Category: Sport

JOHN Kennedy may only have linked up with Kilmurry Ibrickane with the first rays of summer, but you could say that he goes back a long way with the club that’s only a scenic boat ride from Asdee around Loophead to Quilty.

All because, back in 2004 when Clare had its biggest football day of the new millennium by beating Sligo by 1-11 to 0-11 in the inaugural Tommy Murphy Cup for the All-Ireland B Championship, Kilmurry provided more to Banner side than any other club.

Dermot O’Brien, Odran O’Dwyer, Enda Coughlan and Evan Talty saw action that day seven years ago – for Kennedy’s second coming as a championhip winner in Clare the latter three were still invovled.

As Kennedy peeled away from the throng after the final whistle, he was just happy to be part of it all, having been drafted into the backroom team after his commitments with the Kerry under 21s were over with and in Kilmurry’s hour of need.

“It’s a great day for Kilmurry, it’s a great day for the parish, it’s a great day for everyone involved in the team,” he says.

“We have worked really hard for this. This was a job started off by Ger Lawlor, Joe Hurley and Patrick Murrihy. I came in in May.

“These guys are fantastic. They worked extremely hard in the time I’ve been with them and before that. I would say we have been threatening a display like this for some time and today everything seemed to come right for us.

“We said to ourselves beforehand ‘this is their first county final, we need to start well’.

“We have started well in a lot of games, but haven’t been carrying it on. Today we did, we got the scores on the board early and kicked on from there and weren’t going to let them back into it.

We worked extremely hard over the past few weeks. We were creating the chances in previous games, we just weren’t taking them. It would be a lot more worrying if we weren’t taking the chances. We had to turn more of our possessions into scores. Today we did that. We only ended up with six wides in 60 minutes. That’s a good return.”

With that Kennedy is swept away by well-wishers. Job done. Jack Daly heading for the Hand, with Kennedy preparing for night in Quilty as the most prized possession in Clare football heads for what has been it’s favourite home since the new millennium dawned.

Tulla Utd 3 – Avenue United 3 at The Cragg, Tulla

A SIX-GOAL thriller at The Cragg entertained the spectators on Sunday morning as Tulla United deservedly picked up their first point of the campaign when grabbing an injury time equaliser against the bluebloods from the county capital.

You could say that Denis Corry’s charges struck early and late to ensure that they got a share of the spoils against an Avenue side that were hoping to build on their thumping Premier Division opener when they thumped Mountshannon Celtic by 5-1.

However, on this day there was to be no double against east Clare opposition as a resilient Tulla side more than put it up to their opponents.

Indeed, they bossed this game for the first 20 minutes after getting the dream start of a goal inside the first minute. In many ways it was a gift from the visitors, after a comedy of errors in defence was ruthlessly punished by Colin Nelson who found the net past John Healy.

From there Tulla, who were very unlucky to be go down to Lifford in their opening league game four weeks previously, gained real confidence and had much the better of the exchanges against their illustrious opponents with Darragh Corry showing really well in the midfield exchanges.

However, a set-piece play got Avenue back into the game when left winger David Smith beautifully floated a free kick from outside the area into the top corner of the net after 25 minutes.

This changed the game – Avenue’s early jitters and hesitancy was cast away and they grew into the task at hand and had the better of the exchanges for the rest of the half, albeit they failed to press this home on the scoreboard.

The sides were deadlocked 1-1 at the break, but 15 minutes in the tie seemed to turn decisively in Avenue’s favour when Tulla defender Denis Murphy was adjudged to have fouled Mikey Mahony in the box.

From the resultant penalty David Russell drove to the net to put Avenue ahead 2-1, a lead they looked like holding onto as the tie drifted into the final ten minutes. However, after 81 minutes a long free kick from midfield was miss-judged by Alex and Niall Whelan nipped in with a header for the equaliser.

But, the drama was only beginning because back came the Avenue and they seemed ot have kept their 100 per cent start to the season intact when influential midfielder David McCarthy beat Shane Collins in the Tulla goal.

But credit Tulla – they never said die and in the last minute, Denis Murphy atoned for giving away the penalty when he got the final touch after another route one delivery from a free and beat John Healy to bring the drama to a close.

Both sides went home happy.

