Month: February 2010

THE Kilmurry Ibrickane player whose participation in the eagerly awaited All-Ireland Club semi-final against Portlaoise on February 21 is under threat will know his fate after a special hearing that takes place in Croke Park this Thursday.

The player, who was called to ap- pear before a GAA disciplinary meeting arising out of an incident in the All-Ireland quarter-final win over Tir Chonaill Gaels on Janu- ary 24 last, has not been named by GAA chiefs or Kilmurry Ibrickane officials.

However, speaking to

last week — he be- lieved it then, but might just be im- bued with a little bit more belief on the back of his team’s second-half transformation that yielded two pre- cious points.

Certainly, he talked that way after- wards. “We should be able to beat Kilkenny and we’re two and o going into the Leitrim match and we have Leitrim at home. It’s set up nicely for us, if we continue to work hard and try improve on what we did, we should be well able to compete with any team in the division.”

He wouldn’t have said anything like this at half-time — he didn’t need to remind us of that fact, but was eager to single out Clare’s first-half failings. “It looked very bleak for us. I was very disappointed with the way we played in the first-half. The game plan wasn’t working at all.

“We did 26 training sessions, we had eight matches, three of them A v B. Everything we do is game specific — the players were put on a programme and they’re expected to adhere to the programme. In the first-half we didn’t execute what we

were supposed to do.”

But, credit where credit 1s due was McHale’s over-riding thought for this day, as he reflected on the second- half renaissance. “In the second-half we showed a little bit of spirit and a little bit of skill and got back in the game.

“We deserved to win the game in the end, even though we were bad in

the first-half, I thought we had two or three goal chances and had one of them went in it would have settled us down a bit.

“They had a lot more flair and con- fidence than we had at times. That comes from winning games — this Clare team has had a difficult four or five years and a lot of the play- ers have been around and have had

losing seasons. It’s very hard to pick yourself up, but the fact that we won today will give them a lift.

“We are approaching this league like the championship doesn’t exist. This 1s our championship right now. The county board, when they put the management team in place, wanted us to do well in the league and get out of the division. I think that’s the

only way to make progress.

“It would have been a huge disap- pointment for the players and man- agement if we didn’t win today, or at least get a draw. Now we can build from here.”

Build towards those stars, that is.

ALL things considered, Clare came away from Shannon with some posi- tives on Sunday. Leave the score- board aside for now and consider the following: Armagh are one of the most respected outfits in the country and have been for the past few years; Armagh have been training for the league for three months; Clare have just attained senior status and be- cause of the length of last season due to their success, they have only a handful of training sessions under WeColbmmo Loi

“I was pleased with our perform- ance,’ said Clare trainer David O’Brien.

“We knew going into the game that Armagh would be more advanced

than us in terms of their preparation so I would read more into our first- half performance than our second.

“I though in that first-half we bat- tled well against the wind and only for conceding a couple of late points, we would have gone in ahead at the ley usr eae

He said he was also impressed by the younger members of the team.

“There were a couple of young players out there and they equipped themselves very well. We’re missing four or five players who would have added a physical presence in the sec- ond-half and that has to be taken into account as well.

“So ’m happy enough. We’ll con- tinue to blood new players in the league and build from there and hopefully we’ll pick up a couple of

points and make a semi-final.”

He said the attitude of his players was also impressive.

“They’re disappointed, which to me, says a lot about their ambition. They didn’t just accept defeat from a strong Armagh side. They feel they should have been closer in the end.

“And that’s the attitude we need at this level. We said at the start of the year that senior was a different story to intermediate. You’ll only get 14 or 15 chances at this level and you’ll have to take 80 per cent of those to win a game. At intermediate, you might get 20 chances and if you take half, you’ll win.”

SOMETIMES the scoreboard can be cruel and this, to be fair, is one of those occasions. Clare — playing un- der a new sponsor The Armada Hotel – didn’t deserve to lose by 13 and the concession of two late goals didn’t help. Still, considering the progress this team has made over the past while, this result shouldn’t halt the hope that surrounds ladies football in the county at the moment.

Armagh have competed well for the All-Ireland title in recent years, making the final a few years ago, and Clare’s step up to senior level means they will learn from encounters such as Sunday’s going into the champion- ship.

Armagh travelled to Shannon on SLUT ITCE- NAR OO AN OD KEESE BOSTON ce FSO played in Cusack Park before the men’s league opener is a mystery – but a handful of players made the trip on their own, somewhat later than the main crew, due to an awards ceremony on Saturday night.

