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*Kildysart’s Diarmuid O’Donnell. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill.
HEADING into their fourth season back at the top table of Clare football, Kildysart will be keen to show what they can really offer by competing in the business end of the championship as opposed to fighting for survival.
Last season, they survived a relegation scare where they kicked four points in the space of three minutes to recover from the concession of a fifty ninth minute goal, Kildysart just edged out Kilmihil. Ironically, it’s the West Clare side that they face off with first as a new campaign dawns.
Within the Kildysart set-up, they’re well aware this showdown will provide plenty of fuel for Kilmihil. “We knew each other well from that encounter, it was a real pressure situation for everybody. The first round does bring a sense of pressure, they have a point to prove and will want to settle a score from last year, they got a late goal but we responded well with some scores to steal it by a point. We won’t be going in underestimating their ability, they are a good team,” outlined manager Niall Ginnane.
In tandem with the view that they may just be at their best when their backs are to the wall, Kildysart had to produce four wins on the trot in the Garry Cup to avoid successive league relegations, their turnaround resulted in them reaching the Division 2 final and more importantly bouncing back to the Cusack Cup at the first attempt.
Reflecting on their league run, Niall said, “We were up and down at the start of the year, we had poor performances, we had Doonbeg beaten in the first round but conceded a late two pointer. We were very poor versus Naomh Eoin and we were good against Clondegad so we thought we had fixed things but then we lost to Cooraclare which put us under pressure. It was do or die vs Corofin and it was no other result other than a win to avoid relegation. We knew given that we had our last two games at home that we had a good chance. Naomh Eoin gave us a lifeline when they drew with Corofin which left four teams on seven points and put us in third place and into a semi-final versus Doonbeg which went to extra time and penalties. We were in good shape for the Garry Cup final but it didn’t work out too well on the evening. We got promotion out of it which was one of our aims at the start of the year, to get back to the Cusack Cup and we did that. We didn’t win the Garry Cup but we learned a lot so we’re on a good footing, we’ve had ups and downs already this year so we’re just hoping it is more ups from here”.
Off the field, the year has had its difficulties with the club saddened by the death of Mickey McGrath. A native of Donegal, he became heavily involved in Kildysart since moving there from New York in 2004. He spent a decade as a selector, kit man and on the field committee while always being a loyal supporter of the club. His son, Luke serves as captain of the seniors this season. “We lost a great clubman in Mickey McGrath, we’re keeping him in our thoughts all the time,” Niall said.
Niall who captained the club when they won the Clare IFC in 2003 has succeeded Maurice Walsh as manager but has retained Adare’s Eoin Ryan as coach. During the Garry Cup, they’ve blooded six minors with the trio of Liam Casey, Darragh Murtagh and James Casey on course to make their championship debuts this weekend. “Ideally you’d like to gradually bleed them in and not be giving them sixty minutes every day but with lads gone with the county, travelling and transfers, they were thrown in straight away and have proved to be more than capable. We have a couple more lads on the bench chomping to get in, it is good to have them, our senior lads have really responded to them so they have only added to the set-up”.
Liam Casey’s ability to kick two pointers alongside the presence of Emmet McMahon, Luke McGrath, Diarmuid O’Donnell and Jamie Evans creates an stimulating attacking dynamic for Kildysart. “It is an exciting attack line but there is nothing given easy so they have to go out and work on the scoring end and just like Mayo work as hard on the defensive end to stop the opposition from coming out of defence which is a huge part of the game. We’re very happy with the calibre of forward we have”.
Wafer thin margins separated them and St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield with scoring difference determining their fate in the group stages last year. “Really in the group last year, they only lost to Éire Óg and Cratloe, they drew with Doora/Barefield so Doora/Barefield only ended up with a point but went on to reach the county final. The relegation for us was a scare but they know they are better than that. They were leading Cratloe for most of the game and got caught and they only played for thirty minutes against Doora/Barefield. We are putting our best foot forward, all our focus is on Kilmihil and we’re not looking further than that for now. It is very important to get a win in the first round”.
There is plenty of familiarity between them and Doora/Barefield, the sides have met twice in as many seasons, Kildysart winning by a point in the third round in 2024 while it finished 1-12 apiece in their first round showing last season. Ennistymon were the first side to welcome them back to the senior ranks when dishing out a 2-10 0-9 beating in the first round in 2023. They also tasted defeat to Ennistymon in the O’Gorman Cup final a fortnight ago.
Ginnane who initially finished playing in 2014 but made a comeback to the club’s juniors in 2020 has officially hung up the boots but the two-time Clare IFC winner has been among the cohort in the club driving the development of new talent and has been over teams from U13 to minor. “There is an awful lot of work going in the club from the likes of Ger ‘Bobby’ Kelly to Shane McNeilis and myself with different underage teams, we are working well together, there is a huge amount of coaching going on and there is a lot of talent coming up in Kildysart. If you don’t have the raw materials when you are coaching it is not as effective, there is great talent which we’re trying to harness so we’re placing a real focus on this year’s campaign and future campaigns so that we’re looking upwards not downwards”.
Kildysart Factfile
Management: Niall Ginnane (manager), Eoin Ryan (coach), Patrick Casey (selector), Ian Flanagan (selector), Kieran Helihy (S&C), Kieran Conneelly (physio).
Stats: Robbie Kelly, Reuben Ginnane, Alex Garry, Siney Neenan.
Captain: Luke McGrath.
Key Player: Emmet McMahon
One to watch: Liam Casey
Fresh blood: James Casey, Darragh Murtagh, Liam Casey, TJ O’Donoghue, Danny Moloney, Shane Casey,
Departures Gate: Stephen Sheehan (emigrated), Conor Hassett (transferred), Keith Murphy (regraded), Kieran Eyres (regraded), Kieran Leahy (regraded)
Treatment table: Ryan Casey (dislocated shoulder), Seamus Casey (knee).
Titles won: 1 (1889)
Last season’s run: Retained senior status after beating Kilmihil in relegation semi-final
Schedule of games:
Round 1 vs Kilmihil on Friday July 31st at 19:30 in Páirc Cuar an Chláir, Cooraclare
Round 2 vs St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield on Saturday August 15th at 13:00 in Clarecastle
Round 3 vs Ennistymon on Saturday August 29th at 17:00 in Páirc Cuar an Chláir, Cooraclare
Championship power ranking (1=weak/unlikely winners, 10=strong contenders): 8
