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Still flying it after 50 years

This Saturday many Gaels that made the Doonbeg jersey famous will gather in Tubridy’s Bar to mark the Golden Jubilee of the Flying Magpies’ three-in-a-row of senior championships from 1972 to ’74. Joe Ó Muircheartaigh spoke to some of them ahead of the big night in the Long Village. Tommy Comerford got a clock, while Michael Haugh got a coal scuttle – on it went because every one of the successful team got some present or memento as a personal thanks for their efforts during the year in the famous black and white jersey of the Doonbeg Magpies. They were flying it at the time, and it was the ‘Bard of Bansha’, Pádraig Haugh’s way of saying thanks because far from being content to immortalise the achievements of the team in verse, he put his hand in his pocket to give them something extra to remember a year that brought senior championship and Cusack Cup honours to the team and …

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More clinical Limerick take opening derby spoils

Munster Hurling League Group A Round 1 Limerick 2-21 Clare 1-19 The first Shannonside derby spoils went the All-Ireland champions’ way after holding off hosts Clare in the chilly night air of Clarecastle’s new astro facility which had a capacity 1,500 attendance, writes Eoin Brennan. A late goal in each half proved crucial in maintaining Limerick’s advantage, with an injury-time first coming against the run of play to hand Limerick a 1-10 to 0-10 interval cushion. Both sides were extremely experimental though so not much could be read into any tactical gameplay, instead the inordinate wide count on both sides (Clare 18, Limerick 14) perhaps indicative of their first competitive outing of 2024. That said, Clare’s greater profligacy was notable in the second period as they frustratingly looked to close the gap and ironically while they struggled to create any clearcut goal chances, a late consolation came by means of a large dollop of fortune as goalkeeper Eamon Foudy’s monster …

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Carroll named in Irish squad for Olympic qualifiers

Cratloe’s Naomi Carroll has been named in the Irish women’s hockey side that will aim to secure qualification for the Olympic Games. Ireland will compete in an eight-team tournament which will take place between January 13th and 21st in Valencia, Spain. This is the final opportunity for nations to reach the Summer Olympic Hockey Tournament in Paris. Carroll, who has been capped 140 times by her country will be aiming to lead from the front as Ireland go in search of a ticket to Paris. Irish hockey stars Chloe Watkins and Beth Harper have been recalled to the national squad for next month’s Olympic qualifiers in Spain. This means that Ireland can call upon nine players who were part of the national side that secured qualification for the Tokyo Olympics. Sean Dancer’s side secured their place at this tournament after a fifth placed finish at the EuroHockey Championships. They lost out to England and Germany in the group stage of …

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New-look Clare begin in Fitz and starts

Weatherwise it was an opening night that lended itself to grit and determination more than anything else as Mark Fitzgerald’s competitive bow as Clare Senior Football Manager got off to a difficult start in Clarecastle on Wednesday evening. Holding a minimum advantage by the three-quarters mark, the home side would be blitzed by defending McGrath Cup champions Cork in a dominant final quarter that produced an unexpected 14 point turnaround to prevail by 2-14 to 0-8, with the Tralee native looking to take the positives from the bulk of the performance. “Look, it’s January football in tough weather but we’re relatively happy. It went away from us a little bit there in the second half but when you’re seeing what Cork are pulling off the bench, some very experienced lads really, it was always going to be tough to hold out,” he said. “We just picked up one or two injuries this week and obviously picked up another in the …

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Late Cork surge rains on Clare’s opening parade

McGrath Cup Group B Round 1 Cork 2-14 Clare 0-8 Holders Cork eventually possessed too much experience as they overpowered hosts Clare coming down the final straight to put one foot back in what would be a sixth successive McGrath Cup Final in Clarecastle GAA Astro on Wednesday evening. Springing five of last year’s championship side from the bench in the second period, the Rebels produced a remarkable 14 point turnaround in the final 20 minutes including 1-5 from substitute duo Mark Cronin (1-3) and Chris Óg Jones (0-2). In contrast to eleven Cork survivors from last year’s Munster Senior Championship Semi-Final showdown, a new-look Clare only possessed five of the 20 used in that memorable victory as Mark Fitzgerald’s reign finally got the mark in earnest. Large injuries to Emmet McMahon and Mark McInerney were frustrating enough besides losing Cillian Rouine in the warm-up which ensured debuts for Darren O’Brien and Josh Guyler in addition to former Westmeath player …

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Collins announces inter county retirement

Cratloe’s Podge Collins has announced his inter county retirement in what is another blow for the Clare footballers. As first reported by Clare FM, Collins has decided to step away from the inter county scene after a successful dual career. Collins was an integral part of Davy Fitzgerald’s side that defeated Cork to lift Liam McCarthy in 2013, winning an All-Star in the process. He was also nominated for Hurler of the Year after a string of stellar displays helped Clare secure the ultimate prize. The Cratloe club man also secured All-Ireland hurling medals at U21 level in 2012 and 2013. In the small ball code, he claimed two Munster minor titles and a NHL Division 1 title, which came in 2016. The 31-year-old played both football – under the stewardship of his father, Colm – and hurling with Clare up until 2017, when he chose to focus his efforts on the small ball. He later switched codes to focus on …

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League fixtures confirmed for hurlers and footballers

Details have been confirmed for Clare’s 2024 National Hurling and Football league fixtures. Mark Fitzgerald’s opening league game in charge of Clare will see his charges host Sligo in Cusack Park on Sunday January 28th with the game pencilled in for a 2pm start. Exactly seven days later, the Banner will enjoy their first away game of their Division 3 campaign as they travel to Mullingar for a showdown with Westmeath. Following a weekend off, Clare’s campaign resumes on February 18th with another road trip. This time Clare will head to Glenisk O’Connor Park for a clash with Offaly before hosting Wicklow a week later. In the fifth round of games, Clare will take the short trip to Mick Neville Park as they face Limerick on Saturday, March 2nd. These sides met in Division 2 and the Munster Championship last year with Clare emerging victorious on both occasions. On St. Patrick’s Day, Clare will host Antrim in Cusack Park in …

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Clare performances against Ballygunner a mixed bag

26 March, 1972 Newmarket-on-Fergus 5-8 Ballygunner 4-3 at Sean Treacy Park, Tipperary Town A note in The Munster Express the week before the game said much about this Munster final showdown that had been a very long time coming — three years in fact. “It’s been a long time coming and without question the game has lost all of its appeal — except, of course, for the clubs involved,” the short preview noted. And it was true because when it came down to the winning and playing of this 1969 Munster final there were plenty of takeaways from a contest that The Clare Champion said was “tough and uncompromising” before the Blues emerged with an eight-point victory to put Munster Club titles back-to-back. The first half decided it as “after playing into the jaws of a near gale force wind, victory was as good as on its way to Newmarket”. This was all down to their great finish to the …

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