Tag Archives: Conor Cleary

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 …

This week’s Clare Champion includes a very special, 16-page souvenir supplement to mark Clare’s success in the All-Ireland Hurling Final. In this supplement we talk to Tony Kelly, Brian Lohan, Shane O’Donnell, John Conlon, Conor Cleary, Cathal Malone, Eibhear Quilligan, Brendan Bugler, Pat O’Donnell, Tommy Corbett, Deirdre Murphy, Davy Fitzgerald and many more. We also have all the colour from before, during and after the game, the excitement from the homecoming events on Monday night and a souvenir team poster. This collector’s item is in the shops now. Below, Eoin Brennan chats to Conor Cleary. A recurrence of last year’s dislocated shoulder injury ensured that Conor Cleary would have to chew his nails on the sidelines for extra-time just like the thousands of Banner supporters in Croke Park. It was exceeding tense by that stage but despite a very auspicious treatment table of National League winning captain Cleary, Shane O’Donnell, Diarmuid Ryan and Mark Rodgers, a resilient and reshuffled pack …

There’s no doubt about who the top three hurling teams in the country are as Limerick, Clare and Kilkenny have consistently reached the All-Ireland Semi-Final stage since the most equitable means of deciding the Liam MacCarthy winners, the provincial round-robin series, returned in 2022. There’s also no debate about which of the triumvirate is currently on top as Limerick are bidding for a historic five-in-a-row of All-Ireland that even Kilkenny themselves in their pomp couldn’t quite achieve. And let’s be honest, while Clare supporters can legitimately put a strong case forward based on mere results against John Kiely’s side that Clare are the closest to their Shannonside neighbours, heretofore the last two All-Ireland Semi-Final showdowns between Clare and Kilkenny have told a much differing tale. Consequently, it’s effectively a do-or-die final part of the trilogy in Croke Park this Saturday (3pm) as Clare either need to finally prove themselves on the national stage or else accept that they are third …

It’s a situation that few expected the county to be in, an hour away from a fourth successive provincial U-21 title. Having tasted defeat in 13 Munster deciders, Clare finally made the breakthrough in 2009, when they went on to add the All-Ireland crown. They have repeated this achievement in the last three years and are now just one win away from a record fourth successive title. Waterford came to Ennis as hot favourites to end Clare’s reign as champions. However, a magnificent display from a new-look Banner saw them emerge with a two-point win, 0-23 to 1-18. It was a similar situation for Limerick 24 hours later, as they went into their semi-final against Tipperary as underdogs. They too produced a very impressive display, however and at one stage, they were 14 points clear and coasting. Tipperary fought back to level and this rally, together with Limerick having centre-back Barry O’Connell harshly sent off on a second yellow card, …

Miltown Malbay’s Conor Cleary is honoured to have been appointed as the U-21 hurling captain but the focus, he says, is very much on Limerick and this Thursday’s Munster final. “It’s all about the game. It is a great honour to be captain and a massive one to get but all the focus is on Limerick. We have seen how impressive they were against Tipperary and how hungry they were. We know the challenge that is ahead of us and we know it’s going to be a very tough game and we will have to be on top of our game if we are going to compete with them,” he told The Clare Champion. “We have been very lucky with the coaches we have had at U-14, U-16 and minor and then at U-21 with Donal Moloney, Gerry O’Connor and Paul Kinnerk, who have had a great management structure going for the last few years. We are very lucky with …