*Clareabbey.
AN OFFICIAL opening of Clare GAA’s headquarters in Clareabbey took place on Saturday evening.
Club crests of all 52 GAA clubs in Clare adorn the walls of the stairs in what is one of the new features of the refurbished headquarters.
Clareabbey’s new meeting room has been named Amharclann Breandán Ó Beacháin in honour of the decades of work that Brendan Vaughan has done on behalf of Clare GAA. His family were proud attendees of the opening of the new administrative base.
GAA President, Jarlath Burns and Chairman of Munster Council, Ger Ryan were among the guests for Saturday’s event.
All-Ireland winning captain Tony Kelly, two-time All-Ireland winning manager Ger Loughnane, Clare selectors Brendan Bugler, Tommy Corbett and Ken Ralph, Clare U20 manager Terence Fahy were in attendance along with Clare TD, Cathal Crowe (FF), Senator Timmy Dooley (FF), Cllr Tom O’Callaghan (FF) and General Election candidate Leonore Carey (FG).
A grant to the tune of €750,000 was awarded by Munster GAA to Clare GAA for the refurbishment but a full breakdown of costs has not yet been provided by Clare GAA. Martin Murphy Construction was awarded the contract following what GAA chiefs in the county labelled “a really competitive tendering process”.
Speaking in Clareabbey, Clare GAA Head of Operations, Deirdre Murphy said, “it is a much changed set up”. She quipped that “three different people have said to me it is the first time they have taken off their coat coming into Clareabbey”.
An improvement in facilities was essential, the Clooney/Quin clubwoman outlined. “Clareabbey is one of the places that Clare train in a lot, I first played with Clare in 1997 and the tiles were still the same”. She stressed that it was the job of county officials to improve facilities in the county, “It is the players and the love of the game, it’s what the lads have done for us that make a six or seven year old pick up a hurley” and “the coaching and playing creates the addiction that drives it forward”.
Contributions of supporters and people attending games allow Munster GAA to fund grants, Chairman Ger Ryan explained. He is expecting attendances and the surplus recorded from same in 2024 to surpass their best ever year yet of 2023 when financial records are submitted. He praised Murphy and Clare GAA Chairman Kieran Keating for the “clear vision and plan” that they have in place.
GAA President Burns said he has formed “a great friendship” with Deirdre Murphy since first meeting her in January 2023 and remarked, “Clare is lucky to have her”. He commented of the Clareabbey renovation, “the worksmanship in this place is incredible”. He said of previous conditions at the Clarecastle facility, “it isn’t an exaggeration to say the conditions for GAA staff at that time were sub-standard and that no GAA staff should have to work in those conditions, these facilities here are worthy of the All-Ireland champions”.
“The workmanship is excellent, we are so delighted with the way it turned out,” Chairman of Clare GAA, Kieran Keating commented.