It meant that the Ulster side fielded a slightly weakened side at the be- ginning of the game but when called upon in the second-half, their bench made a huge impact on the score and on the result.

Clare would have earmarked this game as one to win, considering they had home advantage and started well with Eimear Considine shaking off her marker and picking up a fine pass from Marie Considine to slot home to the net, giving them a perfect start.

The goal came after the third minute and playing against a strong wind, it was a good foundation. However, Clare failed to score again until the 22nd minute. The second score com- ing from the lively Sinead Sexton, a newcomer to the team. And the point was a thing of pure patience and well worked build up. Clare picked up the ball deep in their own half, strung a dozen passes together, Sexton peeled

away from her marker and show- ing some cool composure, split the ee te

In between these scores Armagh registered three points from Aoife Lennon on the half-forward line and her namesake in the full-forward line.

Two minutes after Sexton’s score,

Armagh levelled things up again when Kelly Mallon pointed but the Clare response was immediate. Again, a patient build up and some good possession against the wind released Niamh Keane who scored. Now, it was clear that Clare had the ammunition to make the Armagh de- fence work hard to keep Clare shack-

led, but two late points in the open- ing half from Armagh had the home side going in one behind, but hope- ful, considering the wind to come and the damage they had inflicted on Armagh with limited opportunity.

In the second-half though, the wind died and Armagh dug deep. Aine Kelly scored Clare’s first point of

the half eight minutes in but by then, Armagh had registered two of their own.

With ten minutes left the game still hung in the balance. Eimear Consid- ine popped up with a fine point and entering the last nine minutes, three separated the sides.

This is when Armagh stepped on the gas, though. In those nine min- utes, their substitutes added a further 2-4 to their tally. Shauna O’ Hagan — the Armagh ladies footballer of the year in 2009 — tapped over a couple of points shortly after she was intro- duced and fellow substitute Sharon Reel added her second of the day. The game was now slipping from Clare’s grasp and when, four minutes from the end, O’Hagan goaled, the two points were going north.

Mags MclIlinden scored Armagh’s second goal on 60 minutes to round off an impressive final quarter from the Ulster side.

ANY body charged with coming up with a fixtures structure that suits all clubs and players across the county is doomed to fail. It’s impossible not only in Clare, but in any county across Ireland considering that club games, aS we are well aware, are likely to change at short notice given the progress of the inter-county team through the championship in sum- nates

At least the members who devised the 2010 Masters Fixtures Plan had regard of this fact. “There are many difficulties in trying to put together a workable club fixtures plan against a demanding inter-county schedule in both codes,” the structures commit- tee rightly point out.

To illustrate the point, they use the gaps between the first and second rounds in hurling and football as an example.

The senior hurling championship 1s scheduled to begin on the weekends of May 8 and May 15. The second round will not go ahead until June Re

Likewise, the football champion- ship has been confirmed to start on June 10 but after this, the champi- onship fields will remain quiet until August 7. That’s two months without any senior championship football in Clare at the height of the summer. Clubs, here, will feel under serious pressure to keep players interested in training. This will be a serious con- cern for some.

However, the committee point out that the Clare senior footballers play AW Koy mw KOK me) EL NaPso meal OMB OCoMN ent ners to play Limerick in the Munster

semi-final on June 6.

‘As the Clare senior footballers are playing a quarter-final in 2010, un- like 2009 when their first game was the Munster semi-final, we have to provide for the possibility that Clare may enter the All-Ireland qualifier series at round one on June 26.”

In other words, there are a lot of permutations to consider and a lot of balls to juggle.

The committee have also aimed to keep dual clubs happy, trying to ensure that dual clubs will have at least five days between champion- ship games in hurling and football, which, they also point out, may not always be possible in the latter stages of the championship.

The county hurling final is sched- uled to take place on October 10 and the football final on October 13.

In terms of the domestic league, the committee have proposed to begin the Clare Cup at the end of March.

They point out some more difficul- ties they have encountered when try- ing to draw up an all-encompassing master plan.

“Much of the feedback in regard to the Clare Cup has centred on the late finish to the competition. However, clubs have also resisted proposals to start the competition earlier.’ Which, in effect, puts the committee some- Where between a rock and a hard place.

The Cusack Cup, Garry Cup and Division 3 will begin on February 20 to help ensure that county players are available to their clubs for each round.

