*Cormac Murray and Diarmuid Ryan in action. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill
CLUB hurling and football championships in Clare will proceed without delay.
Clare’s success in winning the All-Ireland SHC for the fifth time will not impact on the master fixtures plan put in place by Clare GAA.
Interest in the club scene is expected to be higher in 2024 off the back of the All-Ireland glory with supporters now getting the opportunity to see members of Brian Lohan’s panel line out for their respective clubs over the coming months.
Action will begin in the Clare senior and intermediate football championships on the August Bank Holiday weekend with the Colm Collins managed Cratloe putting their title on the line when they meet St Joseph’s Miltown who look set to be without both of the Cleary twins, Conor and Eoin. Beaten Cusack Cup finalists Ennistymon will face off with Doonbeg in the other Group 3 tie.
An encounter sure to draw a decent attendance will be the meeting of Éire Óg and Kilmurry Ibrickane while the recently crowned Cusack Cup champions Lissycasey do battle with last year’s intermediate winners Kilmihil.
Group 2 pits St Breckan’s against St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield plus there will be a battle between the intermediate champions of 2021 and 2022 when Corofin and Kildysart cross swords.
Many of the Clare hurlers will be making their first appearance of the year for their clubs when the focus switches to the opening round of the Clare SFC on the weekend of August 9th/10th/11th.
Of particular interest is the keenly contested Group 1 which includes Clonlara, Ballyea, Éire Óg and Clooney/Quin. With only two clubs to emerge, it means that a selection of the county’s finest hurlers such as John Conlon and Ian Galvin (Clonlara), Tony Kelly (Ballyea), Shane O’Donnell and David Reidy (Éire Óg), Peter Duggan and Ryan Taylor (Clooney/Quin) will not feature in the knockout stages of the senior championship.
Kilmaley will have to adapt their lineup following the shoulder injury sustained by Conor Cleary when they face Corofin while the other game in Group 2 pits Feakle against Cratloe.
There is a strong East Clare element to Group 3 but Inagh/Kilnamona will be tipped to top the group which also contains last year’s semi-finalists Scariff, last year’s Clare Cup champions O’Callaghans Mills and Broadford who are under the stewardship of 2002 championship winning manager Paddy Meehan.
In Group 4, Newmarket-on-Fergus will be under pressure to shake off the trend of Clare Cup champions not doing well in championship and they face a stern opener against a Crusheen side who hammered them in last year’s quarter-final. Sixmilebridge and St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield will renew a rivalry at senior level that had been dormant for some time when clashing in the first round.
