ALL-IRELAND football and hurl- ing winners are set to share the same stage as the Clare County Board and Munster Council join forces to celebrate GAA 125 in a four-day spectacular that will pay homage to the association’s founding father Michael Cusack.
TALK about a comeback. Ten points down early in the second half, Corofin looked dead and _ buried. Snow, on a sun-drenched peach of an evening in Clareabbey, seemed more likely then a Corofin comeback. Or so we thought.
Corofin stormed back, drew level and even had a chance to win it. After John Keane palmed home the equalising goal, Colm Clancy almost nailed the winner but his shot drifted wide. Clondegad too spurned a great chance when Gary Brennan’s injury time free curled short and wide of the Corofin goal.
A draw will feel like a loss to Clon- degad. They let this one slip. Badly. After the pace and polish that char- acterised much of Clondegad’s first half display all but vanished, Corofin gained a foothold. It was gutsy stuff.
Colm Clancy worked with all the en- ergy of bantamweight boxer. Daragh Clancy won plenty of ball around the middle while Luke O’ Loughlin did a good job policing Gary Brennan.
But the biggest reason for the turnabout in Corofin’s fortunes was the contribution from John Keane. Keane was doing a decent job in midfield before he was relocated to full forward. The decision proved a masterstroke. Keane scored two quick points and hit 1-1 in the final two minutes to complete the come- ere .@
Keane was also centrally involved in the first great chance of the match. Barely 20 seconds had elapsed when he tore through the middle and off- loaded to Neil Killeen who pulled his shot just wide.
We didn’t have to wait long for a
goal though. Kieran Browne released Shane Brennan with a quick free in the third minute. The Clondegad wing forward raced towards goal and found the net with a low drive.
Colm Clancy responded with a point for Corofin but Clondegad pushed four points clear with scores from Paudge McMahon and Kenneth
Keath
The west Clare side had two more great goal chances but first McMa- hon and then Francie Neylon saw their efforts blocked on the line.
Colm Clancy pointed a free in the 18th minute but Clondegad ended the half with a devastating 1-3 burst.
McMahon converted a 45’, Eoin
Griffin lifted over a point before McMahon’s powerfully struck free sailed over the bar. Things were about to get worse for Corofin. On the stroke of half time, Brian Car- rig side-footed home a penalty after McMahon was fouled. At half time, Clondegad led 2-5 to 0-2.
Carrig’s fine point after the break
extended the Clondegad lead to ten points. Corofin released a torrent of substitutes and moved Keane to full forward. He hit two superb points on the turn before Dara Shannon roofed the ball to the back of the net in the 44th minute. Darren Malone and Gary Brennan traded points before Colm Clancy dropped over a free to leave the score 2-7 to 1-6.
Keane bagged his third point of the day before outjumping O’Connell and Kenneth Breen to tap in Daragh Clancy’s thump of a free kick.
That leveled matters at 2-7 apiece. Both sides missed chances to win. A priceless point for Corofin. A point dropped for Clondegad. It’s the only way to look at it.
WITHOUT ever having to over ex- tend themselves, Kilmurry Ibrick- ane brushed Pete the challenge of Eire Og at Labasheeda on Sunday to move to the penultimate stage of the Under 21 championship.
The 13-point margin between the sides at the end, though, can be taken in a broader context that shows the West Clare club have plenty of talent coming through to give themselves a decent chance of dominating the Clare football landscape and creat- ing something resembling a dynasty.
In the second half, they even lim- ited Eire Og to just one point but the real damage was done in a blistering spell just before the break. Things had been ticking away and there wasn’t a lot to suggest that Kilmurry would rout their opponents.
Before this, Mark McCarthy had
clipped in a quality goal when he lofted the ball over the head of the Eire Og goalkeeper. There were just over 15 minutes on the board when McCarthy hit the net but Eire Og’s response was swift enough and they replied with a goal from David Smith.
With the two locked at 1-3 each, though, Kilmurry stepped on the gas and produced 1-4 without reply in the five minutes before the break. McCarthy was at the centre of his side’s good work and Eire Og could have done with the presence of Dean Ryan closer to his own goal at this stage.
The second Kilmurry goal came from the boot of Darren Hickey and suddenly, a fairly significant gap had opened up. The sides retired for half- time with the West Clare outfit ahead on a scoreline of 2-7 to 1-3.
If Eire Og were to have any say in the game, they needed another rapid reply but it didn’t happen.
