*Conor Fennell and Ben McKiernan. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill
TIGHT encounters marked the start of the TUS Clare intermediate football championship with two draws and a one point win among the results in the first round.
Clondegad had the biggest winning margin when accounting for Coolmeen by fourteen points. North Clare foes Ennistymon and Michael Cusacks finished all square as did O’Currys and Shannon Gaels.
Corofin nabbed a late goal to overcome Naomh Eoin with Cooraclare defeating Liscannor while Kilrush Shamrocks had the smallest of victories against Banner.
The Clare Echo’s online coverage of the club football championship is with thanks to The Shannon Springs Hotel. 
Corofin’s late goal from Flanagan claims the win
Corofin 1-18
Naomh Eoin 2-12
Venue: Páirc na Muintire, Lissycasey
By Páraic McMahon
Corofin’s quest to jump back to the senior grade on the first attempt started on a high when they overcame Naomh Eoin in a tight encounter on Saturday afternoon.
Boosted by the return of ex Clare wing forward Jamie Malone to their line-up, Corofin had a fortuitous Cathal Flanagan goal to thank for helping them secure the two points against last year’s intermediate finalists.
Trailing by three points at the interval, Corofin kicked six points without reply in the first nine minutes of the second half to regain the lead which they had at the beginning of the game.
In what was a very tight affair, a draw seemed like a likely outcome for large spells with both sides enjoying their respective periods of dominance.
Cillian McGroary and Gearoid Cahill pointed inside the first four minutes to put Corofin in the lead but Naomh Eoin kicked back with four of the next five scores including a two pointer from Gavin Magner to lead 0-6 0-3 at the end of the first quarter.
Cahill and Malone had the final scores of the opening half but they came in response to Niall Bonfil’s white flag and a two pointer from Gearoid Lynch which left it 0-9 0-6 in favour of the men from Cross at the interval.
Then came Corofin’s lightning second half start. Kevin Keane’s involvement in this spell was really influential, he chipped in with two points from wing back, Cahill added three and Malone kicked his third of the afternoon as Peadar O’Brien’s side turned the tie on its head, coming from three down to hold a three point advantage on thirty eight minutes.
Within the space of five minutes, Naomh Eoin were back in front. They kicked a two pointer from Tomás Bonfil, Owen Lynch opened his account from play and then converted a penalty after he was brought down by Cilléin Mullins.
Additions from the bench helped Corofin, Colm Breen was composed when he entered the fray at the break while both Seanán Kirby and Josh Ryan offered a scoring threat. Kirby put his name on the scoresheet, three minutes after stepping foot onto the Lissycasey turf. His score was the equaliser as Corofin were beginning to show an ability of coming back at whatever was thrown at them.
There’s plenty of character within the Naomh Eoin side too and they stuck their noses ahead again when a Conor Downes effort dropped short but into the reach of Gavin Magner who got a touch to stick the ball beyond Luke Neylon for a goal on forty eight minutes.
Again Corofin responded and within five minutes they were back on level terms. Breen split the posts and Ryan stepped up with a well-taken two pointer in one of the scores of the game.
Cahill and Lynch traded scores to keep the sides level entering the final five minutes but up stepped Flanagan, he may have been going for a point but his effort dropped into the net on fifty eight minutes to secure the win for Corofin.
There was a composure and steely nature to Corofin, signs of a side determined to return to the senior ranks. Kevin Keane, Gearoid Cahill, Jamie Malone, Caoimhin O’Donovan and Damien O’Loughlin did best for the winners. That they kicked eighteen points and only had one two pointer among them is an impressive return.
Somehow Naomh Eoin’s name has not been as prominent in the conversation for championship contenders despite reaching the intermediate final last season. While they were able to put out a lot of Corofin fires for most of the game with Seán Bonfil and Adam Haugh coping in their tasks on Cahill and Malone, they are not able to contain all flammable objects at the one time, the case in point being Kevin Keane coming to life at the start of the second half.
They have shown during the Garry Cup how effective they can be with two pointers and while they have started with a win, a return to the semi-finals for the third year running is certainly within their capability but they will have to sharpen up and try improve their collective fitness. Tomás Bonfil and Seán Bonfil did well for the Cross men.
Scorers Corofin: G Cahill (0-7 6f), J Malone (0-3), C Flanagan (1-0), K Keane (0-2), J Ryan (0-2 1TP), C McGroary (0-1 1f), G Kelly (0-1), S Kirby (0-1), C Breen (0-1).