The Cusack Cup final takes place on July 24, with the Clare Cup final down for August 21.

IS there something in the Miltown Malbay air that helps produce cham- joey eta

Remember way back in the 1940s when Miltown and particularly the football field was a home away from home for George Norton — he who became one of Ireland’s greatest ever rugby full-backs and who kicked Ire- land to Triple Crown glory in 1949.

And, it’s also a home away from home for another Dub who is no stranger to rugby internationals at Croke Park in recent years — not on the field but off it as a bouncer who doubles as a world wrestling cham- pion.

He’s Sheamus O’Shaughnessy — aka Stephen Farrelly — who in December became the first Irish holder of the World Wrestling Entertainment title. His grandmother is Mary Skerritt, wife of the late Tommie Skerritt of the famous golfing clan from Lahi-

eee

And, apart from his grandmother, his mother, aunts, uncles and cous- ins are also living in Miltown Mal- bay, something that has ensured O’Shaughnessy makes regular trips down to Clare.

“T used to go down the Miul- town a lot when I was young,” says O’Shaughnessy. “I loved going down there and was down recently for a flying visit. It’s great that they’re very proud of my achievements in Miultown and Clare,” he adds.

The 31-year-old, who has also worked as a security guard to the stars, such as Bono, won his world title by beating defending champion John Cena in early December. And, in winning the title in New York, O’Shaughnessy blasted the ster- eoypical view of the Irish still held by many.

‘“T wanted to get rid of of the stere- otypes of drunken Paddies and luck charms, and Irish lads and donkey

carts. | wanted to bring back a more positive image, and bring back in the day when Celtic warriors were the most feared in Europe.”

Now, O’Shaughnessy is a feared and respected name in the world of wrestling, having given up a career 1n IT to pursue his dream of becoming a professional wrestler . “I sacrificed an awtul lot to get here,’ he says

“I worked a couple of jobs to save money. I slept in airports. I’d fly over to England on a Friday after work to wrestle, sleep in the airport and then fly back home. That’s how passionate I am about what I want to do. The most important thing for me was wrestling — always.”

It’s important to the Skerritt fam- ily in Miltown Malbay too, who are fiercely proud of O’Shaughnessy’s achievements.

BASED on the first division league table this cup encounter between first and second was always going to be an entertaining affair. However, the one-sided outcome which saw sec- ond placed Hermitage convincingly beat table toppers Mountshannon Celtic was far more unexpected. From the kick off the Ennis side waltzed along in cruise control as they dominated all over the field. Their east Clare counterparts never got out of the blocks for the whole 90 minutes and were shell-shocked

in the end.

Hermitage attacked from the out- set. Their winning margin could have been far greater if their early shoot- ing had been a bit more accurate.

As the ‘Tage missed chances mounted, the fear of Mountshannon punishing this wastefulness was a constant until the home side finally struck in the 20th minute.

It came via a penalty that was coolly dispatched by Davy Moloney after a handball infringement in the square. The floodgates seemed ready to open but half-time arrived too quickly be- fore Hermitage could double their

lead.

The second-half continued in the exact Same manner.

Hermitage pushed forward and ex- erted huge pressure on the already tiring Mountshannon defence. Five minutes after the restart the elusive second goal was found. Paul Dulla- ghan judged his run perfectly as he found himself on the end of an excel- lent cross to head home a very well worked goal.

The spirit killing third goal came along with a double blow. Hermit- age were awarded their second pen- alty of the afternoon but this time

Mountshannon had to suffer the dreaded fate of going down to ten men as key defender Ray Cahill re- ceived a straight red card for a delib- erate handball. Moloney once again finished it off to effectively kill the game as a contest.

Three rapidly became four — this time Eddie Killeen, a member of the Lifford B side who reached the cup final last year rounded the goalkeep- er before blasting to the net.

As often happens the dominant team then started to relax a bit more and with this Shane O’ Rourke pulled one back for Mountshannon.

Any hope of a miraculous come- back were dashed almost in the next play when Robbie Dunne completed his teams scoring and made it 5-1.

The game had one more goal left in it, however, as more sloppy defend- ing allowed Mounstshannon to grab another late consolation goal. This time Paul Dooley was provider but it was certainly a case of too little too Fre

THE NUMBER of people sign- ing on the live register in Clare last month is up a massive 2,336 on this time last year.

The latest breakdown of figures on a county-by-county basis from the Central Statistics Office shows that the numbers signing on jumped to 10,818 in Clare during January.

