Category: Sport

PLANS and costings for the redevelopment of the main stand at Cusack Park are being drawn up by architects as the Clare County Board’s initial response to the recent health and safety audit that has reduced the ground’s capacity by over 10,000.

Board chairman Michael O’Neill told delegates to Thursday’s annual Convention that Horgan, Lynch and Company from Cork have been employed by the board to draw up new plans for the redevelopment of the 75-year-old seat of Clare GAA after the recent Slattery Report reduced the capacity to 14,864.

O’Neill made his comments on foot of a motion that was tabled by St Joseph’s Miltown delegate, Noel Walsh, which called for the county board to appoint a new sub-committee that would address the reconstruction of the main stand.

“The ground is becoming a little bit more dilapidated, particularly the main stand,” said former Munster Council chairman, Walsh. “It was decided back in Fr Mac’s time to do something about it, but it’s a problem, a perennial problem that there’s no money to do it. I understand that it was decided to sell a section of ground to refurbish the main stand,” he added.

“We are where we are with Cusack Park,” interjected chairman Michael O’Neill.

“The point I am making that it was eight years ago that the county committee had decided to go ahead and do that – they had decided unanimously to do that. For some reason it didn’t happen,” responded Walsh.

“Despite the fact that there is a shortage of money – plans should be drawn up with people who do that down in cork , Horgan and Lynch should be asked to put forward plans.”

“I don’t want to cut across you,” interjected O’Neill. “Can I outline that that (employing Horgan/Lynch) is in progress at the minute. Two years ago we would have met all the relevant authorities here in Clare. Our capacity was something in the region of 25,000/27,000 people.

“Nobody had any disagreement with that. There is no problem, in my opinion with having 25,000/27,000 over there. We have to carry out works there. We have a fair idea at this stage about what they are. We haven’t them costed yet, but that will certainly be done in the not too distant future,” the chairman added.

“If our capacity reaches a certain minimum size we would be in a very weak position when it comes getting high profile games like All-Ireland under 21 semi-finals, or big Munster championship games,” warned Walsh.

“I remember in 1993, 19000 attended Clare against Cork in senior football. The Clare football team wouldn’t attract that attendance now, but you never know. If the capacity is that low we won’t be able to enter into a home and away arrangement in senior hurling either,” he added.

“The capacity is more than 12,000,” countered O’Neill. “It’s capable of taking nearly 15,000. We need to put in extra turnstiles. It wouldn’t take an awful lot to bring it up to 20,000, but certainly to bring it up to 25,000 would take a fair bit of money. That’s where we’re at at the moment. All the things that you talk about are in situ at the moment – we are in discussions with Horgan/Lynch,” added O’Neill.

“I would like to see the report of Horgan/Lynch at a board meeting during the year,” responded Walsh. “I go back to the time of Brendan Vaughan’s time in the 1970s. There was very little money around in ’78 when he set up a committee and he got debenture loans – we got a wonderful county ground at that time that was superior to any other county ground in the country at that time,” he added.

During Mr Walsh’s three-year term as Munster Council chairman from 1995 to 1997, he secured substantial funding for a pilot project to erect floodlights at Cusack Park.

However, Clare GAA turned down opportunity to be the first ground in the province to have floodlights, with the grant aid totalling around £100,000 being grabbed by the Kerry County Board for Austin Stack Park in Tralee.

PERSISTENCE proved to be the key for Clarecastle’s motion to establish a committee to review the enforcement of the rules, in particular in relation to ‘striking with hurley, either with force or causing injury’ and the gravity of the offence in relation to suspensions.

Clarecastle delegate John Callinan outlined his club’s concern about the implementation of the rules in relation to suspensions which opened up a 40 minute debate from the floor, the longest of the night.

“We are not criticising the Disciplinary Committee in any way, we are merely requesting that a review be put in place on the enforcement of the rules that exist, particularly relating to Category III infractions and arising from that, a review and clear guidelines could be established.

