*Mark Fitzgerald. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill
CLARE GAA’s top officers have said they were “sorry” and “disappointed” that Mark Fitzgerald opted not to continue as county senior football manager for a second year.
There was widespread shock in the middle of September when Tralee native Fitzgerald’s departure as Clare senior football manager was confirmed. The former Limerick manager had been planning for the coming season and had been in attendance at a number of club championship games and it is understood he had been working to add to his management team for 2025 when his exit was announced.
A statement issued by Clare GAA announcing details of Fitzgerald’s exit was also the first instance where his involvement with the Kerry U20 footballers was declared.
During the subsequent ‘process’ to appoint Fitzgerald’s successor, Peter Keane the last entry into the field of candidates was ratified as manager in November.
Within the space of two months, Clare lost both its senior and U20 football manager with Fitzgerald exiting in September and Michael Neylon stepping down following the appointment of Keane.
Head of Operations with Clare GAA, Deirdre Murphy in her report to County Convention stated, “From a Senior Football perspective, we are delighted to welcome Peter Keane on board as manager for the next two years. To reach a second consecutive Munster Football Final in 2023 and to narrowly miss out on promotion to Division 2, despite a massive turnover of players, is testament to the players themselves and the excellent work done by Mark Fitzgerald and his team. We were sorry to lose such an excellent man, and we thank Mark, James Costello, Declan Downes, Eoin Tarrant and Seanie Buckley for everything they contributed.
“A spirited Munster Final showing, represented progress from 2023, helped by the vociferous Clare support in the 14,000 plus crowd in Cusack Park. This and the return of a number of players to the panel, has to strengthen the belief in our footballers. The defeats to Tyrone and more especially Donegal knocked some of the good out of the years’ journey, so it is vital that everyone in the county gets behind Peter and the team for 2025, for the entire league and championship campaigns”.
In his report, Chairman of Clare GAA, Kieran Keating noted the high turnover in players from the 2023 panel prior to Fitzgerald’s arrival as manager. “Mark Fitzgerald had come in to replace Colm Collins before last years’ Convention and we must acknowledge the great strides that he made during the year, moulding a young and relatively inexperienced panel to perform to a competitive standard. A narrow defeat to Westmeath in the league was probably the difference between promotion and remaining in Division 3 for 2025. An efficient performance in Dungarvan resulted in back-to- back Munster Football Final appearances, and when opponents Kerry accepted our offer to commence a home-and-away arrangement for finals, we were fortunate to win the toss and so Cusack Park got to host a Munster Final for the very first time, and Ennis was host town for the first time in approximately 100 years. Unfortunately, we came up a bit short on the day, and after suffering a narrow defeat to Cork in R1 of the All-Ireland Qualifier Series, we went down to experienced sides in Tyrone and Donegal in the subsequent games”.
Keating continued, “In early September, just as he had commenced watching our club championship games and finalising details of his backroom team for 2025, Mark Fitzgerald informed us that he wouldn’t be continuing in the role for the second year of his term, and whilst we were very disappointed with this news, we do appreciate what Mark brought to the role, and his genuine interest in the players and backroom that he had assembled. On behalf of Clare GAA, I would like to reiterate our thanks for the year he gave to Clare.
“A selection process for the vacant role took place over six weeks of September/October, before the recommendation came back to the County Committee that another Kerry man, Peter Keane, should be offered the role, and that appointment was subsequently ratified at November’s meeting. I wish Peter, his backroom team including Shane O’Rourke (Kerry), Peter Tormey (Westmeath) and Eoin Curtin of Miltown Malbay, every success in the role”.
He added, “Our U20 Footballers were again managed by Mikie Neylon of St Joseph’s Miltown, who took charge of the age-group for a fifth season. Wins on the road against Waterford and Limerick, which sandwiched a narrow loss to Tipperary in the first phase round-robin, ensured that we qualified for phase 2 games against Kerry, Tipperary and Cork. A slick Kerry side who would go on to contest the All- Ireland final, proved too strong in Quilty, and when we tasted defeat again to Tipperary in Ardfinnan, the final game in Pairc Ui Chaoimh left us with little chance of progressing.
“We had reappointed Mikie for a sixth year prior to Mark Fitzgerald’s departure from the Senior role, but he then subsequently informed the board in recent weeks that for reasons beyond his control, he wouldn’t be able to continue in the role for 2025. I would like to put on record my thanks to Mikie for all his co-operation and endeavour on behalf of our young footballers over many years, and I hope to see him before long again on the sidelines of our county and/or club sides”.
On the campaign of the Clare minor footballers, Keating recounted, “Our U17 footballers were again managed by Dermot Coughlan, and they started their round-robin series with a narrow home win against Waterford. A follow-up win against Limerick in Ballyagran meant that a defeat to Tipperary in the Round-Robin phase didn’t affect the pairing against the same opposition in the Daryl Darcy Cup final, which was also effectively the Munster Minor Quarter Final.
“Their best performance of the season in the final in Rathkeale resulted our lads putting some silverware on the table. The subsequent semi-Final versus Cork resulted in defeat and that ended this panel’s season. With that, Dermot informed us that he would like to see someone else take charge of the age grade and at the September meeting, Joe Hayes (Lissycasey) was duly appointed for 2025. I wish Joe the best of luck as he takes the helm of Inter-County management for the first time, having served his apprenticeship at both county and club levels”.
