*Ronan Lanigan celebrates winning a fourth Clare SFC title with Éire Óg. Photograph: Ruth Griffin
A CENTRAL yet understated figure in Éire Óg’s dominance of Clare football has been defender Ronan Lanigan.
The Clare Echo’s coverage of the Clare SFC is brought to you in association with The Shannon Springs Hotel.
Part of the starting team in all four of their championship winning campaigns over the past five seasons, Ronan even chipped in with a rare point on Sunday as they held off the challenge of neighbours St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield to retain the Jack Daly.
Putting his name down on the scoresheet was certainly an infrequent occurrence, he acknowledged. |It was my first shot in a long time now. Some of the lads were saying to me that beside them they heard a few people shouting ‘no’ but I’m glad I didn’t hear that, thankfully it went over and shur somebody had to put it over, we were hitting a few wides”.
Not long after his point on fifty two minutes which was Éire Óg’s fourth score in succession, Ronan was in a more acute angle close to the goals but opted against having a shot on goal. “I thought about it but I said let’s just hold onto the ball and calm it down for a while, if you turn it over against them they ran at us so quickly and transitioned really well, we were under pressure”.
Before his breakthrough season in 2021, Éire Óg hadn’t won the Clare SFC for fifteen years and hadn’t been in the county decider for seven years. On the first week of January in 2022, he joined the Clare football panel and hasn’t looked back, becoming a first-choice member of the defence for the past three county managers.
To come back from four points down and win by seven points added to the delight for their latest success, he said. “They are all sweet but that was such a battle, they put up some fight which makes it all the sweeter”.
Having played over 1000 minutes from the start for club and county in 2024, starting in every outing in league and championship for Clare and all championship encounters for Éire Óg, the 2025 run has seen the chartered physiotherapist with Excel Physiotherapy struggle with injury resulting in him only starting the semi-final and final at club level.
Speaking to The Clare Echo, Ronan admitted, “It was a fairly tough injury that I was going through and just trying to rehab it and get it right so even getting back training with the lads was brilliant and they set a high standard so I’ve to play for my spot on the team so it is great to have that competition”.
Éire Óg’s success on the hurling front did provide an extra kick for the footballers, Lanigan felt. “It is in the back of your mind the whole time, I just think what a club, we have some club here, look at the crowd it brought today and last week, so incredible. I love this community, we’re doing this for our family, our friends, our loved ones, those who could be here and those who are sick in hospital, those we’ve lost, it’s a really special club and we’re so lucky to have it”.
As he spoke, the magnitude of Éire Óg winning the senior double, the first in Clare since 2014 began to filter through the mind of the Trinity College graduate. “The colours around town are unbelievable, the support, the buzz and everything. We’ve created history here now. We’ll soak it up, have a few drinks and then prepare for Munster”.