“Our particular concern is the offence of striking with the hurley either with force or causing injury. The minimum suspension is eight weeks and you may be also aware of the gravity clause which says that ‘where a minimum suspension is prescribed in relation to an Infraction, the Coun- cil or Committee-in-Charge shall have due regard for the gravity of the Infraction in each case and where appropriate should impose a longer term of suspension.’

“If you go to the back of the AGM booklet, there is a section on offences and suspensions. I think there are 21 suspensions relating to striking with the hurley using minimum force. All received the minimum four weeks. There are five suspensions under striking with the hurley using force or causing injury and all five received the minimum suspension of eight weeks.

“We are not saying that the committee has acted in any unfair, impartial or unjust way. Having regard for the gravity provision, it is strange, is all we can say, that each of the five situations merited the exact same suspension in each particular case. The minimum.

“Does one size fit all?”

Initially, Chairman Michael O’Neill requested that the motion be put forward to congress for a change of rule but after repeated clarification from Clarecastle delegate Callinan that the club were not looking for a rule change, the debate was opened up to the floor.

County Secretary Pat Fitzgerald considered it a matter for the referees to indicate the severity of the offence in their reports; Ger Hoey, Referee Administrator Coiste an Chlair told the meeting that referees are instructed from national level to report per rulebook, full stop. ‘You don’t go any further, you don’t go any less.’

Fellow referee and Ruan delegate Ger Lyons suggested it needed a change of protocol from Croke Park while Sixmilebridge delegate PJ Fitzpatrick backed Clarecastle’s proposal.

“I think what John [Callinan] is saying is that the minimum suspension has automatically become the maximum suspension and that there is a huge difference.

“We have a duty to our games. There is no justice whereby you see a player who sustains an injury from a deliberate blow from a hurley who is out of the game twice as long as the suspension issued to the person who administered the injury.”

The debate raged on with Chairman O’Neill sticking to his guns on the matter. “We can put the committee is place but I don’t know if there is a whole lot we can do about it unless we bring it to Croke Park, that’s my assertion of it.

“In principal the motion will be carried but in this case, the motion means nothing. The rule is the rule.”

However, the intervention of Corofin delegate and referee Ambrose Heagney proved crucial in the debate. “I’m a bit baffled at this. Maybe I’m a very fortunate in that I never refereed a game with an incident like this. But if I came across an incident where some hurler was struck intentionally, by God, in my report it would be seriously underlined. I just wouldn’t quote the rule, I would go a long way more than quoting the rule.

“This is very serious that if a guy can strike down another guy, that he would get the minimum suspension. I think that the referee has to put in his report that this was a bloody serious offence and put in a few words along with it. It doesn’t take a lot and I don’t think you will leave yourself wide open by doing so.”

Further additions from Clarecastle delegate Neville O’Halloran that the term ‘this is a serious strike’ was used in one referee’s report this year and the offender still got the minimum suspension added more fuel to the fire while PJ Fitzpatrick rounded off the discourse with a final plea.

“You can see from the discussion that it has opened up options and what Ambrose [Heagney] has said there has given some clarity to the situation as well.

“If a committee was set up to discuss something that is a cause of grave concern, surely it must do some good and it might be a system of clarifying issues for referees, the disciplinary committee, club managers or club officers.”

With no opposition, Chairman O’Neill finally granted the motion.

“Just to finalise it, I would be prepared to put a committee in place.

“This was a merited discussion because if our games are getting nasty and getting dirty, the message should go out there that we will be stringent with the rules but we can only be stringent with the rules as they stand. So a three person committee in conjunction with myself and possibly a representative of the referees will sit down and see if we can work around this obstacle that is there at the moment.”

THE Tuamgraney Handball Club 2012 commemorative calendar is now on sale. To celebrate their Centenary Year, the East Clare club have marked the occasion by producing a calendar, packed with over 150 photos from past and present celebrating Tuamgraney’s rich handball heritage. The calendar also features many handball legends from around the country and is a bargain at just € 10. Anyone wishing to purchase a calendar can contact Club Secretary Shane Walsh on 087-9415001. Free postage within Ireland. Tuamgraney Handball Club would like to wish everyone who supported us this year and all of Clare’s handballers a very Merry Christmas and a happy and safe New Year.

