*Peter Keane. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill.
PETER KEANE “took a long time to decide that Killorglin is a long way from Caherlohan,” a West Clare delegate remarked when criticising the timing of the Kerry man’s resignation as Clare senior football manager.
Speaking at Tuesday’s meeting of the Clare County Board, Chairman Kieran Keating paid tribute to Keane for his efforts during his sole season in charge of the senior footballers.
He said, “as ye all are aware we had the disappointing news at the weekend that Peter Keane isn’t available to continue for next year. Peter only decided at the end of last week that he just couldn’t figure a way to make it work. I met him a couple of times in the previous couple of weeks and a group of players went down to meet him. I happened to be in Kerry myself, and met him twice and I was up and down to Kerry a couple of times. It is a long journey. The logistics of the journey is a big problem and rhe time that it takes”.
Keating said he had “no complaints about the way Peter Keane handled taking the role, handled doing the role and handled passing on the role. He gave it a good bit of thought to see how could he continue to support us. He had the interests of our players foremost at all times. He was trying to figure how to make this work in terms of business life, personal life, time and travel and he just couldn’t figure a way of doing it ad here isn’t much we can do about it. I have no qualms or complaints that he strung us along. He didn’t, he was forthright at all times. We had hoped that he could continue but unfortunately he couldn’t”.
Voicing his appreciation the Chairman also thanked the management team of Eoin Curtin, James Hanrahan and Peter Tormey. “Hopefully they won’t be lost to Clare football. I want to thank them all for the work they did for Clare football and for hopefully leaving it in a better place”.
St Joseph’s Miltown delegate Gerry Curtin commented, “it’s been a very disappointing week for Clare football with this announcement and the Munster Council decision regarding the seeding of the Munster championship. I am just wondering if the two events are any way connected. It took a long time to decide that Killorglin is a long way from Caherlohan”.
In response, the Chairman said, “to be fair to Peter he was quite forthright with me. I met him just after that decision was made and he was still pondering about his decision and all he was pondering about was how he could keep his eye on what was happening through the tills in his shop while spending seven or eight hours travelling to training in Clare. He said specifically that the Munster decision had nothing to do with it and I wouldn’t like us to be making an excuse out of it. We don’t like the Munster decision, we think it was wrong but it hasn’t anything to do with Peter Keane’s decision. Basically he can’t keep his eye on the ball in Clare and in his business when both require quite an investment of time”.