This is an increase of 414 on the numbers who were claiming dole in December.

The biggest increase was in Ennis, where the number signing on jumped from 10,404 in December to 10,818 in January.

The latest figures come as business agencies warn that action is needed if more jobs are not to go in the mid- west region.

New jobs in the mid-west will come from the existing base of mul- tinational companies in the region according to Bill Doherty, Chairman of the American Chamber Mid West Keres (OE

The focus of agencies such as Shannon Development and IDA Ire- land and local government should be on creating the environment which will allow companies in the region to flourish, he said.

‘The mid-west region has a higher proportion of its workforce employed in the manufacturing and industrial sector than any other region. The IDA Ireland client base in the mid- west employs in the region of 8,000 people. While it is absolutely true that Ireland must seek to become a smart economy and support knowl- edge based businesses, it must be acknowledged that core manufactur- ing is the foundation stone on which many additional investments are built,” said Mr Doherty.

NEWMARKET continued _ their forward progression on Sunday af- ternoon when they easily accounted for Bridge United in a game that was originally scheduled for Sixmilebri- dge, but was switched to Newmar- om

The alternative surrounds did the eventual winners no harm and they settled in as early as the opening minute.

Last time out, the twin attacking threat of Kieran Devitt and Eoin Hayes bagged two goals, they contin- ued that form on Sunday and indeed, maximised it as the game wore on.

But back to that opening minute of the game. Devitt picked up pos- session just outside the box, made sweet contact with the ball, looping his shot over Paul Tuohy and the first thing the Bridge goalkeeper had to do all afternoon was to pick the ball out of the net.

Immediately Newmarket settled. They grew in composure and confi- dence and it’s easy to see why most in Clare soccer circles regard them as the biggest threat to Avenue this season. When they doubled their lead a quarter of an hour later, it was clear that they were going to continue their unbeaten run to six games.

That second goal came courtesy of the boot of Devitt once more. This time Newmarket raided down the left wing, launching the ball into the dan-

ger area and Devitt knocked the ball into the net from close range.

By now, they had seized control of the game and for the 90 minutes, Bridge would fail to threaten Trevor O’Donnell in the Newmarket net.

It remained 2-0 at the break but 64 minutes in, Newmarket pounced again, with Devitt claiming his hat- trick. His third bore some similari- ties to his second. Once more his side attacked down the left and once more Devitt scored from close range.

But credit his strike partner Eoin Hayes who got through plenty of work all afternoon. He also added to the Newmarket haul with a couple of fine goals for himself.

His first and his side’s fourth ar- rived with 15 left in the game.

Newmarket received a free 25 yards out and in a well-worked set-piece, they controlled the ball well, setting up Hayes for a tap in.

His most sublime contribution came after 82 minutes. From 25 yards out he showed composure and skill when chipping the goalkeeper for his side’s fifth goal of the game.

It rounded a quality display from Newmarket and proved the icing on the cake for the league’s most potent strike partnership.

A SHANNON holding company for US-owned, Mentor Graphics (Hold- ings) Ltd last year sustained a 64 per cent drop in pre-tax profits to $22.6 million.

Accounts just lodged with the Companies’ Office, show that the holding company’s turnover to the end of January last dropped from $455.9million to $363.7million.

The company is headquartered in Oregon and employs 4,450 world- wide and is engaged in electronic

design automation.

The Shannon operation is the in- ternational services and distribution centre for information technology, order fulfillment, finance, purchas- ing, facilities, consulting, customer support, legal and human resources for the European, Middle Eastern and Asian business.

The accounts for Mentor Graphics (Holding) Ltd – which is the holding company for the group’s operations in Europe, Middle East and Af- rica and Asia/Pacific region – show that operating profits dropped from

$55.7million to $22.6 million.

A directors’ report attached to the accounts state that they are satisfied with the performance and that the group intends to further develop its activities over the coming year.

The company had accumulated profits of $58.5 million at the end of January. Cost of sales dropped from $100 million to $35million, while operating expenses increased marginally from $299.9 million to OSLUR Row rttletone

The company’s largest operating expenses in 2008 was ‘research and

development’ where $136 million was spent. This represented a drop of $19 million on the R&D spend in 2008.

The company employs 2,030 people with 1,215 engaged in production/re- search and development, 369 in sales and marketing, 343 in administration and 103 in management. Staff num- bers increased in 2008 from $144 million to $154 million. The com- pany paid no dividend to the end of January in 2008.