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*Kilmurry Ibrickane captain, Dermot Coughlan. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill.
ABSENCE makes the heart grow fonder, in the case of Kilmurry Ibrickane time away from the Jack Daly makes them ravenous to reclaim the throne of Clare football.
It’s been six long years since Kilmurry Ibrickane won the Clare SFC, the biggest stretch for success prior to this was the gap between their 1993 and 2002 titles.
Introduced as a substitute when they overcame Liscannor in the 02 final which finished 1-5 0-6 was a certain Enda Coughlan, he would go on to enjoy a distinguished Clare career over thirteen championship seasons which included capturing a first-ever Tommy Murphy Cup in 2004.
After calling time on this career, Coughlan has taken up the mantle as manager of the Kilmurry Ibrickane senior side. He doesn’t delay in moving from playing to management, when he finished with Clare in 2016, he joined Colm Collins’ management in 2018.
Calling the shots as manager with his club team is different though, he noted. “It’s something new, so far so good I suppose but we’ll see how championship goes, it is a totally different role, you have to keep your space a bit more from them than before so it is hard in that respect as they would have been teammates of mind, we’re a small parish and everyone knows each other”.
Before Christmas, he was asked if he would be interested in taking over as manager of the Bricks. “I said if I could put a decent team together I’d be interested, to be honest I was thinking it would be an opportunity that would come further down the line but the call came and I said I’d go for it”.
Evan Talty, coach of the Limerick senior footballers who helped steer St Brigid’s to reach the All-Ireland club final last season remains involved as coach. Between them, the duo have a combined eighteen senior championships.
Entering a sixth year out of the winners enclosure has not been frequently discussed, he said. “The club was founded in 1914, we only have won sixteen senior championships in over hundred years so there was a lot of years where we didn’t win any senior championships. We had a very good team that won a lot but we have a new team now and we’re not concentrating on when the last time we won was”.
Quarter-final exits tend to result in a shuffle of the decks in Kilmurry Ibrickane, last year’s one point loss to St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield was their second time bowing out at the last eight since 2023. Coughlan is hopeful the early exit will strengthen the motivation levels for a new campaign. “They played pretty well in the group last year, they worked really hard, they topped the group but things didn’t go well versus Doora/Barefield, I think they played very well last year. We were down big numbers but the lads performed well, Doora/Barefield were better on the day, we were unfortunate to lose one game and be out but it is a brand new year, there’s new panels all over the place and this weekend will tell a lot in terms of how things will go”.
There’s no shortage of players this time round, Keelan Sexton has returned after a season with Na Fianna, Ciaran Morrissey is back with the side while Conor Burke, one of the most exciting players to step out with the Clare minors is set for a senior breakthrough. “We’ll know if we have a stronger squad by full time on Friday evening. The boys played pretty well last year, we’ll see how we get on which will tell if we’re stronger or not, since the league ended we’ve been concentrating on St Breckans and will take it one game at a time”.
Injuries picked up in Clare training have curtailed the years of Dermot Coughlan and Caoilfhionn O’Dea. “We’re hoping they will be okay, they came back with niggles, Dermot has done more than Caoilfhionn but we’re hoping they will be okay, Caoilfhionn has played very little for us, Dermot has played a bit but is still not one hundred percent”. Aidan McCarthy will also be available for selection this weekend.
Focus is on the Spa in nearby Miltown Malbay this Friday but nothing will be easy in Group 3, Enda acknowledged. “It is a very tough group, we have two teams that got to the Cusack Cup semi-finals and Corofin are up from intermediate, none of the three groups are easy though, it’s all about getting out, the first game is the target, it will be a massive start, if you get on good it sets you up and if you don’t you’re chasing”.
Kilmurry Ibrickane Factfile
Management: Enda Coughlan (manager), Evan Talty (coach), Ian McInerney (selector), Lawrence Murray (S&C), Noel Dunny (selector).
Stats: David Talty, Stephen Cunningham, Paul Shanahan.
Captain: Dermot Coughlan
Key Player: Dermot Coughlan
One to watch: Conor Burke
Fresh blood: Conor Burke, Ajay Daly, Reuben Fallon, Keelan Sexton, Ciaran Morrissey
Departures Gate: Kevin Tubridy.
Treatment table: Caoilfhionn O’Dea (hamstring), Dermot Coughlan (groin)
Titles won: 16 (1933, 1935 (as Quilty), 1936 (as Quilty), 1939 (as Quilty), 1963, 1966, 1993, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2020)
Last season’s run: Knocked out in the quarter-finals by St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield 1-13 1-12
Schedule of games:
Round 1 vs St Breckans on Friday July 31st at 19:30 in Hennessy Memorial Park, Miltown Malbay
Round 2 vs Lissycasey on Friday August 14th at 18:45 in Zimmer Biomet Páirc Chíosóg, Ennis
Round 3 vs Corofin on Sunday August 30th at 13:00 in Zimmer Biomet Páirc Chíosóg, Ennis
Championship power ranking (1=weak/unlikely winners, 10=strong contenders): 9