Tulla United
Shane Collins, David McInerney, Denis Murphy, Niall Whelan, Paul O’Malley, Darragh Corry, Shane

Mason, Brian Hehir,Tommy McKeown,Trevor Corbett, Colin Nelson.

Subs
Ger Hanrahan for Corbett, PadraigVaughan for Hehir, Sunny Jay for Nelson.

Avenue United
John Healy, Simon Cuddy, Mattie Nugent, David Russell,Alex, Con Collins, Gary Flynn, Dave McCarthy, Sean Corry, David Smith, Mickey Mahony.

Sub
Darren O’Meara for Flynn.

Man of the Match
Darragh Corry (Tulla United)

THIS must have been a dream come through for Kilmurry Ibrickane star player Ian McInerney. Of course he has seen it all before but the feeling of bringing Jack Daly home and putting another county medal in your back pocket never gets old. Add in scoring a variety of brilliant free kicks with a hundred percent accuracy and scoop- ing the man of the match award this day could not have gone better for the forward with a number seven jersey on his back.

“It’s absolutely great. It’s wonderful. Our experience was definitely a huge help to us today. We really wanted this so bad. We hadn’t really played well this year so we really wanted to put in a great performance today. We have a great bunch of lads there.”

Leading on a score of 0-8 to no score at the interval must have left the possibility of complacency setting in after the restart. How was such a scenario prevented from happening?

“We just said at half time that we’d have to keep going and really drive it on. We’ve had early leads in the past and let them go and ended up in a dogfight so we didn’t want that to happen all over again. So we did what we planned and kept driving on.

“It’s a great day for Kilmurry Ibrickane especially all of our supporters. We really had great support again today so it was nice to earn the win for them.”

One very important supporter was missing from the stands for McInerney but she was very much in his thoughts and acted as the inspiration for his incredible county final day performance.

“Unfortunately my girlfriend is in hospital at the moment. She is very sick so I tried my best to put in a bit of performance for her today.”

Well he certainly managed to that and as well as doing her proud he surely was and will be the toast of many supporters in the barony for the weeks of celebrations ahead.

Newmarket-on-Fergus 3-08 – Kilmaley 1-10 at Clarecastle

NEWMARKET-ON-FERGUS rubberstamped their authority over Clare camogie when fending off their fiercest rivals Kilmaley for the second year running on Sunday.

With the blustery conditions to the fore, the defending champions blitzed their opponents with two Erica Minogue goals against the gale early in the second half and in the end, it was the sufficient lift they required to get them over the line.

In fact, those goals were crucial to Newmarket’s cause after not taking full advantage when the breeze was at their backs in the opening half. Some dogged defending from Kilmaley ensured that the holders would only carry a four point advantage at the break which didn’t seem enough, a view that was further emphasised when substitute Ashling Darcy split the posts in the opening minute of the restart.

However, Newmarket were able to do what Kilmaley simply failed to in the opening half – score a goal against the breeze. And in fact, they would grab two in close succession with Roisin McMahon supplying Erica Minogue on both occasions, each one a dagger to Kilmaley’s hopes.

Kilmaley fought back admirably and five successive points cut the deficit to four by the turn of the final quarter but a missed penalty was magnified only 11 minutes later when Iris Kaiser sealed their fate.

That ruthlessness in front of goal in contrast to Kilmaley’s missed opportunities was the difference in a game between Clare’s flagship sides that was always going to be decided by goals. In fact, the accuracy on both sides has to be commended as both sides only hit two wides each over the hour. However, below the crossbar, Kilmaley will point to a mishit shot by Ashling O’Halloran that drifted wide after an incisive run through the heart of the Newmarket defence while Denise Lynch’s 43rd minute penalty was expertly stopped following a foul on O’Halloran.

The opening half went along expected lines after Kilmaley won the toss and decided to play into the conditions. With the ball rarely passing half-way, the defending champions grabbed the first six points of the game through Erica Minogue (2), Niki Kaiser (2), Iris Kaiser and Deirdre Cassidy by the 19th minute. And they might have also grabbed a goal in the 11th minute when Iris Kaiser cut in from the right, only to see her stinging shot saved by goalkeeper Edel Griffey.

Kilmaley’s defence were under immense pressure but hunted in packs to ensure that they would not concede further and true to form, they held out until the break while also pouncing on the counter-attack.

