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Senior Hurling Final - Eire Og v Ballyea

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Gallagher: “The Well Is Now Dry”

Derrick Lynch Treasurer of Clare GAA Michael Gallagher has reiterated his warning about the finances of the board being in an extremely difficult position ahead of the coming year. The Doonbeg clubman addressed delegates at this week’s online convention in which he detailed the challenges facing the board and the realities that must be faced if a turn in fortunes is to be achieved. He likened the boards finances to a well, and stated that “the well is now dry, and it is up to each of us sitting around our computer screens this evening to take on the stark task of replenishing it”. This years accounts show that Clare GAA is carrying a deficit of close to €500,000 with that figure including a loss of almost €200,000 on the sale of part of the land purchased for the Caherlohan Centre of Excellence. Mr Gallagher addressed that issue and detailed that approximately 47 acres were purchased in April 2005 at …

Outgoing chairman of Clare GAA Joe Cooney has been praised as being a “tireless worker” for the Association in the county as his term of offices came to an end. The O’Callaghan’s Mills clubman oversaw his fifth and final Convention in the chair this week, having taken over the reins in 2016. In total, he has spent a decade on the executive having been elected as vice-chair in 2010. Several delegates put their thanks for his work on the record, with fellow clubman Neil O’Brien outlining his hopes that he would continue to be involved in some capacity with Clare GAA. Secretary Pat Fitzgerald also paid tribute to Mr Cooney, and praised the “enormous work” he had done. He said that he was always available day or night, and that whatever was needed to be done was always done. He thanked him for always being courteous to “me and my family”, and said that he could best be summed up …

Derrick Lynch Secretary of Clare GAA Pat Fitzgerald has hinted that his current contract for the position runs until 2023. It came after a query from Eire Óg delegate and former intercounty referee Rory Hickey, with the secretary stating that “my first contract was in 2009, my second was in 2016 so you can work it out yourself from there”. Hickey’s query was a follow up from an initial discussion on a motion from Tulla GAA club, in which they asked “that all future nomination papers include a full list of current positions, including names, and reasons, if any, why any particular position may not be nominated”. Tulla delegate Brian Torpey asked why the secretary role was not on the nomination papers, with chairman Joe Cooney outlining that some positions are not voted on, and are picked by the county committee and officers later on. Mr Torpey stated that he had asked the question at two previous Conventions, and was …

Clare GAA has a new chairman after Cratloe’s Jack Chaplin was elected to the position at the 2020 Annual Convention. In what is his first appointment to the executive, he overcame PJ McGuane in the race for the position with 116 of the votes, with McGuane picking up 67. Kieran Keating of Naomh Eoin is the new vice chairman with 92 votes, beating Neil O’Brien (62), Niall Romer (16) and Michael Maher (12). The Munster Council delegates will be Bernard Keane and John Fawl, with both men edging out Niall Gilligan in the race for the two spots. Michael Lee (Tubber) and Naoise Jordan (Parteen) will serve as the joint Presidents after agreeing to share the position. Anne Hayes (Vice-Secretary), Michael Gallagher (Treasurer), Tony Brohan (Vice-Treasurer) and Michael O’Connor (PRO) were all returned unopposed, while Pat Fitzgerald continues as secretary. The meeting saw Joe Cooney’s five year term as chairman come to an end.

Munster MFC Quarter-Final: Clare 1-24 Tipperary 1-4 Not even an impromptu fireworks display could distract Clare in Semple Stadium as the young Banner men booked a Munster semi final spot with a sparkling performance. It was a brilliant display by Clare with disciplined tackling, strong support play and greater intensity being the key ingredients for the winners. Clare flew out of the blocks to lead 0-7 to 0-1 at the opening water break with that advantage thanks mainly to their dominance around the middle third. Brian McNamara was to the fore as he continually interrupted the Tipperary restart which Clare used as the foundation to build that lead. There were goal chances too, with Clare’s opening point from Dara Nagle just flashing over the crossbar. It kickstarted a run of six unanswered scores with Nagle, Craig Riordan and Diarmuid Fahy notching a brace each while Cillian McGroary kicked an excellent point from distance. A potential hammer blow arrived midway through …

