This article is from page 73 of the 2007-08-21 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 73 JPG
IT ALL finally came to a head on Tuesday evening. After postponing the decision about the future of the Clare senior hurling management in May, once Clare exited the champi- onship three weeks ago it was clear that this issue would be revisited at the August monthly meeting.
Such was the anticipation that there wasn’t a seat to be had in the West County Hotel. Everyone who attend- ed could sense that something was going to happen and while there was certain debate over the initial topics such as the future of Clare football, girls playing in boys teams past un- der 14 level and the ratification of the under 21 football management, it was nothing like the heated discus- sion which greeted the executive’s proposal to change the Clare senior hurling management.
It was county chairman Michael McDonagh who broached the sub- ject first. In an emotive speech he outlined the harsh media intrusion which even affected his family and how much progress has been made under his tenure with regard to GAA property and its increasing value. Then he then touched on the sensitive topic of the management itself.
He detailed each controversy in turn. He began by announcing the resignation of selector Pat O’Connor before the meeting. He also dis- cussed the media frenzy which ac- companied every aspect of the year so far, the incident in Mellick, the Davy Fitzgerald saga, Dave Mahedy, Ger Ward and the club champion- ships fixtures in June.
McDonagh then got more specific. He mentioned that a Clare selector had called him a “weak chairman” during the year, that he had backed
the management to the hilt and in fact kept the management team to- gether by persuading a selector (Pat O’Connor) to stay before the Antrim game in July before stating that this was probably one of the last speeches
he would make in his role as Chair- man. And because of all the rea- sons he outlined, the executive had weighed up the season and had come to a decision to propose a change of the Clare senior hurling manage-
ment.
The Miltown man then opened the discussion to the floor. Clare selec- tor Ciaran O’Neill, on behalf of the management, asked that seeing as Tony Considine and Tim Crowe
were on holidays, that they be given a chance at the next meeting to rep- resent themselves and tell their side of the story.
This request proved to be the cen- tre of the debate for the next hour. Shannon delegate Tony O’Connell agreed with O’Neill, stating that the management shouldn’t be held up as scapegoats and were entitled to show their case because everyone had ques- tions to ask. Eugene McGirr of The Banner club pledged his allegiance to the executive and suggested a line be drawn in the sand. Scariff’s Jim Jones also disagreed with bringing the management to the Carron meet- ing citing that it would only end up as an inquisition.
Heated debate continued down the same lines and at one stage the chairman threatened to leave the meeting, emotionally walking to the back of the boardroom before being coaxed back to the chair. McDonagh outlined that if the three remaining mentors were allowed to speak that it was only right that Ger Ward, Dave Mahedy and Pat O’Connor be given their chance to defend themselves and at this stage, it seemed like a vote would never actually take place.
However, after Clarecastle chair- man Paschal Russell made a stir- ring speech backing his clubman Ger Ward whom he declared was an “honest man” and who had been “done a foul deed’, debate subsided, common sense prevailed and the vote was finally taken. It led to the dismissal of the Clare senior hurling management by 45 to 6 with 14 ab- stentions.