Scorers Naomh Eoin: G Magner (1-2 1TP), Owen Lynch (1-2 1’Pen 1f), T Bonfil (0-3 1TP), G Lynch (0-2 1TP), C Magner (0-2 1f), N Bonfil (0-1)
Corofin: Luke Neylon; Colin Fitzgerald, Cilléin Mullins, John Rees; Cathal Flanagan, Caoimhin O’Donovan, Kevin Keane; Cillian McGroary, Gearoid Kelly; Sean O’Brien, Cian Doolin, Damien O’Loughlin; Jamie Malone, Gearoid Cahill, Evan Doolin.
Subs: Colm Breen for O’Brien (HT), Seanán Kirby for C Doolin (45), Josh Ryan for E Doolin (45)
Naomh Eoin: Sean Roche; Adam Foley Keniry, Sean Bonfil, Adam Haugh; Conor Tevlin, Conor Magner, Mark McQuaid; Gavin Magner, Fergal Keane; Eoin Hanrahan, Gearoid Lynch, Joseph Roche; Tomás Bonfil, Niall Bonfil, Owen Lynch.
Subs: Odhran Lynch for G Lynch (HT), Conor Downes for Foley Keniry (41), Seamus Boland for C Magner (57) (inj)
Referee: Niall Quinn (St Joseph’s Miltown)
Cooraclare on top in disappointing contest
Cooraclare 0-12
Liscannor 0-9
Venue: Páirc Naomh Mhuire, Quilty
A bright start which saw them open a four point lead laid the foundation for Cooraclare’s three point win over Liscannor in this intermediate championship first round game played on Sunday afternoon.
The winners raced into a 0–5 to 0-1 lead despite facing the wind but when the half time whistle sounded Liscannor had closed the gap to two points with the score at 0-7 to 0-5.
It was a good position to be in with the aid of the wind to come.
Cooraclare landed the first score of the new half but Liscannor weren’t prepared to throw in the towel and they fought their way back to be just a point adrift, 0-9 to 0-10, inside the final quarter, scores having come from Brian Considine and Alan Clohessy.
Cooraclare finished strongly with Simon Culligan landing their final three points, bringing his total for the afternoon to 0-5.
Liscannor will face Naomh Eoin in round two while Cooraclare will take on Corofin.
Cooraclare; Oisin Morissey; Gearoid Lillis, Sean O’Dea, Aaron Townsend; Gary Donnellan, Fergal Donnellan, Ciaran Chambers; Tadhg Lillis (0-1), Sean Molloy; Kevin Marrinan, Pearse Lillis (0-1), Rory Lillis (0-1); Darragh Townsend (0-1), Jack Carey (0-3), Simon Culligan (0-5).
Subs: Jake Garry for T. Lillis; Shane Lillis for R. Lillis; Ronan Donnellan for S. Molloy
Liscannor; Shane Curtin; Paul McLaughlin, Robert Lucas, Tom Hanahan; Francesco Bonito, Padraig Haugh, Ultan McDonagh; Darren Nagle, Stephen Murray; Alan Clohessy (0-3), Michael Foley, Brian Considine (0-5, 1tp); Cian Guerin, Sean McDonagh, Cathal Finnucane (0-1);
Subs; Dara Blake for S. Murray; Don White for M. Foley; Kieran Roche for U McDonagh; Daithi Fitzgerald for Roche (inj.)
Referee: Martin Downes (Naomh Eoin)
Cusacks score late to secure draw with Ennistymon
Ennistymon 1-10
Michael Cusacks 0-13
Venue: Páirc Finne, Corofin
Leading by four points at half time having played against the breeze, everything pointed to an Ennistymon win in this intermediate football championship first round tie on Sunday.
They stretched their advantage to seven when shooting the first three points of the second half but from here on Michael Cusacks had the upperhand and they sealed a share of the spoils when Sean McNamara landed a two pointer in the final minute.
Ennistymon faced the fresh wind in the opening half but they were first to score, Paudie Considine and Danny Rouine pointing inside the first five minutes.
Noel Hynes landed a two pointer for the men from Carron to level the tie but Ennistymon responded with a Ryan Barry goal.
Points from Paudie Considine and Ruairi Murphy saw them stretch their lead to five by the twentieth minute.
The teams then exchanged points three times before a Sean McNamara effort for Cusacks left the half time score at 1-7 to 0-6 in Ennistymon’s favour.
(Gallery by Burren Eye Photography)
Ennistymon made a flying start to the second half with Ryan Barry pointing twice before Fred Hegarty landed one.
Ten minutes into the half Ennistymon’s Fred Hegarty was shown a black card which reduced the side to fourteen players for the next ten minutes during which time their opponents scored three points to bring the margin back to four.
As Cusacks won more and more possession, Jack McGann and Sean McNamara added points to leave two between the sides with four minutes of normal time remaining.
