*Photograph: Burren Eye Photography
CLARE’s ladies footballers have retained their Division 3 status by the skin of their teeth.
Clare 2-9
Roscommon 2-9
Venue: Clarecastle Astro
It was a dramatic finish in Clarecastle where a controversial decision deprived Clare of a victory but fortunately a draw was sufficient to see them remain in the third tier of the Lidl Ladies Football National League.
Laois drew with Louth and needed Clare to lose in order to avoid the drop. With so much on the line for both Clare and Laois, the powers that be in the LGFA made the strange decision to have a Laois referee in charge of Clare’s defining game with Roscommon.
Though Kevin Phelan may be accused of giving Clare a soft penalty in the second half, he wrongly pulled the hosts for a breach when they had the adequate amount of players in their attack. This gave Roscommon a free which the reliable Aisling Feely slotted over in the final kick of the game and the tie ended in a draw. Fortunately the call did not decide Clare’s fate.
Questionable decisions from the administrative side of the house were also evident in Clare with the move to schedule games in the non-county player league seeing a total of ten club games take place across the county and making it impossible for many supporters and players to support the Clare team in what was a vital game.
Controversial moments aside, Clare can count themselves very lucky to have maintained their status in the third tier. It is very worrying that they were a kick of the ball from dropping down to the lowest division and successive relegations. They conclude their league campaign with two wins from seven games, from the outset promotion would have been a reasonable aspiration but it became evident early on that the focus would be on avoiding another drop.
Conditions were tricky for their latest outing. Clarecastle was home to a very strong wind, one which blew peak caps off suppporters who were grateful to have some fencing behind them to have saved their head-wear.
Penalties in either half from Chloe Moloney were crucial scores for Clare but Caoimhe Harvey was the standout player for Graham Shine’s side, she sets an excellent example through her leadership, work-rate and decision making, giving every last drop for the county whenever she dons the saffron and blue.
Shine and his management have not been able to use their full-hand on too many occasions thus far in 2026 and both Caoimhe Cahill and Eabha O’Driscoll arrived in Clarecastle at half-time, having helped Clare’s U23 camogie side to a 2-11 3-6 win over Antrim in Inagh in the first round of the All-Ireland championship. Cahill made a big impact when introduced for the final quarter.
Clare led for all but four minutes of the opening quarter but found themselves a point down by half-time. Ella Thomspon’s growing involvement in the game was key for Roscommon getting on top and they kicked 1-3 without reply in the space of eight minutes. Thompson had a hand in three of these scores, kicking a point while having an assist for 1-1.
After getting back on level terms with points from Moloney off the left boot and captain Joanna Doohan, Clare coughed up a goal with Clodagh Lennon’s miskicked effort ending up in the back of the net on forty six minutes.
Indiscipline from the Clare sideline gifted Roscommon a free which Aisling Feely converted to extend the gap to four points, Tim Kennelly picking up a yellow card and not setting the right example, luckily for him they didn’t lose by a point.
On the field, Clare turned things around and kicked 1-2 without reply, Teresa Collins and Cahill added the points before Moloney dispatched her second penalty of the afternoon to the net on fifty three minutes.
Moloney’s second major was Clare’s final score of the day, even though Roscommon were awarded a free that they shouldn’t have received, it didn’t alter either county’s fate for 2027 in the National League.
Alongside Harvey, Clare’s best were Teresa Collins, Amy Sexton, Hannah Doyle and Chloe Moloney while Roscommon’s most impressive were Ella Thompson, Aisling Feely and Ellen Irwin.
Scorers Clare: C Moloney (2-4 2’Pen 1f), C Harvey (0-1), L Kelly (0-1), J Doohan (0-1), T Collins (0-1), C Cahill (0-1).
Scorers Roscommon: A Feely (0-6 6f), C Lennon (1-1), R Fitzmaurice (1-0), C Cunningham (0-1), E Thompson (0-1),
Clare:
1: Rebecca Sexton (Kilmurry Ibrickane)
2: Hannah Doyle (St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield)
7: Aisling Kelly (Cooraclare)
3: Rebecca Doohan (Kilmurry Ibrickane)
11: Caoimhe Harvey (West Clare Gaels)
6: Joanna Doohan (Kilmurry Ibrickane)
20: Louise Cleary (Fergus Rovers)
9: Áine Slattery (Fergus Rovers)
13: Teresa Collins (Burren Gaels)
21: Lucy Power (St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield)
12: Amy Sexton (Kilmurry Ibrickane)
10: Sinead Considine (Liscannor)
15: Leah Kelly (Cuil Gaels)
14: Chloe Moloney (Kilmurry Ibrickane)
17: Lauren Conway (Doonbeg)
Subs:
25: Ellie Hanrahan (Kilmurry Ibrickane) for Kelly (38)
8: Caoimhe Cahill (Banner) for Slattery (45)
5: Roisin Considine (Liscannor) for Power (47)
18: Eabha O’Driscoll (St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield) for Conway (47)
Roscommon:
1: Helena Cummins (Michael Glaveys)
4: Rachel Brady (Thomas Davis)
3: Aine Connaughton (Clann nan Gael)
2: Áine McGrath (St Brigids)
24: Ella Thompson (St Croans)
6: Saoirse Wynne (Boyle)
7: Abby Curran (St Brigids)
9: Ruth Cox (Boyle)
8: Ellen Irwin (St Faithleachs)
10: Rachel Fitzmaurice (St Ciarans)
11: Ciara Cunningham (Northern Harps)
12: Niamh Watson (St Dominics)
13: Rosie Lennon (Clann nan Gael)
14: Aisling Feely (Boyle)
15: Caoimhe Lennon (Clann na Gael)
Subs:
22: Aisling Hanly (Kilbride) for R Lennon (HT)
Referee: Kevin Phelan (Laois)