In fact, it was Kilmurry that con- tinued the work where they left off. They added further points with Mc- Carthy ending up with the fine tally of 1-8 to his name.
Seven more points came Kilmur- ry’s way as Eire Og were now being Steam rolled. Like the seniors, the Under 21 batch will take some beat- ing on Sunday’s performance.
DOOLIN’S reputation at the Olym- pic Games was bolstered yet again last week as 18-year-old John Dun- leavy took gold at the Special Olym- pics held at the Harvard University campus in the USA.
John now follows in a growing tradition for Olympians from north Clare including Marie O’Connor, who has won a number of medals for the village at the Transplant Olym- ee
Teenager John collected his gold medal in a swimming event but he also took part in the Tae Kwon Do competition as well as in the aca- demic arena.
John is the son of Gerry and Toni Dunleavy who moved from their native Doolin to live in America a number of years ago. John’s eight- year-old brother Michael passed away in 2002 follow a childhood or lilo
Each year the Annual Michael Dun- leavy Charity Walk in Doolin raises tens of thousands for cancer research both in Ireland and in America.
Speaking after his win, John thanked all of his supporters for coming to see him compete and ex- pressed his hope to win another med- al at the next games.
John competed in two swimming events, the 25-metre freestyle and the backstroke.
‘He participated in the backstroke, but didn’t place. He tried his best
which, frankly, is very good. When he first started, he couldn’t do the length of the pool,” said Gerry Dun- leavy after the event.
‘He was in Harvard University for the opening ceremonies on Friday and stayed overnight in the dorms,” Gerry said. “There were about 30 people in the bleachers cheering for John, between family and friends, and some were holding signs.
“Like most athletes, he was nerv- ous getting into the water and at the start of the swim he was behind. He then saw his friend Tom DeFranzo at the finish line. John said he just fo-
cused and swam as fast as he could and ended up winning.
“The whole experience was very heartwarming for the whole fam- ily and John’s friends. It was also a huge reality check for all of us to witness the determination, pride and perseverance shown by the various participants.
“Win or otherwise, each participant seemed to be just so happy to be in- volved.”
WHEN Crusheen and Clarecastle last met in September at the quar- ter-finals stage of the championship, there was little between the sides be- fore Crusheen eventually prevailed by the bare minimum. This Clare Cup game may not have had as much significance but with the winners holding the best chance of disrupt- ing Clooney/Quin and Newmarket’s passage to the knock-out stages, it should have ensured a titanic battle. What transpired however, was a
relatively one-sided affair. So much so in fact, that the ease at which Crusheen strolled to victory must have even surpassed their own ex- pectations. Both sides were without key performers but what would have disappointed Clarecastle most is how easily they lay down once Crusheen settled into their stride.
The home side started brightly easing into a 0-4 to O-1 lead by the 11th minute with points from Tyrone Kearse (2), Sean Talty and Derek Quinn. However, in a dramatic turn- around, Crusheen assumed control
and halting the supply to the Clare- castle forward line, Crusheen secured nine unanswered points in as many minutes to power into a 0-10 to 0-4 advantage including a brace for both Cian Dillon and Conor O’Donnell. Such was their dominance that they also had the luxury of hitting five wides in the same period including a goal opportunity for Paddy Meaney who weaved his way through the defence before striking his shot just wide of the right post.
From the resulting puck-out, Tyrone Kearse, Clarecastle’s most effective
player, almost punished Crusheen with a goal of his own as he soloed through the heart of the Crusheen rearguard but his shot was tipped away by goalkeeper Donal Tuohy for a ’65 that Kearse converted. And the former Clare senior panellist added two more frees before the break to reduce the deficit to three.
In an effort to revive their fortunes, Clarecastle made a host of switches at the interval, including the intro- duction of substitutes Eric Flynn, Fearghus Ryan and Aaron Consid- ine and it was the latter who opened
the second half scoring after only two minutes. Patrick Kelly’s lineball managed to break through to the Clare minor at the far post and for a split second, it appeared that a goal was on the cards but in the end, he had to be content with a point. That brief recovery was as close as the home side would get to Crusheen though and they were only to score twice more, both from Kearse frees while Crusheen eased to victory.
Indiscipline handed Crusheen the majority of their scores through Alan Tuohy (4) and Ciaran O’Doherty but the biggest contrast was in leadership as Crusheen’s young side had them in abundance while Clarecastle simply sank without a whimper. Much like their fading Clare Cup hopes.