Ashling O’Halloran’s chance came in the 22nd minute and they finally opened their account two minutes later when Claire McMahon converted a ’45. Again Newmarket piled on the pressure in search of a crucial goal that would give them a significant half-time cushion but full-back Sarah Reidy cleared a shot off the line in the 29th minute before Claire McMahon doubled her advantage with another placed ball to cut the deficit to only four at the break at 0-6 to 0-2.

So when Ashling Darcy cut the advantage to only a goal directly after the resumption, Kilmaley supporters could sense that the tide was turning. They didn’t account for Erica Minogue however who twice in the space of as many minutes gathered Roisin McMahon deliveries and successfully headed for goal to open up a nine point lead.

Kilmaley brushed off that set-back and after a Claire McMahon 20 metre free was deflected clear, they would hit the next five points, three from the stick of All-Star nominee McMahon.

They were frustrated with that penalty stop, even more so soon afterwards when Iris Kaiser bore down on goal and handpassed to the net in the 54th minute to restore her side’s eight point advantage.

To their credit, Kilmaley never threw in the towel and even grabbed a 60th minute goal through the hardworking Emma O’Driscoll but it was a mere consolation as time was not on their side and they had to yield to their perennial rivals for the second year in a row.

Newmarket- on- Fergus
Carol Toomey (Capt.) (7),Aoife Griffin (7), Jane O’Leary (7), Carol O’Leary (7),Aimee McInerney (8), Roisin McMahon (7), Carol Kaiser (8), Ruth Kaiser (7) (0-1), JoanneWalsh (7), Deirdre Cassidy (7) (0-1), Erica Minogue (8) (2-2), Niki Kaiser (7) (0-3 2f), Sharon McMahon (7), Iris Kaiser (7) (1-1), Jenny Kelly (6)

Sub
Aine O’Brien (7) for Kelly (HT)

Kilmaley
Edel Griffey (7), Niamh Cahill (7), Sarah Reidy (7), Sinead O’Halloran (7), Helen McMahon (7) (0-1), Katie Cahill (7), Eimear Considine (7),Aida Griffey (7), Eimear O’Connor (6), Shonagh Enright (7) (0-2), Emma O’Driscoll (8) (1-0), Claire McMahon (8) (0-6 2f, 3’45), Ailish Considine (6), Denise Lynch (6),Ashling O’Halloran (6)

Subs
Ashling Darcy (7) (0-1) for O’Connor (30 mins), Sinead O’Keeffe for O’Halloran (57 mins)

Player of the Game
Erica Minogue (Newmarket- on- Fergus) Referee Fintan McNamara (Killanena)

SURROUNDED by a green and red wave of congratulating supporters Evan Talty could not contain his excitement and enthusiasm.

“It’s absolutely brilliant now. We did what we set out to do,” he says above the din and through the crowd. “We had a very good quick start. We knew it was Barefield’s first final and since we had a bit of experience, the only way we could put that to use was to get that quick start we wanted and thankfully we did that.

“I think in fairness the game in many ways was over at halftime. When we came out and got the first score of the second half we were confident enough that we would hold out then.

“I suppose in most games we start well like we did against Cooraclare and Cratloe but then in most of those games we seemed to die down after that. We get on top and then we seem to relax. We said one thing today that we wouldn’t relax and stop playing. We’d drive on and get the next score, the next score and the next score.

“In fairness to Barefield they had a great year but I suppose it happened to us in our first year in Croke Park as well. We got caught in the headlights and I think the same thing happened to them today but they will be back again,” he adds.

Obviously a week of celebrations is around the corner but winning a county title for this amazing group of players is just not enough. A campaign in Munster and maybe even further is surely at the back of their minds already.

“We will relax now for a while anyway. I think it’s five weeks until Munster for us. We’ll enjoy this week but then we will be back down to work again. We’ll have another big job to do then. We really want to get back to where we we’re two years ago and hopefully finish off what we started.”

YOU SIMPLY cannot argue with Brian Enright’s championship record as Newmarket manager. A perfect accomplishment of two successive county titles has wrestled back control of championship matters from Kilmaley, who were contesting their sixth successive decider on Sunday and he couldn’t speak highly enough of his players.