They clearly grew in confidence with these scores and to the delight of their followers McNamara landed a huge two pointer with the game in the first minute of added time to give his side a share of the spoils, a result that hadn’t looked likely for much of the game.
Ruaidhri McMahon, Kevin Fawle, Noel Hynes and Sean McNamara played key roles for Cusacks while Ennistymon’s best were Mattie Kinch, Ryan Barry, John Murphy and Fred Hegarty.
Ennistymon; Conor Morrissey; Lawrence Healy, Conor Rynne, Joe Casey; John Murphy, Gerry Coote, Ryan Barry (1-2); Dara Rouine, Mattie Kinch; Joe Dowling (0-1), Fred Hegarty (0-1), Ruairi Murphy (0-1); Niall Canavan, Paudie Considine (0-3), Danny Rouine (0-2);
Subs; Cathal Frawley for Dara Rouine (inj.); Alex Leyden for P. Considine; Jack O’Regan for J. Murphy;
Michael Cusacks; Shane Lee; Robbie Cassidy, Ruaidhri McMahon (0-1), Padraig Fahy; Kevin Fawle, Conor McGann, Thomas Roche; Neil O’Loughlin, John Fawle (0-1); Seaghan Brosnan, Jack McGann (0-1), Sean McNamara (0-7, 1tp); Noel Hynes (0-3, 1tp), Oisin McNamara, Tadhg Geoghegan;
Subs: Joey Droney for S. Brosnan; Pappy Taaffe for P. Fahy; Joe Clancy for N. O’Loughlin
Referee: Eoin Keane (Corofin)
Fennell strikes late to give Kilrush a winning start
Kilrush Shamrocks 1-15
Banner 1-14
Venue: St Michael’s Park, Kilmihil
Unbeaten this season, Kilrush went into this intermediate championship first round clash against the Banner at Kilmihil on Sunday with the favouries tag.
Without key players in team captain Gearoid O’Brien (injured) and Sean Fennell they were still fancied to account for a Banner side that was without two of their leading lights in Shane Meehan and Thomas Meenaghan.
The favourites were reduced to fourteen ten minutes before half time when Dylan O’Brien was sent off and having to play the remainder of the game a man down certainly didn’t help their cause.
Ennis based Banner made the running for most of this tie and held a five point lead inside the final quarter.
Conor Fennell landed Kilrush Shamrocks’ final five points, his last two efforts being two pointers to give his side a win that didn’t appear likely for much of the game
Sean McMahon contributed 0-8 for the Banner in the opening half, a tally that included two 2 pointers.
Ross Phelan kept Kilrush in touch in that opening half landing their entire tally of 1-4 which left them five points in arrears at the break when the score was 1-9 to 1-4.
Kilrush landed the first four points of the second half, a two pointer from goalkeeper Stephen Ryan and two from Conor Fennell to close the gap to the minimum.
Substitute Thomas O’Halloran hit back with 0-3, a two pointer included for the Banner who pulled five clear, 1-13 to 1-8 with the game inside the final quarter.
Conor Fennell proved to be the hero for Kilrush with those late scores but the injury which forced goalkeeper Stephen Ryan out of the game for the final quarter is a huge concern for the Shams whose best on the day were Ross Phelan, Don O’Driscoll, Dara Bolton and Conor Fennell.
For the Banner, Sean McMahon, particularly in the opening half, Eoin Walsh, Cian Rynne and Ronan Kilroy were prominent
Kilrush Shamrocks: Stephen Ryan (0-2, tp); James Blunnie, Ross Cullinan, Evan Power; Tadhg Lysaght, Ciaran Bermingham, Dylan O’Brien; Darragh Bollton, Darragh Blunnie; Dean Neary, Conor Fennell (0-7, 2TP), Ben McKiernan; Ross Phelan (1-5), Keith Crowley, Don O’Driscoll (0-1);
Subs; Mark Bonfield for Crowley; Billy Carey for S. Ryan (inj.), Jim Young for D. Neary
Banner: Mark Cleary; Conor O’Toole, Kenneth Higgins, Cian Rynne; Justin McGrath, Eoin Walsh, Fuwhad Akinwale; Niall Walsh, Brian McDonald; Mattie McGrath, Ronan Kilroy (0-2), Eoin Fitzpatrick (0-1); Cian O’Connor (1-0), Sean McMahon (0-8), Caleb Walsh;
Subs: Thomas O’Halloran (0-3, 1tp) for C. Walsh; Oisin McMahon for J. McGrath; Ben O’Halloran for N. Walsh (inj); Diarmuid Toner for M. McGrath; Conor Dennehy for C. O’Connor
Referee: Chris Maguire (Wolfe Tones)
O’Currys claw back to draw with Gaels
O’Currys 3-11
Shannon Gaels 1-17
Venue: Captain Tubridy Memorial Park, Kilrush
By Páraic McMahon
In what was a clash of two beaten quarter-finalists from last year, this first round tie from the outset had the likelihood of being the game to determine who joins Clondegad in advancing from Group 3 to the knockout stages.
