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*Shane O’Donnell in action during Sunday’s Clare SHC semi-final. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill.
SHANE O’Donnell has played his last competitive hurling game with Éire Óg’s exit from the Clare SHC signalling the end of a glittering career.
It began in the town of Ennis and fittingly O’Donnell’s hurling story ended in Cusack Park.
Éire Óg’s seven point loss to Inagh/Kilnamona in Sunday’s Clare SHC semi-final saw them dethroned as county champions but also marked the conclusion of Shane’s hurling story.
He chipped in with 0-2 and as ever was lively and menacing every time he got the sliotar in his hands but there was no disputing that Inagh/Kilnamona were the superior side on the day and deserving of their victory.
As he made his way into the dressing room accompanied by older brother Marc, Shane received a round of applause from supporters of all sides and neutrals, all putting their hands together in appreciation for a career to treasurer.
👑Shane O’Donnell gets a fitting send off from the crowd in Cusack Park as his storied hurling career comes to an end.
🔴⚪️It began in the town of Ennis and fittingly O’Donnell’s hurling story ended in Cusack Park.
📲Read more: https://t.co/8KRralI2Ac
📹: @thepmanofficial pic.twitter.com/PCILL78DfV
— The Clare Echo (@ClareEcho) September 27, 2026
Two All-Ireland SHC medals from 2013 and 2024, All Stars in 2022, 2023 and 2024, Hurler of the Year in 2024, All-Ireland and Munster U21 championships in 2013 and 2014 plus Éire Óg’s Clare SHC success of 2025 formed part of a storied career for the boy from Ballybeg.
Only in time will he begin to appreciate what he achieved on the hurling field. “I can’t comprehend it myself even, only in time or maybe next year when I’m watching the club will it hit me, I spent the last minute thinking this will be strange but it feels the exact same, I’ve lost many games with Éire Óg and it feels the same as that, I’m extremely disappointed and thinking what if, I don’t know what it is like to not play, it is strange to know it won’t happen again and that I won’t be standing in the dressing room again”.
Seeing the appreciation from the people of Clare, Ennis and further afield has always been special, Shane said while touching on the nice gesture as he was clapped into the dressing room. “It comes in waves, it feels like any loss but then something like that (getting clapped into the dressing room) happens and it catches you off guard a little bit and you have a tear in your eye, it was very nice and people have been incredible. This year when I’ve said I was leaving people have sent me very nice messages and letters, the GAA is a phenomenal community so I’ve been surprised with the amount of letters you get so I’m very proud of that and what I’ve been able to achieve and impact on people especially around Clare but you could say the same for a lot of players in that dressing room with respect to Éire Óg and with Clare obviously some of them have had a huge impact on people around Clare, it is something I’m very proud and it will be very hard to move on from, I don’t know exactly what I will fill that gap with, I’m looking forward to having the time to figure it out”.
He added, “The hardest part of stepping away I think is the things you still think you can achieve or the moments you could still have with the group, Éire Óg or Clare, you draw a line under all of them, there’s no more what ifs or day dreaming about doing this, you have to look somewhere else for your inspiration and aspiration, I’m looking forward to what they will be, I’ve had some brilliant memories with Clare and Éire Óg, I’m very fortunate”.
His career comes to a half on September 27th 2026, almost thirteen years to the day from September 28th 2013 when SOD scored a hat-trick as Clare won the All-Ireland final following a replay in Croke Park. “My club indulged me this year and allowed me to wear number twenty two, it was the jersey I was wearing that day (28th September 2013) and it was always my favourite jersey, I always wish club and county had squad jerseys so I could wear a non one to fifteen jersey but they indulged me with that, I guess in the public side it kicked me into the public sphere but I had many battles with the likes of David Reidy and Liam Corry all the way up, losing many games with Éire Óg so Clare was never on the horizon, not making panels or teams so to be able to look back and achieve days like 2013 or 2024 or last year with the club have been absolutely phenomenal, they are the days I will be very fortunate to look back on with hindsight, today is disappointing but there’s many memories that will stand out outside of today”.
In January, he will move to New York with his now fiancé Niamh. “The shock of not playing will definitely be there but I will be glad to have some physical distance, I will be doing new different things, it was always going to come, I’m happy I was able to make the decision myself. To still be able to play and make the decision I will leave on my own back and I’m going to move on before it was forced upon me by injury or something else, it does make the decision a bit harder because I feel I could do it again if I needed to but I’m looking forward to what is next”.
Hunger to keep going was not as strong this year, he admitted. “The mind is a complex thing, different things manifest into feeling like you’re at your peak in every aspect, this year I’m not sure what it was but it’s funny when you get into the game or the day of the game it is all back to the same, in a funny way it didn’t impact my prep on the day but on the week it was just a different experience, I wasn’t sure if I could continue to do this”.
