Michael O’Dwyer holds onto Adam Ralph. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill
ENNISTYMON’s senior footballers are the ‘perfect representation’ of what the North Clare town stands for in the eyes of their proud manager.
Mark Shanahan’s side qualified for the Clare SFC final for the first time since 2018 when they defeated Kilmurry Ibrickane in a dramatic sudden-death penalty shoot-out in Cusack Park on Saturday evening.
Speaking to The Clare Echo in the moments after a Killian Malone strike again helped Ennistymon progress, Shanahan admitted he was experiencing “every emotion known to man”. He said, “I don’t know what to think, I’m very conscious of the losing team to go out on penalties, I am conscious of that, it is a hard way to go out”.
With the satisfaction etched on his face, Mark added, “Our fighting spirit has been our biggest thing all year and it’s not the first time I’m saying it to you, that’s why we’re in a county final, that’s our greatest strength, our spirit, our resilience and our never-say-die attitude”.
Resilience has been one of the words mentioned by the Ennistymon manager for each of the post-match interviews in this year’s championship. He’s seeing evidence of it in action in more than their matches, he explained. “I know it because I’m seeing it in more than the matches, I see it every night, the way they train they are a ferocious bunch of trainers, every night is like a championship match to them, you know it is in them, you know when you have that then you have an awful lot, all they do then is go out and empty themselves and see what way the cards fall, we enjoy what we’re doing, we have a laugh, we train awful hard and see what way the cards fall after that but when you’ve a group that is prepared to go to the well then it’s worth anything”.
Of the lift they have provided to the people of Ennistymon and Lahinch, Mark said, “When all is said done, every bit that everyone is putting in you’re doing it for the pride of your community, you’re doing it for your parish, you’re doing it for Ennistymon people and by Jesus if you wanted a representation of who you are and where you come from, your townland, your parish and your community that was it today”.
Injuries once again impacted on Ennistymon, this time they lost Kevin Hehir and Cillian Rouine, Inagh/Kilnamona hurler Hehir will miss the county final and joins the injured list of Cathal Malone, Sean O’Driscoll and Darragh Conneally. “We’ve had injuries all year but we concentrate on the next man in, we never mention anyone we’re missing, we mention who we have because we back our panel, it’s a big panel of players, we’ve needed every one of them in the championship”.
Shanahan returned to the job for the third time, at the beginning of this year. To reach the decider is a big plus. “It wasn’t easy, every game we’ve been in has been a ferocious battle, it is standing to us too. We embrace the dog fights, it’s great to see a team doing that and it’s all you can ask of them, once they do you’re deadly proud then”.
That Ennistymon are not playing spectacular football was described as “completely exaggerated” by Shanahan when their style of play was questioned. “Clare football in general, a lot of teams are playing a certain way and I don’t want to get into that. I think we’re bringing what we have, we’re bringing our strengths and our greatest strength is our never-say-die attitude”.