ST JOSEPH’S Doora Barefield took an important step towards retain- ing their Division One status for next year with a narrow victory over Sixmulebridge on Saturday.
The result leaves the Bridge bat- tling for survival at the foot of the table while St Joseph’s must beat Clarecastle in their final league game to aid their safety.
The Bridge could easily have won but it wasn’t too much of a surprise
that St Joseph’s eventually did.
It was that kind of topsy-turvy en- counter where both teams enjoyed periods of superiority. Both teams also stumbled and surrendered in1- tiative and momentum. After an excellent start, the home side led by three points at half time but the introduction of Cyril Crowe revital- ized the Bridge. He bagged 1-1 inside the first seven minutes of the second half as Sixmilebridge established a three point lead. St Joseph’s sent on Paul Dullaghan and Michael McNa-
mara and both made an impact. Mc- Namara scored the goal that saw St Jospeh’s reclaim the lead. Dullaghan grabbed a point and played a role in his side’s crucial fourth goal.
All this after the start time in Gur- teen was delayed by 49 minutes as both clubs awaited the arrival of the referee. When there was no sign of the appointed match referee, John Healy, both clubs were informed after a series of phonecalls that the Smith O’Briens official was away on holidays. Ruan referee Ger Lyons
eventually came to the rescue. Un- derstandably, both teams were left frustrated by the long delay.
When the shotar was finally thrown in, it was St Joseph’s who made the better start.
Conor Hassett pointed in the sev- enth minute before Declan Malone found the net after a swift exchange of handpasses between Fergal O’Sullivan and Sean McMahon.
Sixmilebridge’s first point arrived from David O’Connor in the fourth minute. The visitors were back in
contention moments later courtesy of a St Joseph’s own goal. A point from Colm Mullen and two excel- lent strikes from David Hoey kept Joseph’s ahead. Sixmilebridge stayed in touch with points from John Fen- nessy and Jonathon Downes. McMa- hon scored his second point of the day to leave St Joseph’s leading 1-7 to 1-4 at half time.
Points from Eoin Quinn and Crowe pulled the Bridge to within a point, before Crowe turned Brian Collins and buried his shot to put his side 2- 6 to 1-7 ahead.
It was all square by the 44th minute before McNamara smashed home a rebound to push Joseph’s two points clear. St Joseph’s fourth goal arrived in the 57th minute. McMahon guided the sliotar around two Bridge de- fenders before teeing up Malone for an easy tap in.,
Back came the Bridge with points from Quinn (2) and Patrick Sheehan. It left Joseph’s leading 3-11 to 2-13 before Damien Kennedy’s late goal decisively settled the outcome.
JUST 12 people turned up at a dem- onstration by Amnesty International in Shannon on Saturday to highlight Ireland’s role in rendition, but the or- ganisers say they are not downheart- ed by the low numbers.
Anti-war campaigners say they will continue to highlight the use of Shannon Airport by CIA planes and say there is a “virtual open door” to the planes there.
The demonstration took place a day after Amnesty published its re- port which claimed that Shannon Airport has been made available for OI FAS oe) Eilexmoe: hols oe man item UNO None Ie legally around the world.
Organiser John Lannon, of Amnes- ty in Limerick, said the low numbers will not work against them organis- ing future demonstrations.
“We weren’t expecting a huge crowd, given that there were so many events around the area. While it is disappointing that we don’t have more people, we still made the point,” he said.
He expressed concern that the group was stopped at the gantry and was not permitted to walk to the air- port. “The reason for the protest in Shannon was that planes carrying prisoners pass through Shannon but we were not allowed to go there,” said Mr Lannon.
Organisers say that they will con- tinue to hold vigils at the airport every month, to highlight their con-
Oe
“We are going to continue with our vigils on the second Sunday of every month until the recommendations contained in the Amnesty report have been addressed,” he said.
The protests have been ongoing in Shannon since 2003. Mr Lan- non said he feels that much is being achieved. “I think we are. All of the organisations that are involved are putting pressure on the Government. Several people came up to us to offer support on Saturday. To us it 1s very important to ensure people are made
aware about what is going through Shannon,” said Mr Lannon.
‘Despite the welcome statements by Taoiseach Brian Cowen on Ireland’s willingness to accept a small number of detainees from Guantanamo here in Ireland, the Irish Government has made no move towards accountabil- ity for our complicity in disappear- ances and torture,’ he added.
