*Cathal Kilmartin will be elected as the new Treasurer of Clare GAA.
AT LEAST three new officers will join the Executive of Clare GAA for 2026.
Nominations have been circulated to clubs of Clare GAA with only one contest on the cards for next month’s County Convention.
It will be the last Convention during Deirdre Murphy’s tenure as Head of Operations with the former Clare camogie captain exiting the role which she has held since October 2022.
Kieran Keating who entered in December 2021 defeated the then incumbent Jack Chaplin to become Chairman will return for a fifth term. The Naomh Eoin clubman has been unopposed in each Convention since and 2026 will be his final year in the Chair.
Clooney/Quin’s Brian Fitzgerald the Tresurer of Clare GAA since July 2023 is not seeking re-election. A commercial Sales Director with BoComm Leasing, a global aircraft leasing company, Brian exits the County Executive alongside his clubmate Deirdre Murphy.
An aviation link with the responsibility of the purse strings of Clare GAA will continue. Cathal Kilmartin of Newmarket-on-Fergus is the sole nominee for Treasurer. He is a non-Executive Director of Atlantic Aviation since June 2017, he is a former CEO of Santos Dumont. With his club, Kilmartin managed the Newmarket-on-Fergus senior camogie side for three seasons when they came up short in the county final in 2017, 2018 and 2019.
Bidding farewell for now is former referee, Neil O’Brien. The O’Callaghans Mills clubman who is viewed by many in Clare GAA circles as a potential future candidate as Chairman but is bowing out from his post as Coaching Officer and exiting the Executive. He was one year off the maximum five years in the one post.
Taking on the role of Coaching Officer is Fintan Leamy. The Tulla man now attached to the Clooney/Quin club was part of Brian O’Connell’s management team for the Clare minor hurlers crowned All-Ireland and Munster champions in 2023. He has been a selector with the Tulla intermediate hurlers for the past two seasons.
Another officer with one more year to serve but seeking change is ex Clare U21 football manager Joe Garry. The Cooraclare man is the outgoing Irish and Cultural Officer but is not seeking to continue in that position. Instead he is one of three candidates for the two Munster Council delegate positions.
Two-time All Star John Callinan who has just completed his first season as Munster Council delegate is facing competition from Garry and Martin O’Brien of Coolmeen. Callinan’s election last December was the only change to the County Executive for 2025.
O’Brien who is part of the backroom team for Brian Lohan’s Clare senior hurlers is understood to be getting support from the Club Clare wing of Clare GAA in his bid to join the Executive. His entry in the field creates the potential of a very tight contest amongst the trio.
Leah Talty of Kilmurry Ibrickane who is a primary school teacher based in Ennis at Gaelscoil Mhíchíl Cíosóg is set to join the Executive as Irish and Cultural Officer.
Former Treasurer, Bernard Keane has served his five year term as Munster Council delegate. The St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield clubman who was team liaison officer during the tenures of Colm Collins and Mark Fitzgerald as Clare senior football managers may be headed for a role with Munster Council.
Michael O’Connor (Vice Chairman), Deirdre Chaplin (Asst secretary), Seán Chambers (Asst Treasurer) Aaron Carroll (PRO), Robert Frost (Central Council delegate) are all nominated unopposed for their respective positions. The trio of Ambrose Heagney (safety and facilities officer), Joan Crotty (children’s officer) and Paddy Smyth (planning and training officer) all sit in appointed rather than elected positions.