“It’s absolutely fantastic. They are a great bunch of girls and have been training since January. We went down to Brian Barron’s place in Sixmilebridge and he is a staunch ‘Bridge man in fairness but he opened up his doors for us and we spent eight weeks doing some strength and conditioning, and core work with him.

“I want to take this opportunity to thank him very much because I feel it stood to us as the year went on. We have a great panel of girls that the harder you train them, the more they want it. We took a knock again in the league final against Kilmaley but as it turned out, we met again in today’s final and it was nip and tuck right through to the end. But thankfully we held out by a goal.

“Kilmaley are a fantastic team and are the standard bearers for camogie in Clare and we find it very hard to beat them. There is never anything between us but today was our day and I’m sure Kilmaley will be back to meet us again next year.”

And while he was immensely proud of all his players, he did save special mention for Player-of-the-Game award winner Erica Minogue whose brace of goals immediately after half-time gave her side the cushion to prevail.

“Erica is an absolutely gifted camogie player to be fair to her. She has been talking about retiring for the last two or three years and there is still no sign of her going yet thankfully. She is, I’d say, the only player in the county that could have scored those goals and they stood to us because they were the difference in the end.”

Enright’s only championship blip came in last year’s provincial Intermediate final when going down to a near inter-county Lismore side by 5-15 to 0-11 and he is hoping to go one better this year, starting with the Limerick champions on Saturday, October 29.

“We were disappointed last year. We got to the Munster final and in fairness, we were beaten by a very good Lismore team on the day and I don’t have any arguments about that one. It’s Limerick champions Ballyagran in the first round and we have played them already in a challenge match this year already as well as a couple of times last year and they were tough matches. So that will be an interesting one and we won’t be looking any further than that game.”

WHEN the history of Kilmurry Ibrickane is written – presumably in time for their centenary in 2014 – there’ll be couple of chapters or more on the never-ending story that is the contribution of the O’Dwyer Clan from Bonivella in Mullagh to green and red army.

Patriarch Patrick as the only man in the barony of Ibrickane to win county finals on the field of play and as a manager – not once but twice over; first son Odran who now has six medals on the field of play; Peter and Michael now have five; Odran, Peter, Robert and Michael winning Munster clubs; Odran being captain in the county and Munster club winning year of 2004……….

On this day it was Peter’s turn to lift Jack Daly, like Odran had done after those two memorable jousts with Éire Óg seven years ago. Peter’s turn may have been in a canter, but just as memorable because all county finals wins are.

“It is a very proud moment for me,” he says when alighting from Cusack Park’s Ard Comhairle with Jack Daly firmly in hand. “It’s a very proud moment whatever way you look at it. I was delighted when Odran lifted the cup and very proud to follow in his footsteps, but all that’s really important is winning. I wouldn’t mind if I was looking up at one of the other boys lifting the cup,” he adds.

Therein probably lies the secret, because as with all great teams it’s a case of ní neart go cur le chéile – the team over the individual all the time, especially on days like this when the Kilmurry train built up a head of steam they haven’t really produced in knockout competition in Clare since their destruction of St Senan’s Kilkee in the 2008 semi-final.

“Everything went for us on the day,” admits O’Dwyer. “I said in my speech that Doora-Barefield were a fine team, but everything went for us. That’s why we won so easily. We kicked three points in three minutes and that set up a platform for us.

“We haven’t been playing good football all year – we haven’t been playing consistent football, so it was good to get a good hour’s football in. We were focused from the throw in because we were conscious that we’ve had a lack of consistency.

“We weren’t happy with that and it’s something we’ve worked on in training to try and play at a high intensity level for 60 minutes. We achieved that today. You have to build momentum, you can’t peak all the time and I think we peaked for this game today.

“We have a good bunch of players and with that you believe that you can win it every year you go out – last year was part of the motivation. It wasn’t the main motivation, but it was part of it. Definitely it was.

“It was their first county final and after ten minutes they were chasing the game. They needed the start we got and if they had got it, it would have been a completely different game,” he adds.

As for the future, he knows Odran followed up Jack Daly with the Munster Cup – of course it would be nice to double up, but in the first flush of victory, all O’Dwyer was thinking about was the Hand Hill, the first bonfire and the first pint in McCarthy’s Bar.

