This article is from page 17 of the 2011-05-24 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 17 JPG
THE SHANNON chess club will represent the county in the All-Ireland championships in Athlone this weekend.
The club sealed entry to the finals in both the under-12 and under-16 events, having won the Munster finals. The under-12s defeated Ahane from Limerick in their final, while the under-16 team overcome Crecora from Limerick in their decider. A panel of 14 players will visit Athlone to take part in the finals.
Last year, the club finished in third place in the All-Ireland under-16 final and hopes to add to the success this year.
“We are hoping to do a bit better this year,” said coach Stephen Danagher.
There is a huge interest in chess in the Shannon area and the club has won dozens of competitions in recent years.
There are almost 30 members of the club in Shannon and they play at the library every Friday evening.
“There is a great interest in it and there is a great facility in the Shannon library. They enjoy it. Success breeds success. We have won quite a bit every year. When the children get a few medals and trophies, they are thrilled with it,” said Stephen, who set up the club more than 12 years ago.
“We are lucky in Shannon to have such a diverse population. Our culture doesn’t promote chess as much as the Indians and the Eastern Europeans and there is an influx of both in Shannon,” he added. The Danagher name will be prominent over the weekend. Stephen’s son James is the captain of the under-16 team, while his daughter Jessica is on the under12 team. Stephen has been interested in chess for many years.
“I played it going to school and I played it in the army. It is very addictive,” he said.
The local community in Shannon has been hugely supportive of the team’s efforts. They helped out with a fundraising flag day, while the local community games club has also contributed to the fund. The town council has also supported the club over the years.
“We are grateful to the people of Shannon for their support. The money raised from a flag day two weeks ago helped to buy t-shirts for the AllIreland,” added Stephen.