Tag Archives: gaa

Clare 3-21 Carlow 2-10 IMPRESSIVE in attack yet occasionally porous defensively, the Clare senior footballers eased to a 14 point win over Carlow in Cusack Park on Sunday afternoon. This win, coupled with Leitrim’s defeat at home to Tipperary has ensured that a win for Clare away to Antrim next Sunday, will guarantee promotion to division 3 for 2015. In fact following Leitrim’s comprehensive defeat to Tipperary in Carrick on Shannon, Wicklow are now Clare’s primary promotion rivals. They play already promoted Tipperary at home next Sunday, needing a win to put the pressure on Clare. Clare led 1-10 to 2-4 at half time against Carlow. David Tubridy scored the winners first half goal and added three pointed frees, while Martin O’Leary and Seán Collins kicked a brace apiece in the opening period. Shane McGrath, Gary Brennan and Shane Hickey added first half points with the latter issued with a black card after the Kilmurry Ibrickane man pulled down Ciaran Moran to give …

By Peter O’Connell KILMURRY Ibrickane GAA club will start their centenary celebrations on this Saturday when almost 80 living past winning captains will be recognised, along with former club chairmen. Michael Talty is chairman of the Kilmurry Ibrickane Centenary Committee and has found that many committee members were re-energised at the prospect of helping to mark 100 years of the club, which hugs the spectacular, occasionally deadly, Atlantic coastline. “It’s a very big focal point because of it being our centenary year. An awful lot of people, who might not have been involved for a number of years, have got involved again and have been rejuvenated by the centenary year. That’s what makes it a bit more special,” the vastly experienced referee said. “From my own point of view, I was chairman of the club for ten years. I had a core group of people with me who were very proactive during the development stages of Pairc Naomh Mhuire and …

RECOGNITION for the volunteers in the GAA is how Lissycasey’s Anne Hayes describes her selection as a winner of a GAA presidential award, which will be presented  in Croke Park on this Friday evening. The Lissycasey club secretary who is the current Irish officer with Clare GAA, will be presented with her award by association president Liam O’Neill at a function which will be shown live on TG4 at 7.30pm. “There are many people involved in the GAA who would be more worthy of this award and I will accept it on behalf of all of them, the voluntary workers in the clubs. These are the real GAA people. They give hours and hours each week and they don’t look for recognition”, she told the Clare Champion this week. “The GAA was something I grew up with, going to matches each Sunday and I was glad to get involved working in the background. I never saw this involvement as a …

Clare 2-13 Wicklow 1-8 THE Clare footballers maintained their drive for promotion from division 4, with an eight point win over Wicklow in Cusack Park on Sunday. Clare are now top of the division with three games left to play. Both teams were unbeaten before the game, with Wicklow having won both of their games prior to this tie, while Clare had beaten Waterford and London, while they drew with Leitrim. The biggest talking point to emerge from this game came in just the sixth minute when Wicklow captain Leighton Glynn was red carded following an incident with Martin McMahon. Wicklow were incensed at referee Seán Joy’s red card and while Clare didn’t immediately capitalise, they assumed control the longer the game wore on. With David Tubridy excelling in attack and Gary Brennan netting a first half goal for Clare, they led 1-4 to 0-6 at half time, having played into the breeze. Clare restricted Wicklow to 1-2 in the …

Cratloe’s Óige Murphy and Kilkee’s Michael O’Shea are absent from Sunday’s senior football team to play Wicklow in Cusack Park at 2pm. Both players, who have featured in all three games to date, picked up injuries in last Sunday’s win over London in Ruislip. Dean Ryan moves from corner to wing-back, while Kevin Hartnett comes in at corner-back. Coolmeen’s Cathal O’Connor has been recalled to partner Gary Brennan at midfield, while Podge Collins moves to corner-forward with Shane McGrath starting at centre-forward. The Clare team is Pierce Deloughrey; Martin McMahon, Gordon Kelly, Kevin Hartnett; Shane Hickey, Enda Coughlan, Dean Ryan; Gary Brennan (captain), Cathal O’Connor; Seán Collins, Shane McGrath, Shane Brennan; Martin O’Leary, David Tubridy, Podge Collins.

By Seamus Hayes THERE was great excitement and debate following the 2014 GAA championship draws at the West County  Hotel on Friday evening. A great deal of attention focused on the senior hurling and football champions, Sixmilebridge and Cratloe respectively, and who would challenge them in the group stages. Football champions Cratloe were first to learn who their opponents will be in the opening round as the draw for the Jack Daly cup was the first to take place. Its a repeat of last year ‘s as the champions will take on Eire Og in what many believe will be the game of the round. Doonbeg, beaten finalists in 2013 will take on Ennistymon. Neighb ours Cooraclare and Kilrush will clash in the opening round for the second year in succession. Cooraclare were victorious last year on a scoreline of 0-11 to 0-8. Hurling cham;pions Sixmilebrige have been drawn in the same group as Crushen, Cratloe and Kilmaley. “A very …

FIFTEEN minutes into Sunday’s game in Ruislip, London corner-back Philip Butler was met with the curly finger. He had been beaten to virtually every ball by his 19-year-old opponent, who was playing just his third national league game for Clare. To date, Kilmihil’s Martin O’Leary, who scored 0-4, has been one of Clare’s most potent forwards in the 2014 campaign. He attributes this to the quality and guidance of the more experienced players around him. “They’ve been around the block. The likes of Tubs [David Tubridy] inside in the full-forward line, his movement is unbelievable and then we have the likes of Gary [Brennan] kicking in the ball. If you make it stick, take on your man,” is how he put it after Clare’s second league win of the new season. Clare introduced five subs, including a couple of U-21s and a few old stagers. “There’s a good mix. We had two young lads in Jamie [Malone] and Jack [O’Dea] …

By Peter O’Connell ONE of Clare’s best-known GAA supporters passed away recently. Kevin Stapleton, who was 92, was born in Limerick and reared in Kilkee but lived and worked for 46 years in England. Resident in Ennis since his return to Ireland in 1989, he was a regular at Clare hurling and football games. He was also a colourful contributor to The Clare Champion letters page. In an interview with The Clare Champion in October 2012, Kevin recalled growing up in West Clare. “I was born in Limerick but I was in Kilkee at nine weeks old. My mother died at birth, so I never saw her,” he recounted sadly. Kevin and his twin brother, Thomas, were reared by their grandmother, Bridget Stapleton, whom they treated as their mother. She was a woman with straightforward convictions, as evidenced by Kevin’s name change around the time of his confirmation. It turns out his name was not actually Kevin. “When I was christened, …