Derrick Lynch 2020 might have been a year when we learned to expect the unexpected, but in the Rouine household, one very familiar pattern continued. When Clare take to the field on Saturday for the Munster minor football quarter final against Tipperary, it will be Brendan Rouine who leads out the Banner charges as he becomes the latest member of the clan to captain his county. The promising young Ennistymon man will follow in the footsteps of his brother Cillian, who captained Clare two years ago, while his father Brendan “Beano” Rouine also had the honour of captain the Clare senior side during his time in the county jersey. Beano also won a Munster championship in 1992 while current Clare minor manager Dermot Coughlan was also part of that squad. He admits that the experience gained by both Cillian and his father is invaluable to draw on as they look forward to getting the year underway. “We are really excited …

Derrick Lynch Aaron Fitzgerald has joined up with the Clare senior hurlers for the 2021 season, and will not feature with the football squad next year. The Eire Óg dual club star had an eye catching campaign for the Townies in this year’s club championship and was one of the standout performers as they went all the way to the last four before being narrowly beaten by eventual champions Sixmilebridge. It is understood Fitzgerald has now linked up with Brian Lohan’s squad for the coming year, having missed out on much of 2020 as he recovered from a knee injury. He made his return in the Autumn as he lined out in Clare’s final two National League games but did not feature in the Banner’s championship loss to Tipperary.

Derrick Lynch Clare GAA’s accounts to be presented at next week’s annual Convention have revealed a deficit for the year of close to €500,000. It marks a turnaround of almost €750,000 with a €250,000 surplus being announced at the 2019 Convention. In his report, accounts auditor Anthony Fitzpatrick, called for a root and branch review of the boards finances in order to maximise its cash inflows and minimise costs. He also warned that the very survival of the board is at stake and suggested that creditors need to be made aware of the situation. He felt the audit committee must take the lead in that process which he described as “essential and critical”. Mr Fitzpatrick also stated that the “audit committee and team managements must be commended for working closely and effectively in coordinating their efforts to measure income and control costs in a very demanding and challenging climate”. A total loss for the year of €478,359 in the accounts …

Derrick Lynch A decision on the shape of the 2021 GAA calendar is expected to be made in the coming weeks with the Association likely to be guided by the ever changing public health advice. It is understood that the proposal to play the intercounty season in the second half of the year is being considered, with hopes that crowds may be able to return to stadiums by the summer of 2021. The GAA’s Management Committee are set to meet in the coming days to discuss their plans, and it is likely that the preseason competitions for 2021, including the Munster League and McGrath Cup, will be sidelined. The 2021 National Leagues were pencilled in to start at the end of February but it now remains to be seen if those plans will be shelved. It is understood that the GAA are also considering running the leagues on a regionalised basis in order to reduce the amount of travel involved, …

Derrick Lynch Ailish Considine is Australia bound in the coming week as she prepares to link up once more with her Adelaide Crows teammates for the 2021 AFLW season. The Kilmihil woman first signed for the Crows in 2018 after taking part in the Crosscoders International Rookie camp. She enjoyed immediate success with victory in the 2019 Grand Final, with the former Clare ladies football star kicking a first quarter goal en route to the title. The outbreak of Covid-19 earlier this year saw her return home to West Clare, but the continued uncertainty surrounding the spread of the virus meant that her planned return down under was put on hold. She is now due to head back to Adelaide on December 8 but while she will reach her destination in plenty time for Christmas, quarantine rules mean that she will spend the big day in a hotel room with her isolation period not due to expire until December 26. …

Derrick Lynch The 2020 Annual Convention of Clare Camogie will held virtually on Monday night next, with just one position on the executive set to be decided by election. Marie Louise Kaiser is stepping down as secretary of the board, with two names in the hat to succeed the Newmarket-on-Fergus clubwoman in the role. Ann Sanz of Banner and Ciaran Sheehan of Tulla are seeking election to the position with the result set to be announced on the night. All other officers are expected to be returned to their positions unopposed, with Cratloe’s Joe O’Donnell continuing for another term as chairman. In his address to this year’s Convention, he reflected on the fact that 2020 had begun in a positive manner for Clare camogie with some great wins in the National League for the senior and junior sides, while the Munster final victory for the minor squad was also a highlight of the year. He outlined that the outbreak of …