Heading into the final quarter, Shannon Gaels were comfortably on their way to victory, they led by seven points and had a numerical advantage but as they have done on several occasions in the past O’Currys once again refused to wilt and produced a memorable comeback to ensure it was honours even by the sounding of the final whistle.
There was a decent attendance in Kilrush for the game on Sunday afternoon with neutrals from Kildysart and Kilmihil among the spectators along with representatives of their Group 3 opponents, Clondegad and Coolmeen.
With a strong opening half, Shannon Gaels showed their ability to move the ball quickly and transition at pace, they appear a fitter outfit this year not that it was a major stumbling block for them last season. Looped runs off the shoulder saw them create chances and move at pace which was key to them holding a 1-8 0-5 advantage at the interval.
Dylan Kenny opened the scoring on sixty three seconds when they punished a turnover on Luke Griffin and they received a big lift when Jack Ryan managed to get a goal on four minutes.
Keith Ryan pulled off the first of many excellent saves when he denied Seamus Keane from raising a green flag, Keane did very well to create the chance with an exceptional run from deep but he was the wrong man to have in a one on one goal opportunity. The resulting 45 was converted by Thomas Clancy to get O’Currys off the mark with eight minutes played. They kicked the next two scores via Brian Keane and Cathal Downes to pull the deficit back to a point by the eleventh minute.
Thomas Kelly showed his ability over the hour, he kicked the next three points for the Gaels while Shane Browne landed a two pointer at the other end. The Gaels should have a two pointer of their own but Micheal O’Donoghue’s effort resulted in the umpires reaching for a white flag when orange should have been waved.
There was further controversy before the half-time whistle when an off the ball incident resulted in a straight red card for Browne, subsequent questioning and the airing of opinions on this from O’Currys mentor Gerry Killeen saw him receive a red card.
Kenny had the first score of the half and he had the last too, knocking over a two pointer free to leave the Gaels leading by six points.
Danny Downes added three frees on the restart for O’Currys but Colm Downes and Thomas Kelly were on target at the other end to leave five points between the teams. The Gaels duo added to their tallies to extend the distance to seven points with Keith Ryan again upsetting O’Currys, this time intercepting a pass from Danny Downes when a goal looked on the cards.
To kickstart the comeback, Cathal Downes raised a green flag after goalkeeper Ryan was deemed to be beyond the line when catching the dropping ball. Eoin Kelly kicked the next score to bring the men from Carrigaholt and Doonaha back to within three points but the Gaels responded and the gap was out to five by the fifty second minute.
Jack Reidy landed a two pointer to give the Gaels a six point cushion with fifty five minutes on the clock but O’Currys were not ready to give in just yet. They limited Fergie O’Loughlin’s side to one more score for the remainder of the game and kicked 2-1 themselves.
Cathal Downes collected his second goal after Michael Foran and Liam Griffin did the hard work to put him through while a series of rebounds after the ball was kept out three times was eventually put over the line by Danny Downes on fifty eight minutes to level the tie.
In additional time, Shannon Gaels went ahead one more time, Reidy again splitting the posts but with a very pressurised free Thomas Clancy stood up to the task and split the posts to secure a share of the spoils for O’Currys.
At times in the opening half, Shannon Gaels looked like a side worthy of their place in the knockout stages and certainly capable of reaching the last four, especially when Darragh Bohannon returns to their lineup. However, the manner in which they let a seven point lead slip despite having an extra man will dilute expectation surrounding their capabilities against tougher opposition. Thomas Kelly, Jack Reidy, Dylan Kenny and Jack McCarthy did best for the Gaels.
Missed chances and basic errors really hindered O’Currys for large spells of this game but with a solid foundation of self-belief and character they are never beaten as was once again demonstrated. While time is against them, they have to put a focus on improving their fitness levels if they are to improve on last year’s run. Thomas Clancy was very effective in the air and also landed the all-important equaliser, Eoin Brew led by example while Cathal Downes and Seamus Keane also impressed for O’Currys.
While both teams and their managements will reflect on what can they improve on, Clare GAA themselves must take a look in the mirror. Noel Meaney is a very competent referee but in no way should he have been appointed to take charge of this game considering his own Coolmeen are also in this group.