League Fixtures
Monday 26th December FAI Youths Cup Round 3 Crossgalla(Limerick): Pike Rovers v Avenue Utd Limerick Officials 2.00 Note: In event of a draw10 mins e/wextra time and penalties if necessary.

League Results
Sunday 18/ 12/ 11 Munster Junior Cup 3rd Round Avenue United A 0-1 Connolly Celtic

TWO FINE wins by 64 Kilo Youths James Galbraith and Reese Doyle gave Clare Boxer a tenuous 7-6 lead going into the final bout of the evening in the Cecil Campbell Memorial Trophy match between Clare and Limerick at the Community Centre in Ennis on Friday night last; and a sublime if narrow victory for the Clare sides only lady competitor Sally Carrig copper-fastened a victory for the home side. It was a victory which scarcely looked attainable early on when Limerick stormed into a 3-0 lead with wins by Luke Nolan, who beat local debutante Jack Murphy in a thriller and tactical victories for the O’Reilly brothers Jamie and John over Tommy Galbraith and Davy Keenan respectively.

There was ample retribution for Irish Champion Conor Doyle who suffered the first defeat of his career last week in Limerick; when he kickstarted the home sides recovery process with a solid victory over Dom Sarsfield. Doyle regained all of his characteristic accuracy with a great left jab and followed through with scoring righthanders which overwhelmed the Limerick fighter.

52 Kilo Southpaw Mike McDonagh continued the winning vein with victory over Clive O’Mara and Middleweight Wayne Danaher restored parity with a good win over Limericks Podge McDonagh, a tough enduring Middleweight who hails from Shannon. This was undoubtedly the bout of that everybody came to see, and neither boxer gave way in a bruising first round before Danaher gained supremacy with precision left jabs to the head in the second and in spite of McDonagh’s resilience popped up with some solid righthanders to seal victory in the third.

The Light-welter battle between Ennis favourite Simon McDonagh and Limericks Clive O’Mara turned into a torrid battle of attrition. These boys had met twice previously and everybody knew this was going right down to the wire and so it proved. The Ennis boxer dominated the first and second rounds, but could not shake off the resilient Limerick fighter, and with victory literally secure, a moment of indiscretion cost McDonagh the victory after he was given a pub- lic warning for barging (shades of Amir Khan in last weekends World title in Washington State).

The Clare side carried that narrow 7-6 lead going into the final contest, and young Sally Carrig duly delivered with a fabulous victory over the experienced Patrique Kelly from the St Francis Club. Both boxers enjoyed momentary superiority in the crucial battle, but it was the Ennis girl, daughter of Ennis Coach Sean, who produced the accuracy of punch and controlled aggression which gleaned a much cherished victory over three absorbing rounds.

Results in detail
Clare names first. 32 Kg Boys Mike Doherty beat Martin Pratt 33 Kg Boys Martin C Doherty beat Jay Casey 36 Kg Boys TomGalbraith lost to Jamie O’Reilly 39 Kg Boys Davy Keenan lost to John O’Reilly 48 Kg Boys Conor Doyle Beat DomSarsfield 50 Kg Boys Mike McDonagh Beat Gary Butterfield 57 Kg Youth Simon McDonagh Lost to Clive O’Mara 46 Kg Boys S Nugent Scr Conor MaddenW O 60 Kg Youth J McDonagh Lost to Lee Reeves MiddleWt Wayne Danaher Beat Podge McDonagh 70 KgYouth James Galbraith Beat Danny Roche 75 KgYouth Jack Murphy lost to Luke Nolan 64 KgYouth Reese Doyle beat Cullan Ryan 64 Kg Ladies Sally Carrig beat Patrique Kelly

OUTGOING Chairman Johnny Hayes reflected on his four years at the helm of Clare Ladies Football by proudly reviewing the accomplishments that the county achieved during his tenure.

