*Kilmaley manager, Brian Culbert. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill.
BRIAN CULBERT will manage Kilmaley’s senior hurlers for a fourth year.
An overwhelming majority of the Kilmaley senior hurling panel were very keen for the Sixmilebridge man to stay in charge for another season. They gave county champions Éire Óg their toughest date of the championship when falling short at the semi-final stage.
Indeed Kilmaley were one of the top sides in last year’s bid to lift the Canon Hamilton with their supporters firmly of the view they are not far away from reaching the summit for the first time since 2004.
Staying involved with the side will be Conor Neylon who was the youngest member of their victorious 2004 side and goalkeeper of that team Kieran Dillon. Padraig McGough and Eoin O’Malley will continue as part of the coaching ticket with Kilmaley.
While a fourth season awaits Culbert, it will be his second solely in charge. Ex Clare and Kilmaley hurler, Conor McMahon had been joint manager in 2023 and 2024 but stepped aside for the 2025 campaign.
Just two points separated them from the county champions when Éire Óg came out 1-14 1-12 winners in their semi-final clash in September. It was Kilmaley’s first appearance in the penultimate stage in seven years.
Initially management’s decision to play All-Ireland winning defender Conor Cleary in attack raised eyebrows but the Miltown Malbay native proved to be one of their greatest weapons with no defender in the county able to counteract his aerial threat, he also showed his scoring ability in their run to the semi-finals.
Along the way, they blitzed Culbert’s native Sixmilebridge with a 1-21 1-8 quarter-final victory. With the Bridge, Brian was coach to the John O’Meara side crowned county champions in 2013, 2015 and 2017.
He retired from senior hurling in 2012, having won senior titles in 2000 and 2002. He scored 1-4 from play in the Munster club final of 2000 as The Bridge defeated Mount Sion of Waterford 2-17 3-8.
With St Flannan’s College, he won two Harty Cup medals and an All-Ireland title while he captained Clare at minor and U21 level.
Outside of the county, he has coached the Kerry senior hurlers and was manager of Offaly side Coolderry when they reached the county final in 2021 losing out to St Rynagh’s. In 2015, he managed the Freshers hurling side at TUS to an All-Ireland league title.
He told The Clare Echo that fine margins have kept Kilmaley from reaching the summit. “We were a puck of a ball away in 2024, Conor McGrath ruined that for us, we were a puck of a ball away from Feakle the year before that, it hasn’t just been this year like these lads have had Colin Lynch training them for two years before I came in, they have had the same message for nearly five years, it is fine margins. Éire Óg were getting to the semi-final for the last how many years, what we need to do is to be consistent and be getting to the semi-finals every year, they are an unbelievable group of lads, a serious team, they have serious attitude, you’d be hoping they will go again next year and the rub of a green might come on another day, someday it will happen.
“I remember Donal Madden said a couple of years ago ‘wouldn’t it be great if every team got to win it once and sample the feeling’, that would be a lovely thing and it was someone new in Éire Óg this year, you never know who it might be next year”.