Derrick Lynch 21 motions will be debated by clubs at this year’s annual Convention of Clare GAA which will be held virtually on December 15. A directive in recent weeks from Croke Park urged clubs and county boards not to submit motions of a contentious nature for discussion at this time, given that debate online would be of a limited nature. None of the motions for this year’s Convention relate to league or championship structures, with that issue set to be debated at a later date when the annual structures meeting is held. New formats for both the hurling and football championships are on the cards after the decision not to relegate any teams in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic potentially having an impact on player availability. Tulla GAA club have submitted the largest number of motions for discussion, including that “Clare GAA set up an independent body to look at how our underage hurling development squad system is …

Derrick Lynch Clare’s 2020 Munster minor football campaign is finally set to get underway in the coming weeks. It emerged on Tuesday evening that the GAA had been given the green light to resume action at the minor and U-20 grades following the implementation of Level 3 restrictions. All activity at those levels had been suspended since the country entered lockdown in late October, just days before Clare were due to begin their Munster minor football campaign against Tipperary. That game now looks set to be played within the next two weeks with Munster GAA understood to be holding a meeting on Wednesday evening to finalise a fixture schedule. It is believed that some of the games could be played on weekday evenings under lights, with Clare potentially beginning their campaign on the weekend of December 11. The squad are understood to have returned to training this week. Clare are due to travel to take on Tipperary in Semple Stadium …

Derrick Lynch One of Clare football’s longest serving stalwarts has called time on his intercounty career. Miltown’s Gordon Kelly has announced that he has retired his county jersey after 15 years of service to the cause. He made his debut during the 2006 season after being called into the panel by joint managers Donie Buckley and Michael Brennan. Kelly, who captained Clare during that time, outlined that wanting to spend more time with his family was one of the main factors in his decision to step back. “I was looking at the fact that I am 38 next year but a lot of it comes back to family reasons too. I have a wife and two young children which takes up a lot of time. When you are playing both club and county, you are looking at a 10 or 11 month long season and it is unfair on your family to be gone that amount of time so I …

Derrick Lynch All Ireland Ladies Intermediate Football Semi Final: Meath 4-13 Clare 0-4 2020 came to an end for the Clare ladies footballers on a day when it was clear that their quota of luck had been used up in reaching this stage. Events on the final day of the group campaign had seen the Banner navigate the most unlikely path to the last four, but while it might have been a case of bonus territory, there will still be a sense of regret at the opportunity lost. In the lead up to the game, the focus was on producing a performance, but on a day when nothing seemed to go to plan, it will be that, rather than the result, that will be the biggest disappointment. The other side of the coin is that Clare simply met a more experienced and powerful opponent who were streets ahead in terms of their development curve, with their defeats in the last …

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Tones just shade 12 goal thriller

Minor C Camogie Championship Final Wolfe Tones 6-13 Parteen-Meelick 6-10 Wolfe Tones definitely earned their Minor C Camogie Championship breakthrough, having been tested to their optimum by a never-say-die Parteen-Meelick in what was a truly memorable decider in Fr. McNamara on Wednesday evening, Sharing twelve goals equally, supporters were not only afraid to take their eyes off it but even fearful of blinking in case they missed a goal. It was a compelling end-to-end contest that proved a superb advertisement for Clare Camogie as the standard on offer far exceeded expectations as both sides left everything out on the field in pursuit of some much-needed silverware. And yet considering the final scoreline, it’s perhaps difficult to believe that there were no goals at all until additional time in the first half. Indeed, injury-time in general appeared to ignite something special in these sides as seven of the twelve goals were scored in those added minutes, five of which arrived amidst …
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Can the real Inagh-Kilnamona please stand up?
Group of Death comes alive
Intermediate predictability dashed by compelling Group 4
Blues complete unprecedented clean sweep of underage honours

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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