*Eoin Hayes, David O’Grady and Shane Cusack of the FAI Junior Cup Newmarket Celtic winning side with assistant manager of the team Eoin O’Brien who won nine Clare Cups in his playing days. Photograph: Joe Buckley
A NEW landmark has been unveiled in Newmarket-on-Fergus honouring the parish’s sporting prowess.
In a joint venture between Newmarket-on-Fergus Tidy Towns and Newmarket Celtic FC, a new giant soccer ball in the red and white of the 2023 FAI Junior Cup champions is now located at the roundabout known locally as McNamara’s Cross.
Volunteers with the Tidy Towns explained that the addition of the soccer ball is an ode to Newmarket Celtic becoming the first and only Clare club to win the FAI Junior Cup but also to emphasise the parish’s sporting standing in the county. They are hopeful their next installation will acknowledge Newmarket-on-Fergus leading the Clare SHC roll of honour with the most senior championships won.
Seamus Cusack is one of the leading volunteers with the Tidy Towns but also remembered Newmarket Celtic for many years and remains one of their most loyal supporters. “This is the start of a couple of projects that the Tidy Towns are going to do, this is the first one, we’re looking at O’Leary’s Cross for the next one and we’re hoping to do something on the approach road to Dromoland Castle, the projects are ongoing and this is the first of many,” he told The Clare Echo.
His son Shane was goalkeeper on the FAI winning side of 2023 and is the holder of four Clare Cup medals, he is regarded as one of the greatest junior soccer netminders in the country. The Cusack family were also responsible for funding the installation of the new landmark.
Above the soccer ball on the roundabout are three flag poles with the national flag flanked by flags for CLG Cora Chaitlín and Newmarket Celtic FC. “As you can see with the flags, the hurling and the soccer club are two of the strongest clubs in the village and we want to highlight the good work they are doing for the community. As a community based organisation in the Tidy Towns this is what we do, we’re getting support off everyone and we’re giving back some of that support”.
Former soccer referee Philip Markham was involved in the construction of the unique soccer ball alongside Tom Conheady. The ball was sprayed by Kilkishen Coatings.
Projects like this are the Tidy Towns’ way of “trying to enhance the area,” Seamus outlined. “This is a way we feel we can enhance it by putting up little things like this, hopefully by this time next year we will have the second one done”.
Stormy conditions won’t be strong enough to unearth the village’s newest landmark, he said. “Hopefully it will be here long after we are gone. There’s a good couple of barrows of cement gone into it, it will be a strong man that will try to move it. It’s here to stay”.
On Saturday, present players Eoin Hayes and Shane Cusack were joined by former teammates David O’Grady and Eoin O’Brien together with club officials including Chairman Jody Halpin, Liam Murphy along with club stalwarts Paul Tuohy, Tom Casey, Brendan O’Brien, Philip Markham, Seamus Cusack and Pat Donlon.
Both Cusack and Donlon also double as Tidy Towns volunteers, they were joined by their colleagues Margaret O’Rourke, Cllr David Griffin, John and Thomas Power.