WITH six houses remaining in the very attractive Pairc Na hEaghleasa development in Corofin village, sell- ing agents DNG O’Sullivan Hurley have announced a fantastic incentive, whereby the first five purchasers will automatically be entered into a draw to win the sixth and final house.
Douglas Hurley explained, “The odds are excellent and despite market conditions we expect a very positive response, especially as these superb houses are very competitively priced at just €200,000, and they are fur- nished”’.
Located behind the Heritage Cen- tre, in the heart of Corofin and built by Danny Devine Construction, the semi-detached houses are being sold with a full internal finish. The price alone represents outstanding value for money, the chance to win a sec- ond house is better still, but it’s the design and the high standard of fin- ish that truly sets these houses apart from others on the market.
These houses are very stylishly designed both externally and inter- nally. Features include a slate roof, traditional style sash windows with double-glazing and fully finished in- terior.
The accommodation comprises an entrance hall, spacious lounge, a din-
ing area that opens onto the smartly fitted kitchen and a guest WC, all at ground floor level. Upstairs there are three bedrooms, with the master bedroom en-suite, plus the family bathroom.
This development occupies a visu- ally appealing site, with mature trees to the rear and open spaces to the fore.
Corofin has always been a popular
village, but with the opening of the Ennis by-pass and specifically the in- terchange at Claureen, it has become much more accessible to the com- muter bases in Ennis, Shannon and Limerick.
Corofin village also offers a host of excellent amenities.
For further information or to ar- range a viewing contact DNG O’Sullivan Hurley at 065 6820400
YOUNG Irish entrepreneur, Gavin Dunne (no relation to Ben!) returned home this week to launch Ireland’s second tendering website for ideal for businesses and consumers in Clare, www.zumpty.ie.
The site filters and matches con- sumer briefs with supplier quotes ac- cording to location, price or timeline. Zumpty.ie is also unique in that it allows customers to leave feedback. and also serves as a listing service for businesses.
Zumpty.ie is free to anyone search- ing for a listing or quote while com- panies or service providers pay a once off annual fee.
As a promotion to launch the web- site, Zumpty.ie is offering the first three months for free to companies in Clare registering for one year. Visit Wwww.zumpty.ie/subscription/ supplier.php for more details.
28 year old Gavin, founder of zump- ty.ie says: “Unlike similar websites, Zumpty.ie offers a comprehensive set of marketing tools to small busi- nesses in Clare including a webpage option, quotes via text alert, a listing service and a reference facility all for a one off annual fee. What’s more it’s simple and easy to use for both con- sumers and businesses!”
TONY Mulcahy was overjoyed at becoming the mayor of Clare, but the icing wasn’t put on the cake until his daughter Coleen scooped gold in the Munster finals of the Special Olym- pics two days later.
It was a particularly joyous week- end for the first citizen and his fami- ly. On Friday afternoon Mr Mulcahy (50) was elected mayor of the county, while his proud family sat in the gal- lery of the council chamber. A per- fect weekend was sealed on Sunday when Coleen (17) won gold in the 25 metres run in the Mardyke in Cork.
Coleen, who is Tony and Carmel’s youngest daughter, has global devel- opmental delay. She has won several medals in Special Olympics over the past few years. She was overjoyed to win the gold last week, with her club Shannon Flyers Special Olympics.
“We had a wedding on Sunday so we weren’t there. I met her coming off the bus and she threw the two arms around me. There was fierce excitement to see her win the gold. It was a fantastic achievement,’ said sXe
His own achievement was remark- able, but he was modest in his reflec- tion of it. “The greater success would be hers. A lot of work goes into it and they have a great club and are very professional at what they do,” he said.
The support between them is mu- tual as Coleen has a huge interest
in her father’s political career. She regularly attends functions with him and she stole the show by making a speech after Tony topped the poll in the Shannon Town Council election count – at St Tola’s National School – earlier this month.
‘She loves the occasion, the excite- ment and all that goes with it,” said Nour lanoe
“She is very special to us. There is huge commitment from those in- volved in the Special Olympics. The way it has worked out has been tre- mendous. They are out there every Saturday morning training and this is a great return for them. They work very hard,” he added.
The club won six gold, one silver and three bronze medals at the games
and the success means that Coleen and some of her team mates will compete in the national games next year. No doubt her proud daddy will support her every step of the way!