cratloe, will meet in the 2016 semi-final. They were the first two teams drawn when the semi-final draw took place at Clare GAA headquarters on Monday evening. This means that the other semi-final willsee last year’s finalists, Cooraclare, take on either Kilmurry-Ibrickane or Lissycasey whose quarter final tie scheduled for Saturday last was cancelled due to the search for missing Lissycasey man David McMahon. The semi-finals are set to be played on Saturday and Sunday week. Meanwhile, the pairings for the quarter finals of the junior A football championship were also decided and they are Kilmurry-Ibrickane v Killimer, Naomh Eoin v Ballyvaughan, Michael Cusacks v Cooraclare and Clooney-Quin v Meelick. These games will also be played on Saturday and Sunday week By Seamus Hayes

FOLLOWING Saturday afternoons intermediate football semi-finals, Kilfenora and Kildysart qualified for the final. Kilfenora scored a 2-9 to 0-5 win over Shannon Gaels with the Malone brothers, Killian and Aidan scoring the goals. Kildysart won it 3-7 to 0-11, having trailed 0-7 to 0-3 at half-time against Kilmihil but second half goals from Neil O’Connor, Ger Kelly and Damien Hill won it for the men in blue. Kilmihil kicked nine first half wides and had corner back Allyn Dalton red carded eight minutes into the second half. The junior B football final will have to be replayed following a draw between Banner (1-8) and Wolfe Tones (3-2). On Sunday at 12.30pm in Doonbeg, reigning county champions Miltown will play Clondegad in the first of three senior football championship quarter-finals, followed by Cratloe v Ennistymon in Cusack Park and Doonbeg v Cooraclare in Kilmihil. The latter game will be preceded by the relegation final in which 21 time county champions Kilrush …

DAVY Fitzgerald is expected to continue as manager of the Clare senior hurling team for another year. After a four-month break, Clare GAA will hold a county board meeting next Tuesday at their meeting room in Caherlohan where, it is expected, a number of inter-county team managements for the coming season will be appointed. Whether or not Fitzgerald would seek another term in charge of the senior hurlers has been a topic of discussion since the team bowed out of the championship in July. Fitzgerald, who spent some time in hospital in the lead-up to Clare’s game with Galway, has said on a number of occasions since then that he will take time to decide on his future. He did attend a number of the club championship games last weekend, as did selectors Louis Mulqueen and Michael Browne. The expectation is that he will seek to continue as team manager. After leading Clare to the All-Ireland title in 2013 in …

The quarter final pairings in the senior, intermediate and junior A hurling championships were decided this Monday evening at Clare GAA headquarters in Clareabbey. With senior title holders Sixmilebridge out of the race, there will be a new home for the Canon Hamilton trophy at the end of the season and each of the eight teams remaining will fancy their chances of success. The pairings for the quarter finals which will go ahead on Saturday and Sunday week are Eire Og v Cratloe; Clonlara v Tulla; Crusheen v Ballyea and Feakle v Wolfe Tones. In the senior B championship the semi-final pairings are O’Callaghans Mills v Clarecastle and Sixmilebridge v Clooney-Quin. The quarter final pairings in the intermediate championship are Broadford v Scariff; Cratloe v Sixmilebridge; Smith O’Briens v St. Josephs and Parteen v Tubber. In the junior A championship the quarter finals games will see Sixmilebridge play Ennistymon, Bodyke play Ballyea, Ogonnelloe take on Meelick and Broadford tackle Kilmaley. …

The shock results in the 2016 Clare senior hurling championship continued on this Sunday afternoon as the defending champions, Sixmilebridge were knocked out of the title race by their neighbours Wolfe Tones, last year’s intermediate winners. The margin of victory was only a point (2-13 to 0-18) but the Shannon side were deserving of their success as they showed the greater hunger for success throughout the contest. Inter county players Aron Shanagher and Aaron Cunningham were the goalscorers on a day when the winners were  two points clear at half time, 1-8 to 0-9, Shanagher’s goal having come just on the half hour mark. With the lead back to a point Cunningham struck for his goal nine minutes into the second half and while the title holders replied with a couple of great points, the closest they got to the winners was a point. In the opening game at Cusack Park, Cratloe booked their place in the quarter finals when …

