THE Clare hurlers are set to begin their National League campaign on the weekend of May 8/9, while the county’s footballers will return to action the following weekend, according to the GAA fixture calendar released today. Intercounty teams are to resume training on April 19, and the football league will see a regionalised format this year, with Clare facing Cork, Laois and Kildare in Division 2 South. They will begin with an away tie against Kildare. After the action begins the hurlers will have five league games, but the competition will not have a specific final this year, with the winners of Divisions 1A and 1B being joint winners, or if they meet in the championship, this will double as a final. As in 2020 the Munster and Leinster hurling championships will be knock out, with a back door qualifier system. The football championship will be knock out, with no qualifier system. Both the football and hurling championships will get …
Read More »Collins commits to Clare footballers for eighth consecutive season
COLM Collins said he thought “long and hard” before committing to a return as Clare senior football manager for another season. Collins confirmed this week that he would be staying on in the role that has seen him lift Clare from division four to division two and to the brink of a place in football’s top tier. It means an eighth year at the helm for the Cratloe man since succeeding Mick O’Dwyer, making Collins the longest serving manager with the same county in Gaelic football. Clare’s preparations for a season unlikely to have a definitive roadmap for weeks to come are at a very early stage. Collective training is not allowed under the current level of restrictions so players are currently undertaking individual strength and conditioning programmes. Collins and his backroom team have also started preliminary work on tactics via Zoom meetings The Allianz leagues are expected to be pushed back from the original start dates of February 27 …
Read More »Football finalists to renew rivalry
Last year’s senior football finalists, St Joseph’s Miltown, the winners, and neighbours and old rivals Kilmurry Ibrickane will lock horns in the opening round of this year’s championship. The repeat pairing was the notable first round draw made by county board chairman Joe Cooney at Clareabbey on Wednesday evening. It is an intriguing tie given that last year a replay was required to determine the outcome. The football championship throws in the August bank holiday weekend. In hurling, kingpins Sixmilebridge face a daunting challenge in the opening round of their title defence when they face old adversaries Éire Óg. In last year’s campaign the sides met in the quarter-final where the Bridge were hard pressed to get the better of a Shane O’Donnell inspired Ennis side and in a game which could have gone either way. No doubt the Townies will be thirsting for revenge when the championship throws in on the weekend of July 24-25-26. Broafdford, who return to …
Read More »Canon Michael reflects on 60 years in priesthood
CANON Michael McLaughlin will reach a remarkable milestone on June 11, when he celebrates the 60th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood. Unlike 10 years ago, when large numbers attended the special mass and celebrations in Kilmaley to mark the golden jubilee of his ordination in Carlow Cathedral in 1960, things will be more subdued this time round. The Covid-19 restrictions mean that the members of community will be unable to organise a mass to mark the big occasion for the now retired Kilmaley parish priest, less still a big party, but they are always with him in spirit. The 84-year-old Miltown Malbay native, who is now visually impaired, has great memories of all the parishes he’s been in. “I hated leaving the first parish I was assigned to; I would have stayed there forever if I could. But you learn to move along, you’ve no choice, and you learn and gain different experiences wherever you go. I benefited …
Read More »GAA mourns passing of Noel Walsh
THE death has occurred of one of the most influential figures in Clare GAA. Among the many achievements of retired Army Colonel Noel Walsh was securing the introduction of the open draw in the Munster Senior Football Championship, paving the way for Clare’s famous title success in 1992. Noel served as a selector with Clare for 20 years and was part of the backroom team in 1992 when they beat Kerry in the Munster final in the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick. He was responsible for getting John Maughan on board as the team coach. Noel also had a love of hurling and during his tenure as chairman of Munster Council, he had the honour of presenting the Munster Hurling Championship trophy in 1995 to Anthony Daly. He won two Clare senior football championship with his native Miltown and served as club secretary and chairman. As a player he also represented Clare and minor and junior level. The 85-year-old was a …
Read More »Unchanged Clare to take on the champions
As expected the Clare team to face Galway in Saturday’s eagerly awaited All-Ireland senior hurling semi-final is unchanged from that which lined out against Wexford in the quarter final two weeks ago Aron Shanagher (Wolfe Tones) is included in the match day twenty six for the first time this season having overcome an operation on knee ligament damage in late 2017. He replaces Tulla’s Darragh Corry while another change to the substitutes list sees Jason McCarthy recalled and he replaces Ryan Taylor (Clooney-Quin) The team is. Donal Tuohy (Crusheen); Patrick O’Connor (Tubber) – CAPTAIN,. David McInerney (Tulla, Jack Browne (Ballyea); Seadna Morey (Sixmilebridge), Conor Cleary (St Josephs Miltown), Jamie Shanahan (Sixmilebridge); Colm Galvin (Clonlara), Cathal Malone (Sixmilebridge); Peter Duggan (Clooney-Quin), Tony Kelly (Ballyea), David Reidy (Éire Óg); Podge Collins (Cratloe), John Conlon (Clonlara), Shane O’Donnell (Éire Óg) Subs; Andrew Fahy (Whitegate), Rory Hayes (Wolfe Tones) Cian Dillon (Crusheen), David Fitzgerald (Inagh-Kilnamona), Michael O’Malley (Kilmaley), Jason McCarthy (Inagh-Kilnamona), Niall Deasy (Ballyea), …
Read More »Domestic championship race to begin in August
The result of Saturday’s All-Ireland senior hurling semi-final between Clare and Galway will determine the start up date for the domestic senior hurling and football championships. Club representatives attended a meeting at Clareabbey on this Monday evening where two schedules of games were outlined. In the event of the county senior hurlers qualifying for the All-Ireland senior final by beating Galway on Saturday, it is proposed to play first round games in the senior football championship over the weekend of August3, 4,/5 and 6 with round two to be played on the weekend of August 25/26. Round 3 will take place on September 22/23 followed by the quarter finals on October 6/7, semi-finals on 20/21 and the final on November 4. In this schedule the hurling title race will begin on September ½ with round 2 a week later (September 8/9) and round three on September 15/16. The quarter finals will take place on September 29/30, the semi-finals on October …
Read More »O’Dea inspires Clare ladies to a winning start
Clare 2-17 Down 1-9 Inspired by an outstanding performance from full forward Niamh O’Dea who finished with 2-8 to her name, Clare got their All-Ireland intermediate ladies football championship campaign off to a winning start at Kinnegad this afternoon. Forced into two late changes to their starting line up with the loss of midfielder Roisin Looney and forward Catriona Callinan to injury, Clare took a while to settle. Looney was ruled out with a hamstring injury while Callinan sustained a broken hand in a challenge match last week which will keep her out of action for the duration of the group stage at least The game was just half a minute old when Eimear Keane pointed the Clare side into a lead they would hold throughout and this was quickly doubled when Niamh O’Dea had her opening score. It was 0-6 to 0-3 after fifteen minutes and five minutes later Kilfenora native O’Dea, who plays her club football with the …
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