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Tag Archives: Clare football

Kilkee GAA pays tribute to John Lynch

THIS Saturday night in the Stella Maris Hotel, St Senan’s GAA Club, Kilkee will host a tribute night to John Lynch. Originally from Moveen, the now retired Kilkee club secretary filled that role for 41 years from 1971. This week, The Clare Champion met with John, who still sells club lotto tickets 52 weeks of the year. He was joined by his successor Diarmuid Keane, club chairman Christy Kirwan and three-time championship winner Noel Roche, who also represented Ireland in the Compromise Rules in the 1980s. Their admiration and respect for John was clear as they listened to him reflect on more than four decades at the epicentre of Kilkee GAA. “I came into town in 1961 and met my life partner, Mary. We married in ’61. I was working as a tradesman and I was thankful to the people of the parish for giving me the work. I didn’t have to emigrate,” John explained. A former O’Curry’s footballer, it …

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Delooze returning to Oz

The Clare senior footballers will have a new strength and conditioning coach for 2016. Chris Delooze, who has filled the role for the past two seasons, is returning to his native Australia and has announced that he will not be available. This leaves manager Colm Collins with the task of appointing a completely new management team, as 2015 coach Ephie Fitzgerald announced some time ago that he will not be seeking a second term, while selector Ger Keane has stepped down after three years in that role. While Collins has yet to name a new backroom team, speculation is rife that Miltown St Joseph’s clubman David O’Brien will be included. By Seamus Hayes, sports editor

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Widespread shock at sudden death of Pat Cotter

News of the sudden death of Doonbeg native, Pat Cotter has caused widespread shock throughout the county. A former priest in the diocese, the 69-year-old retired from ministry a decade ago. Particularly well-known in Gaelic football circles, he won six senior championship medals with his beloved Doonbeg, being part of the three-in-a-row teams in 1967, 1968 and 1969 and again in 1972, ‘73 and ‘74. He also won six Cusack Cup medals. He played at all levels for Clare and served as a mentor with a number of Clare teams, including the senior football side. He served as a Munster Railway Cup selector. He played football with Maynooth College and he played with Wolfe Tones, when he was based in Shannon for a spell. His love of football and, particularly, Clare football was reflected in his involvement in various committees that worked to promote the game. He served on the Clare Football Support Group, which raised funds that led to …

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Footballers exit championship after very disappointing display

Longford 2-12 Clare 1-12 THE Clare footballers exited the All-Ireland qualifiers following a very disappointing loss to Longford in Cusack Park on Saturday evening. The kicking of 12 wides was a huge factor in Clare’s demise. However they also made poor decisions on the ball, conceded scoreable frees and generally did not look as sharp as Longford, who were slicker and much more economical in possession. Following a season of progress in 2014, where they won promotion and played five championship games, 2015 will go down as a year in which Clare stood still, albeit they did retain their division 3 status. However championship wise, while they beat Limerick in Ennis, they have since lost heavily to Cork and now at home to Longford. Jack Sheedy’s team were reduced to 14 men when Diarmuid Masterson was sent off on a second yellow card 12 minutes from time but the extra man seemed to make no discernible difference. Dessie Reynold’s second …

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Russell – ‘A lot of progress being made’

ALTHOUGH no longer a member of the inter-county senior football squad, Kilkee’s David Russell continues to play a big role in the development of the game in Clare. Last year he coached Naomh Eoin from the Loop Head peninsula to the Clare Junior Football Championship title and he continues to be in charge of that club as they prepare for this season’s intermediate title race. In addition, he remains a vital player with his beloved St Senan’s, who are challenging strongly to win promotion from Division 3 of the league. Having been a key player in the Clare senior football team for well over a decade, Russell called time on his inter-county career two seasons ago but continues to follow the fortunes of the side and is eagerly looking forward to the team’s clash with Cork. “A lot of progress is being made and keeping Division 3 league status was a massive boost to all, young and old. Getting a …

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Brennan rues the slings and arrows

WHEN a sports person breaks a collarbone, they generally leave it to the professionals to guide them in their recovery. It can get a bit tricky, though, if the sports man nursing a collarbone injury is also a physiotherapist. Clare and Clondegad footballer Shane Brennan earns his living as a physiotherapist. Self-employed at the Clareabbey Primary Health Centre in Clarecastle and working part-time for the HSE, he’s the man to talk to if you break your collarbone. He’s probably not the man to treat you though when he has a broken collarbone himself. “A little bit of knowledge is an awful thing. I would be more aware of certain aches and pains and what they might mean. That leads to me asking a few more questions. I was up with my consultant the other day and I’d say I drove him mad asking questions,” Brennan was honest enough to admit. He broke his right collarbone playing for Clare against Limerick …

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Injury-hit Clare can compete with Cork

IN recent weeks, Clare football supporters have had to brush up on their knowledge of cruciates, dislocations, groins and shoulders, such has been the spate of injuries that have afflicted the county team. Clare were without key players David Tubridy, Shane McGrath and Enda Coughlan for their two-point win over Limerick three weeks ago, while during that game Shane Brennan, brother of team captain Gary, left the field with a collar bone injury, which will sideline him on Sunday. The bulletins have not been great since then either. Podge Collins snapped his cruciate playing club hurling for Cratloe against Ballyea last Saturday week in Cusack Park and his absence leaves a huge void in the Clare attack. If Tubridy, McGrath and Coughlan are still not match fit, the collective injuries leave Clare with significantly depleted options in attack. Kilmihil’s Martin O’Leary, who plays hurling for Ballyea, dislocated his shoulder against Cratloe and is also out this weekend. On the plus …

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Double whammy for Clare footballers

Clare senior football manager Colm Collins received a double whammy at the weekend with news that both Podge Collins and Martin O’Leary will be injury absentees for the county’s Munster senior football semi-final clash with Cork the weekend after next. Podge Collins was forced to retire 15 minutes into Cratloe’s opening game defence of the Canon Hamilton Cup against Ballyea on Saturday evening. He sustained a cruciate knee ligament injury and had his worse fears confirmed as regards the seriousness of the injury following a scan in Dublin on Sunday. The 23 year-old talisman had decided to throw in his lot with the Clare footballers this year who are managed by his father Colm. The news is that he may be out for the rest of the season as he faces reconstructive surgery followed by a prolonged period of rehabilitation. Given that scenario it’s unlikely that he will return to competitive action again this year. In fact, Podge Collins had …

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