Shock results continued in the Clare senior hurling championship this Saturday afternoon as Tulla secured a quarter final spot while both Inagh-Kilnamona and Whitegate secured their senior status for next season when they overcame Newmarket and Kilmaley respectively. All three winners went into their games this Saturday afternoon as underdogs. Having two players sent off and the loss of a further two to injury proved too much for a fancied OCallaghans Mills who had to give best to their neighbours Tulla at Cusack Park. Tulla had a dream start with a superb goal from Darragh Corry in the opening minute but a like score from Michael McGrath in the eighth minute had the Mills in front and they went on to open a three point gap by the end of the opening quarter. Tulla hit back and were one in front as half time approached when the Mills were reduced to fourteen men as Aidan O’Gorman was shown a red …

Clare 3-14 Tipperary 2-16 THE Clare lady footballers will contest the intermediate All-Ireland final in Croke Park on September 25 following a sensational semi-final win over Tipperary in Limerick on Saturday afternoon. At the end of a dramatic hours football, with both teams executing superb scores and exceptional instances of skill and bravery, Clare overturned their Munster final defeat to Tipperary. Two magnificent Niamh O’Dea goals, late in the first half, helped Clare into 2-7 to 1-9 lead, while an early Niamh Keane goal after half-time, was also vital. Twelve minutes from time, Clare goalkeeper Emma O’Driscoll made a critical save from Tipperary’s Orla O’Dwyer. Tipperary led 2-14 to 3-10 at the time and from the clearance, Niamh O’Dea pointed Clare level. The Kilfenora girl also kicked the winning score, two minutes from the end of normal time. The score was brilliantly executed by O’Dea but it was made by a Niamh Keane run, in which she held off three …

CLARE GAA County Board chairman Joe Cooney will meet with senior hurling manager Davy Fitzgerald in the coming days, to find out if the Sixmilebridge man intends staying in his post for 2017. Speaking on RTÉ Radio’s Documentary on One last Saturday, Fitzgerald said he was unsure if he wanted to manage Clare for a sixth successive season. “I honestly don’t know what I want to do,” he told documentary maker Máire Treasa Ní Cheallaigh. “Last year I knew 100% what I wanted to do. I could stay with Clare, I could take a year out. I could see myself managing someone else because I love hurling so much and want to do something different and help someone different. I’m a bit confused at the moment.” Speaking to The Clare Champion on Tuesday, Joe Cooney confirmed that talks are due to take place. “Davy has another year on his contract. I will be talking to him over the next number …

One hundred and forty scores were registered this Friday evening as the four minor A hurling championship quarter finals provided lots of entertainment. There will be new title holders this year after champions Broadford/Smith O’Briens were beaten by Clarecastle, the magpies winning on a final scoreline of 1-16 to 1-13. Extra time was needed in one of the games and here a fancied Bodyke/O’Callaghans Mills suffered a one point loss to St. Josephs Doora -Barefield who won on a final scoreline of 5-14 to 3-19. Inagh-Kilnamona travelled to Sixmilebridge and justified favouritism when winning on a scoreline of 0-21 to 2-10 while, in the remaining game, Kilmaley justified their rating as favourites with a 2-19 to 1-13 win over Cratloe. The semi-finals will be played next weekend and the pairings will be decided on Monday night. Meanwhile there was a round of games in the group stage in the minor B championships. Crusheen-Tuber continued their impressive form with a 5-22 …

