Tag Archives: Kilkenny

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 …

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 …

All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Semi-Final Clare 0-24 Kilkenny 2-16 A late charge of the Banner brigade ensured a dramatic late turnaround in fortunes as Clare finally broke their Kilkenny hoodoo at the third attempt to advance to a first All-Ireland decider in eleven years in Croke Park, writes Eoin Brennan. Having suffered back-to-back semi-final reverses to the Cats, a third hammerblow appeared on the cards when goals either side of the break through Eoin Cody and Billy Ryan powered Derek Lyng’s side six clear by the 46th minute at 2-12 to 0-12. However, instead of bowing to their perceived fate, a defiant determination not to be beaten coursed through Clare’s veins for the final 25 minutes as they not only doubled their overall scoring tally but eventually wore down their opponents by surging to the last six points of an absorbing final quarter. Within five minutes of Billy Ryan’s fortuitious break for the goal, Clare had cancelled it out with …

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 …

The clock struck 72 minutes when Peter Duggan’s flash of the ash directed the Cummins sliotar towards the goal. This was it. The final act of a stirring Clare revival that had now brought them to the cusp of giving the Croke Park attendance of 48,300 another 20 minutes. From the sideline that was floated into the scoring zone seconds earlier David Fitzgerald emerged from a ruck of eight players, went goalwards and then passed back to Duggan whose reverse sweep looked like bringing the sides level until Eoin Murphy’s lightning reflexes produced the save of the year as he pushed it onto the black spot of the crossbar. It hit it at exactly 72 minutes, a second more had passed before everyone realised what had happened, while seven had elapsed by the time a frantic effort to clear the ball by the Kilkenny backs fell to Diarmuid Ryan who stroked it over the bar for a consolation score. A …

Heading up to Croke Park for our now almost annual like semi-final joust with the Cats means it’s a familiar road for coach Shane Hassett but the Drom & Inch clubman feels that’s where the familiarity will end and the previous meetings will count for little once the ball is thrown in. “It’s All-Ireland semi-final weekend and that invariably means the best four teams in the country are playing. It’s all about quality at this stage. Have we the necessary quality to progress to the final? Of course we do but we will have to deliver our best display of the year to do so. It’s the same for all the teams involved. “Do Kilkenny have the quality to get to a third final in a row? Of course they do and both Cork and Limerick will feel the same. Every team knows they’ll have to perform at their optimum because anything less will simply not be good enough. We …

All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship Semi-Final Kilkenny v Clare at FBD Semple Stadium Thurles, Sunday 1pm (Colum Cunning, Antrim) It’s not the first clash of Clare and Kilkenny’s minor sides this year but Brian O’Connell’s side will be hoping to get the same impact as their initial meeting and advance to back-to-back All-Ireland Minor Hurling Finals for the first time in the county’s history. As noted before the Munster decider a month ago, Clare’s pre-championship warm-ups against Leinster duo Galway and Kilkenny provided the confidence and belief for a relatively rookie squad to hit the ground running in Munster, a momentum-fuelled run that saw them overcome all four rivals before being overtaken coming down the final straight against Tipperary in the final. Standing up to the roll of honour leaders Kilkenny and defending provincial champions Galway was an acid test but Clare’s litmus paper will be required once more on Sunday if they are to double the dose on the newly …

With an average of eight championship matches over the past three years, the equivalent of a whole decade of previous outings from 2012-2021, Clare’s minor hurling evolution if not revolution has been an unprecedented success regardless of whether silverware was garnered or not. Of course, last year’s historic Munster and All-Ireland triumph and its manner was understandably heralded as one of the counties greatest ever achievements but with the emphasis on development just as much as success, Clare’s seventh championship outing against Kilkenny on Sunday has been a validation in itself that the county’s underage system is motoring nicely. “To get seven championship games is just brilliant and added into the last two years in which we got nine (2022) and eight (2023) matches, it’s just fantastic for the players’ development and getting exposed to big games.” Admitted Clare Coach Damian O’Halloran ahead of Sunday’s return to Semple Stadium. “Every day you go out as a player or in management, …