“The future looks very bright for our teams. When I Look back over my four years, I enjoyed it very much. I saw Clare win two National League titles, Division 2 and 3, also reached two All-Ireland Intermediate finals losing one and winning one and we won two Munster Intermediate titles. We also won two All-Ireland Under 14 blitzes, Munster and an All-Ireland Under 14 championship, an Under 16B All-Ireland championship and a Munster Minor Championship for the first time in 20 years and went on to reach the All-Ireland.

“In 2008, the first Munster Junior title came to Clare courtesy of West Clare Gaels who went on to contest the national final. In 2009, it was Kilmihil’s turn to bring the Munster and All-Ireland Junior titles back to Clare and create history. In 2010, it was West Clare Gaels again, this time winning the Munster and AllIreland Intermediate titles after their first county senior title. We also had post primary success with Scoil Mhuire from Ennistymon winning the Munster Colleges title.

“When I look back on those achievements, they bring back great memories for me and it was great to be in the Chair when all those titles came back to Clare.

“Finally I want to thank the camogie board for their cooperation, all our sponsors, my fellow club and county officers, the local media and to all the clubs for the cooperation and courtesy extended to me throughout the year. With a good understanding and working relationship, my job was made much easier.”

Johnny Hayes was subsequently elected as Vice-Chairman for 2012.

IN ACCORDANCE of the views of the delegates on the night, Secretary Michael Fitzpatrick, in his annual report, also expressed the need to alter the structure of the adult championships.

As part of his review of the year, Fitzpatrick looked into various aspects of the adult competitions.

“I feel we will have to look at our senior championship again as Coolmeen ran into problems with fulfilling their matches. Also I think the league should be over before starting the championship.

“We need to look at our structures in 2012 and another aspect is the inclusion of second teams from clubs in the adult lower grades as it happened again this year that clubs pulled their second team out, prior or during the competition, also not willing to name their first 15 players.”

In a comprehensive report, Fitzpatrick thanked all clubs and county teams for their efforts in 2011, particularly the senior side who captured the National League Division 3 title, and wished them the best for 2012.

“We may not have won many laurels in 2011 but congratulations to David O’Brien and his team on winning the Division 3 League and also to the five players who were picked on the Division 3 Team of the League (Lorraine Kelly, Louise Henchy, Niamh Keane, Niamh O’Dea and Eimear Considine). Also to David O’Brien on being Manager of the Month for May.”

“To the 22 clubs, I wish you all the best for 2012 and to the incoming board, the best of luck for the new season.”

OUTGOING Treasurer Christy O’Connor received the biggest applause of the night for his long service to Clare Ladies Football. Associated with the board since 1988, the Coolmeen clubman served under five different chairpersons during his various terms and on this his sixth successive report as Treasurer, he also reported an annual profit of € 10,844.22 and an overall balance of € 27,890.96.

However, that healthy position came with a caveat to the incoming treasurer as expected transport costs of approximately € 8-9,000 are imminent in the New Year.

O’Connor also told the delegates that gate receipts ‘held their own’ in 2011 (14,107) with only a slight decrease from the previous year, with income totaling € 107,712.37 while expenditure amounted to € 96,908.15.

A large bulk of both totals centred around Club Registration and the distribution of same to various central boards and the injury scheme. Church Gate Collections also made up € 8,300.77 of the income total while senior team expenses were € 11,742.90.

Avenue United 0 – Connolly Celtic 1 at Lisdoonvarna

AN EARLY Christmas treat for Connolly Celtic who turned their cup agony into cup ecstacy on Sunday when taking the notable scalp of Avenue Utd. Almost two months ago, the First Division side were heartbreakingly edged out by Bridge Celtic in the Division 1 League Cup Final after a two hour endurance battle that went all the way to sudden death penalties.

This game could have easily strayed into an extra period as well but for a dogged Connolly performance that saw them simply refuse to yield despite the expected Avenue backlach. Indeed, the victory was made all the more admirable when you consider that Connolly lost regular goalkeeper Niall Quinn in the warm-up and had to use outfield player Brendan Field as the stand-in goalkeeper from the outset.