Clare senior football champions Miltown St. Josephs will play Clondegad in the quarter final of the championship. Miltown’s predecessors as county champions, Cratloe will face Ennistymon in a quarter final tie while last year’s beaten finalists Cooraclare will face their neighbours and great rivals Doonbeg. In the remaining quarter final, Kilmurry-Ibrickane will take on Lissycasey. The draw for the semi-finals of the senior B championship were also made and here West Clare neighbours O’Currys and St. Senans Kilkee will meet for the second time this season (Kilkee won the earlier meetin by the minimum margin) while Wolfe Tones will come up against St. Breckans The games will take place on Saturday and Sunday week, September 10 and 11 when the semi-finals in the intermediate championship will also take place. There is still one round of games to be played in the junior A championship in group 1 before the quarter finals can take place. Ballyvaughan play Kilmurry-Ibrickane in a game …

The way is clear for the knock out stage of the four adult football championships. Clondegad and Ennistymon claimed the final two quarter final spots in the race for the Jack Daly (senior) cup with wins over St. Senans Kilkee and St. Breckans respectively. Clondegad had a runaway victory over the West Clare outfit early this Sunday afternoon (6-16 to 0-7) while Ennistymon were made work hard for their place in the quarter finals when they faced their North Clare neighbours St. Breckans at county headquarters in Cusack Park on Sunday evening. Ennistymon won on a 1-17 to 1-13 scoreline. Lissycasey and Cooraclare had booked their places in the last eight yesterday while already through following the second round of the competition were Doonbeg, Kilmurry-Ibrickane, Cratloe and title holders Miltown St. Josephs The semi-final line up in the intermediate championship will see Kilfenora take on Shannon Gaels and Kilmihil face Kildysart. Kilmihil sealed top spot in their group when they …

Two senior quarter finalists, two intermediate semi-finalists, one junior A quarter finalist and a junior B finalist in the football championships have all been confirmed after this Saturday’s action. Cooraclare and Lissycasey advanced to the last eight in the race for the Jack Daly cup (senior championship) where they join Cratloe, Doonbeg, Kilmurry-Ibrickane and title holders Miltown St. Josephs who had secured their last eight places two weeks ago. the remaining two quarter finalists will be decided this Sunday Lissycasey overcame the disadvantage of being a player short for the second half which they dominated against O’Curry’s at Cooraclare. Ahead by 1-4 to 0-4 at half time, the goal coming from Cathal Doohan, they dominated the second half when they outscored their opponents, 0-10 to 0-1 to reverse the result from the same stage last year when O’Currys were one point winners. A strong first half showing helped Cooraclare to their win over Wolfe Tones. Last year’s beaten finalists were …

A MEMBER of Cullaun Sailing Club in Kilkishen Margaret Hynes is riding the crest of a wave after she teamed up with her son, Sean to take a podium place at the Wayfarer World Championships in the Netherlands. The Ennis woman, who now lives in County Limerick and has decades of experience on the water, celebrated a third-place finish (Silver Fleet) with 17-year-old son as crew at the championships in Holland. A Wayfarer is a sailing dinghy approximately 16ft in length and known for its durability and versatility. In June of this year, Margaret was helm and Kilkishen’s Mike Hayes the crew as their vessel, Seadhna, won the National Wayfarer Championships in Cavan, thus securing their participation at the world event on the Heegermeer in Frisesland, a prime Dutch sailing destination. “Sean, who attends Ard Soil Rís, was one of the youngest crews there and I suppose another unusual thing was that I was one of only four women helms out …

IS the public perception of Davy Fitzgerald very different to who he really is? RTÉ Radio ONE’s Documentary on One had unique access to follow Clare’s 2016 hurling year and experience it through Davy’s eyes. So much has been said and written about Davy Fitzgerald. All Ireland winning manager, player, All Star awards, he’s done it all. As a manager, he brought Waterford to an All Ireland final in 2008, their first appearance in the final since 1963. After leaving Waterford he took on the Clare management job in 2011. Within two years, he brought the Liam MacCarthy cup back to the Banner for the fourth time, this time as a manager. The previous two times the trophy made its way to Clare were in the 1990s when, as the goalkeeper, he captured the imagination of the country. The documentary is a project that began as the summer of 2015 drew to a close. Clare were knocked out of the championship …