*Kevin Sheehan will be coaching the Ballyea senior hurling team this year. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill
KEVIN SHEEHAN will coach the Ballyea senior hurlers in 2023 as they go in search of a third Canon Hamilton trophy in as many years and a fifth since they made the breakthrough in 2016 when he was the team’s goalkeeper.
Kevin managed the team to the Clare title in 2018 while Robbie Hogan was the manager in 2016 and returned to lead the club to the title for the past two seasons Leonard McNamara will be part of the backroom team which is expected to be finalised at a meeting of the club’s executive later this week.
Jimmy Browne will continue as manager of the Broadford senior hurling team for 2023 but there are some changes to his backroom team. Damian Ryan from Galway will be the team coach with former Clare player P.J. Moroney in as a selector along with Tom O’Donoghue, Kevin Ryan who is also the club secretary and Darragh O’Sullivan.
In Newmarket-on-Fergus Tomás Ryan will continue as senior team manager while Alan Duggan from O’Callaghans Mills has joined the coaching team along with Cathal Fleming, Duggan had been involved with Ballyea for the past two seasons. James Carrig and Brian Clancy stay on as selectors with Clancy also in an analysis role. Derek Morris is the S&C coach with John Earls as physio. Morris and Earls will fill the same roles with the club’s intermediate team which will be managed by Neil Ryan with Donagh Keogh, Bob Enright and Pat Freeman as selectors and David Barrett on analysis
Feakle will be under new management for 2023 with Ger Conway taking over the manager’s bib from P.J. Kelleher. Conway will have Stephen Moloney and Donal O’Grady as selectors while the team coach is Ciaran Callinan from Ardrahan.
O’Callaghans Mills will have a new coach this year in Paul Keane from Adare. Declan Noonan will deal with S &C while the backroom team includes Seanie McNamara, TJ McNamara, Joe O’Gorman, Dermot Moroney and All-Ireland winning centre forward from 1995 and 1997, P.J. O’Connell. The group will also take charge of the club’s intermediate team.
Meanwhile Donal Madden, a member of Clare’s All-Ireland minor winning team from 1997, will continue as the Clonlara manager and his backroom team includes Niall Hogan, Ger O’Connell, Mike Stritch, Alan Murnane and Eric Finn.
Wolfe Tones have a new manager in Conor Dolan who was involved with Clare camogie for the past couple of seasons. He takes over from Ray Diviney who managed the team for the past three seasons. Gary Fitzgibbon and Colm Hanley are members of Dolan’s backroom team and Alan Cunningham, a member of the Limerick senior management team, will join the set up come championship time.
Former Clare player Oisin O’Brien from Clonlara continues as coach to St. Josephs, Doora/Barefield for 2023 and this year he takes on the added role of team manager. Liam Clohessy will be the assistant coach while Kevin Dilleen, Denis Maher, Shane O’Grady and Dave Morrissey are in the backroom team with Evan Hennessy as S&C coach a role he also fills with the club’s footballers whose management team is unchanged with Donagh Vaughan as manager, Ger Kelly as coach and Maurice Walsh as selector.
Former player John O’Gorman is the new manager of the Cratloe senior hurling team, taking over from Conor Earley. Kieran Bermingham from Limerick is the team coach while Barry Duggan, Timmy Danaher and Thomas O’Connor are selectors.
Colm Collins continues as the club’s senior football manager and his backroom team includes Sean O’Dea, Shane Markham and Brian O’Connell.
Their neighbours Sixmilebridge will once again be managed by Sean Stack. Ex Clare hurler Niall Gilligan will not be involved this season but Michael O’Halloran Jim Fitzgerald and Adrian Chaplin remain in their roles, as previously reported by The Clare Echo in December.
Sixmilebridge native Brian Culbert is team coach and manager of Kilmaley’s senior hurlers. Conor McMahon and Padraig McGough are selectors and Martin Bennett of Offaly as S&C coach.
Colin Lynch who was coach to the Kilmaley senior hurlers for the past two seasons is now coach to Clarecastle. Their management is headed up by Eric Flynn with Colin O’Higgins a selector.
Tommy Corbett will manage the senior hurlers at Clooney/Quin for a second season in 2023 with the un-related Barry Corbett continuing as team coach.
Louis Mulqueen’s return to the county was also previously reported by The Clare Echo. An All-Ireland winning selector with Clare in 2013, he heads up the Inagh/Kilnamona management this season following spells with Liam Mellows in Galway and Blackrock in Cork.
Mark McKenna continues as manager of the Scariff senior team which will have Ger Rodgers, Jim Minogue and Donal Moloney as coaches. The S&C coach will be Hugh O’Neill with Michael Long, and Michael Moroney as selectors. The physios will be Michella McNamara and Adrian Whelan.
Mattie Shannon and Paul Madden continue as the respective senior hurling and football team managers at Éire Óg.
Seanie Buckley continues as coach to the senior footballers who will be chasing a third successive senior championship title this year while Peter Cosgrove and Shane Daniels are selectors. Tom Russell and Rory O’Brien continue in the backroom team, Barry Ryan is the goalkeeping coach and the S&C coach is Victor Riordan.
Gerry O’Connor, Ronan Cooney and Barry Nugent continue in Shannon’s senior hurling backroom team as the club seeks to go a step further than last year when they suffered defeat in the championship final against Ballyea. The physio is Neil McCarthy. Former Clare trainer, Liam Cronin has been linked with a role in the set-up this year but this has not been confirmed according to club sources.
It will be a busy year for the Shannon as he is also jointly coaching his native Corofin along with Joe Cahill who is also the Corofin hurling manager for the year. John Fitzgerald and Pat Curtis will serve as selectors.
Corofin football management is unchanged for 2023. Douglas Hurley and Geoff O’Sullivan jointly manage the team with Vincent McCarthy, Peadar O’Brien, Donnacda Kelleher and Eoin Keane as selectors.
Beaten county football finalists Ennistymon will have the same senior management team for the coming season. Mark Shanahan will continue as manager and his backroom team will include Ger Quinlan (coach), Brendan Rouine, John McInerney and Brian Conway.
David Butler will manage the Kildysart senior footballers in 2023 while Miltown Malbay resident John O’Sullivan will continue as the team coach. Jacko Cleary continues as a selector and Darragh Butler will take charge of stats.
Ex Kerry goalkeeper, Declan O’Keeffe has replaced Donie Garrihy in charge of St Breckan’s.
As first reported by The Clare Echo, Kilkee’s David Russell joins the Doonbeg management led by John Keane which also includes Padraig Gallagher, Conor Whelan and Kieran O’Mahoney. James Murrihy is back for a second season as Kilmurry Ibrikckane boss with his ticket completed by Galway’s James Mannion as coach, Enda O’Halloran, Gary Sexton and Diarmuid Whelan.
Neighbouring club, St Joseph’s Miltown will have a new management team in 2023. Liscannor man Martin Guerin takes over from Martin Flynn as team manager and he will be joined by another Liscannor man, John McDonagh and Miltown’s Jim Marrinan.