Economy was the key to their first half advantage after taking the lead as early as the ninth minute with what was their only real meaningful shot on target in the half. It stemmed from a pinpoint Mickey Byrnes cross from the left that was met by the onrushing Kieran Dillon to nestle his header into the top left corner of the net.

It arguably came against the run of play as it was the Ennis side who had done all the early running and were enjoying particular success down the left wing where young duo Dylan Casey and David Smyth proved difficult to police. However, a serious ankle injury to Casey midway through the half disrupted their flow and while his replacement David McCarthy had several attempts at goal, including a rasping effort that was excellently parried by Field, the back-to-back Clare Cup champions remained frustrated.

There were also penalty claims at both ends before the break but both were deemed too theatrical while Barry Nugent had a late first half effort tipped away as Connolly held out to the interval.

The second half was much more open and conducive to counter-attacking football as Avenue altered their formation to three at the back in the hope of unlocking the Connolly defence while the leaders also switched right-back Alan Markham to the wing to menacing effect.

Indeed, Markham was influential at both sides of the field on the restart, first when getting back to deny McCarthy what should have been the equaliser and then later on when repeatedly breaking down the right, only for the final ball on each occasion to let him down.

As the half progressed, Avenue became more and more desperate which resulted in some ambitious long range shooting from Mikey Mahoney and Barry Nugent in particular that never troubled goalkeeper Field.

Avenue had better luck with David Smyth’s 73rd minute free that seemed destined for the corner of the net, only for Field to match it with a great diving save. Down the other end, Avenue goalkeeper John Healy also had to be alert to keep out a Kenneth Kennedy volley in the 86th minute, a goal which would have surely sealed the win.

In the end however, that second goal wasn’t necessary as despite several goalmouth scrambles that could have easily nestled in the Connolly net, Avenue were simply unable to break down a stubborn rearguard, marshalled supremely by Kieran Dillon.

Christmas came early for Connolly with their present, a fourth round home tie against Limerick superpowers Pike Rovers in the New Year.

A MOVE by county board secretary Pat Fitzgerald to reduce the number of county board meetings to six each year has been deferred for consideration at a Special Convention on January 15 next.

This decision was taken by delegates to Thursday’s Convention, amid claims from county board chairman Michael O’Neill that some county board around the country have as little as two county board meetings during the year.

The motion, tabled by the Sixmilebridge club on behalf of Mr Fitzgerald, was one of two on the Convention Clár that dealt specifically with county board meetings – the other from the St Joseph’s Miltown, which called for 11 county board gatherings during the year was also deferred.

“For many years we’ve had similar structures,” said Fitzgerald in outlining his argument for change. “In many businesses, if they didn’t change for a number of years, then we know what would happen.

“It would afford the opportunity to have debate. The text of the motion is incidental. I am just putting forward my reasons.

“I believe there are many issues of concern in Clare GAA. You may say why didn’t I write about them, but I feel it may not have been in the best interests to address them in that fashion.

“I do feel that there is a need for change, but most of all, we would all agree that in recent years, particularly in the past couple of years, with emigration and migration.

“We did a survey last year (on player emigration) and we tried to do it again this year. It is absolutely frightening.

“The place address these critical issues which are going to confront our association in the near future is with the key people in the association. The key people as far as I am concerned are the leaders of the clubs. The elected people in the clubs,” he added.

The secretary’s motion argued that six county board meetings would involve the chairman or secretary of each club, the board delegate and senior team manager being present.

A number of delegates to Convention backed the motion.

“The workings of board meetings needs to be review and restructured and this motion will help to achieve that,” said Kilrush Shamrocks delegate, Colm Browne. “It might be a step forward for tonight, but it is timely.

“There is a disconnect at times be- tween what happens at board meetings and what’s reflected on the ground in clubs and the message that’s relayed at board meetings is not the message that’s agreed at club meetings – the opinion of the club doesn’t come through.

“Getting the key people in clubs into meetings is critical because the issues that the GAA is facing in terms of migration and numbers and finance, there needs to be a reconnection between the clubs and the executive. The only way you can do that is by having meaningful meetings,” he added.