Meaney on the instruction of his umpires issued a straight red card to O’Currys danger man Shane Browne who now misses the second round of the championship which is against Coolmeen. The Gaels appeared to be hard done by when not awarded a two pointer for O’Donoghue’s strike at the end of the first half. Both of which were very big calls and come under scrutiny due to the Coolmeen connection.
With Clare GAA’s questionable call to have four of the six intermediate games all clashing on Sunday, they in their infinite wisdom would have better off assigning Meaney to one of the games in Group 1 or Group 2 to avoid a needless own goal. Also let it be noted for the record, this writer was also critical of referee appointments in 2024 for fear inaccurate and false accusations get thrown this direction on personal bias.
To his credit, Meaney had control of the game from the outset and brought his full complement of officials, he is worthy of getting the games but he was certainly let down by the hierarchy of Clare GAA for putting him in this position.
Scorers O’Currys: C Downes (2-1), D Downes (1-3 3f), T Clancy (0-3 1f 1’45), S Browne (0-2 1TP), B Keane (0-1 1f), E Kelly (0-1)
Scorers Shannon Gaels: Thomas Kelly (0-6 3f), D Kenny (0-3 1TPF), J Reidy (0-3 1TP), J Ryan (1-0), C Downes (0-2), M O’Donoghue (0-1), D Bannigan (0-1), Tadhg Kelly (0-1)
O’Currys: Colin Clohessy; Luke Murray, Darragh Keane, Stephen Kelly; Paddy Clancy, Eoin Brew, Seamus Keane; Thomas Clancy, Cathal Downes; Liam Griffin, Michael Foran, Brian Keane; Danny Downes, Shane Browne, Ian Roche.
Subs: Eoin Kelly for Roche (29)
Shannon Gaels: Keith Ryan; Thomas Kenny, Fergal Kenny, Julian Linnane; Eoin Keane, Tadhg Kelly, Dylan Kenny; Jack Reidy, Matthew Reidy; Colm Downes, Thomas Kelly, Michael O’Donoghue; Jack McCarthy, Dave Bannigan, John Ryan.
Subs: Dylan O’Neill for Ryan (39)
Referee: Noel Meaney (Coolmeen)
Clondegad pull away in second half
Clondegad 3-18
Coolmeen 1-10
Venue: St Michael’s Park, Kilmihil
Clondegad, one of the three main favourites for this year’s intermediate football championship title, got their campaign off to an impressive start on Friday evening when they recorded a comfortable thirteen point win over their neighbours Coolmeen.
The teams were evenly matched in the early stages and were level at 0-3 each after ten minutes.
Midfielder Diarmuid O’Neil pounced for the winner’s opening goal which gave them a lead they would hold to the finish.
Coolmeen responded fairly quickly with a like score from Dylan Power but the winners went on to hold a comfortable lead at the interval when the score was 2-8 to 1-4.
A more evenly balanced Clondegad dominated the second half exchanges in a tie in which eight payers shared in their impressive final tally. Wing back Daniel Costelloe struck for two second half goals on an evening when Cian Kirby caused a lot of problems for Coolmeen, creating many scoring opportunities for his side.
Cathal and Eoin O’Connor and Brian Markham helped Coolmeen win a good share of possession around the middle third but overall Clondegad were a move evenly balanced team and this proved decisive.
Clondegad; Daniel Kelly; Niall Lynch, Brian Casey, Niall Carigg; Evan Flynn, Tadhg Ó hUallachain, Daniel Coselloe (2-0); Sean McAllister, Diarmuid O’Neill (1-0); Dylan Killoughery (0-1), Cian Kirby (0-2), Morgan Garry (0-4); Barry Toner (0-6), Fiachra Kirby (0-2), Eoin Kennedy(0-3);
Subs; Colm Meaney for E. Kennedy; Colm McNeilis for E. Flynn; Kieran McDonald for F. Kirby; Eoghan Glynn for C. Kirby; Cillian Gavin for Ó hUallachain.
Coolmeen; Barry Vaughan; Rian Meaney, J.J. Carigg, Dylan O’Halloran; Joe Corry, Thomas Coffey, Mark Meaney; Cathal O’Connor (0-2), Brian Markham; Tommy Flynn (0-1), Eoin O’Connor, Michael Kennedy; Dylan Power (1-0), Aidan Corry (0-7), Ronan Murphy.
Subs: Aidan Walllace for J. Corry; Ben Cleary for R Murphy; Micheal; Brooks for D. Power; Alan Cunningham for M. Kennedy; David Hehir for R. Meaney;
Referee: Robert Harte (St. Senan’s Kilkee)