“We will do our celebrating for the week,” he says, “and we will knuckle back down to work again and look forward to the Munster campaign and give that a lash.”

“NO man is an island” was John Donne’s line, but it was also Davy Fitzgerald line at Tuesday night as he made his inaugural address as manager of the Clare senior hurling team.

In a wide-ranging speech to club delegates from around the county, Fitzgerald called for everyone in the Clare GAA family to work on the “same wavelength” as the county bid to scale the hurling ladder once more.

Fitzgerald was quick to rubbish the notion that he was going “to try and run this team and that team” and pointed out there should be “communication between all teams” in the county.

“I would never tell a 21 manager or minor manager how to run his team. That’s his job. I think it’s good that we all have communication and that we’re all on the same wavelength about what we do. That’s the one thing I’m asked for, that we’re all working together.

“There is no one man who is going to make Clare a success. It is going to take a team that’s working together and a team working in different areas. We will work very hard. Anything I can do for Clare to make them successful, I going to try and do to get back up to where we need to be. That’s all I can promise on that.

“The one thing I will say, if any club has anything they want to talk to me about, anything with regard to their players, my phone is there. They’ll be able to get my number. I am willing to talk to anyone.

“I don’t believe in talking behind people’s backs or anything like that. I would prefer a situation if a club has a problem with something they would come and sit down face to face. I’ll have my opinion, you’ll have yours and we’ll come to a compromise.

“I’d ask ye to have a bit of patience. There will be no grudges, no any thing, no reaction to any media criticism I get, or anything. I’m going to do my job to the best of my ability and all I’d ask for is ye’re support as much as possible.

“All of us working together, that’s the most important thing. Thanks very much for having the faith in me.

“I will do my absolute to make you as proud as possible going forward and we will work very hard,” he added.

WHAT COULD he really say?

St Joseph’s Doora-Barefield selector James Hanrahan had just witnessed his beloved club suffer a heartbreaking county final day defeat and the losing margin of twelve points certainly did not make it any easier.

The players who had served him so well this year were distraught and at the point of breaking as they painfully watched the Kilmurry Ibrickane celebrations explode around them. A disappointed but proud Hanrahan still had a trickle of optimism in his post-match analysis.

“Look we didn’t perform at all on the day. Fair play to Kilmurry they really played a great brand of football. They really showed us how to do it out there. We just couldn’t get our hand on the ball so what could we do?

“Of course there experience was huge for them and after all this was our first final but we’re hugely disappointed now. This is not the end though and for sure we’ll come back. We’ll be back again next year. We’ll be there or there abouts again. This year has been a huge learning curve for us and the experience we got out there today can only stand to us again in the future.”

Amid the many offers of condolence from members of both clubs players and fans alike his never quelling pride and honour returned again when talking about the younger members of the club and the bright footballing future they can possess.

“We have some very young players involved and they can only get better from games like this. They are young so they will obviously be very disappointed and it will take time to get over this loss but they will get over it eventually. We will rally again and this won’t be the case of a one and only appearance in a county final. I really believe that!”

DAVY Fitzgerald doesn’t expect to get preferential treatment from the Clare County Board, just because he happens to be Pat Fitzgerald’s son. And he doesn’t want preferential treatment either.

That’s the gospel according to himself, something he told county board delegates in no uncertain terms as the outlined his vision for the working relationship between his county senior management team and the top table of Clare GAA during his threeyear term in charge.

“I know my relationship with the county board is going to be very open,” said Fitzgerald. “A lot people will say ‘because he’s Pat Fitz’s son he’ll get what he wants’, this that and the other. I have made it clear to Mike (O’Neill) that I’m prepared to work to the same parameters as any other team management over the last few years. I say that to Mike (O’Neill). He’s a guy I hope to work very closely with myself. As for my own Dad, the amount of respect I have for him is unreal.

“I know he mightn’t be all ye’re cup of tea at times, he has his ways, he’s very dogmatic, trust me I’ve fought with him enough myself. But, I will say one thing, I am very proud of him, so I am – that’s for definite, whether ye like him or don’t like him.

“That doesn’t bother me. He’s very honest and straight and the one thing he has in his head is Clare GAA. There’s no favour. I look forward to working with him. The relationship with the county board will be right across the board, with the whole lot of them we’ll work together,” added Fitzgerald.