“This is an effort to have quality before quantity,” said Cratloe delegate, Flan O’Reilly. “We are beginning to realise that the GAA is more than the officers. There needs to be more of a calculated input from the clubs and this is an attempt to do this.

“I would like to support the motion,” said Cooraclare delegate, PJ McGuane, “particularly because with it we’re going to get the motion a month in advance. There is a disconnect”.

“If we pass this, it’s going to anchor us down,” said Tulla delegate Michael O’Halloran. “It’s going to anchor us down to a situation where we discuss football matters for one hour and hurling matters for one hour and then we have general discussion.

“When I was young we had a holy hour. If you weren’t spiritually in- clined it was an endurance. If some of us had to sit through codes we’re not particularly interested in, we have great difficulty with this.

And, Allowing secretaries of subcommittees call meetings, I think it is a total and absolute recipe for disaster,” added O’Halloran.

“We are asking that there would be 11 meetings in the year,” said St Joseph’s Miltown delegate, Noel Walsh, in opposing the notion of only having six board meetings a year. “If we reduce our number of meetings to six – if it’s passed we would probably be the only county in the association who don’t hold a monthly meeting,” added Walsh.

“I can assure you that that isn’t true. There are counties who hold two and maybe four meetings a year,” countered board chairman, Michael O’Neill.

“I was astonished that after the June meeting of the county board, we didn’t come back until the middle of September for the next full county board meeting,” responded Walsh.

“This was despite the fact that the intervening months were a hive of activity at club level, county level and everything.

“It’s better to be talking at a county board meeting than to be talking in the pub, or talking out at the gate giving out. The place to be talking is at a monthly county board meeting or the Convention,” he added.

“Six meetings. There can be eight, nine, ten meetings. I don’t mind,” said Pat Fitzgerald. “The one thing I would say that the first meeting would be in February and then it would be up to the county committee to do two things – one, before the end of the meeting, they would set the agenda for the next meeting and would decide on when it would be held,” he added.

CLARE GAA have been called upon to make their new Michael Cusack Archive that’s now housed at its Áras Chiosóg headquarters in Clareabbey available to members of the public to view for research purposes.

In making the call, Br Sean McNamara, who donated the material to Clare GAA earlier in the year, said that granting public access to Michael Cusack papers he had collected over three decades was crucial to keeping the legacy of the GAA’s founding father to the fore.

“As you all know, nobody would be here tonight with Michael Cusack,” said Br McNamara. “During the past 30 years, I have been collecting materials dealing with the life and times of Michael Cusack.

“All the information I collected over the years – and being of an age that I may not be much longer on this planet – I have decided to make it available.

“Des Crowe suggested to me that the proper thing to do with it would be to give it to the county board. During the month of May, we spent many hours putting together the material.

“It consists of 14 folders of material – in other words there is in excess of 200 items. For those of you who may not know, all the material belonging to Michael Cusack is in the university of Galway.

“That is not much use to people, because it is almost impossible to get a look at it. I’m one of few to have seen the material, because last May I gave the university 12 items.

“By giving the material to the county board it means that people wanting to get information relating to Michael Cusack will be readily available. That’s readily available and I hope that this will happen,” added Br McNamara.

The Kilmurry McMahon man used the platform of Thursday’s Convention to launch a volley in the direction of Ennis Town Council, over what he called the local authority’s misrepresentation of Cusack’s proper place in GAA history.

“There are still people who think that the GAA was not the brainchild of Michael Cusack,” said Br McNamara rounding on detractors of the Carron man.

“It was Michael and Michael alone who thought up the founding of the Gaelic Athletic Association,” continued Br McNamara.

“There are a number of information boards in Ennis. It is located on Francis Street, close to where Clare FM was and it says ‘The GAA was the brainchild of PW Nally, 1857-91. He suggested his idea to his friend, Michael Cusack and active Fenian’.

“On both counts it’s wrong. It wasn’t PW Nally’s brainchild. It was Michael Cusack’s brainchild,” added Br McNamara.