*Donal Tuohy. Photograph: Martin Connolly
Donal Tuohy has called time on his Clare career after twelve years on the county senior hurling panel.
Increasing work commitments and recent injury struggles were referenced by the Crusheen man as barriers to making a consistent effort in training for Brian Lohan’s side.
Tuohy did not feature in any of Clare’s five National Hurling League ties with Lohan and his management continuing with Feakle’s Eibhear Quilligan who last year was nominated for an All Star. Donal featured for the opening half and a section of the second half in their recent comprehensive challenge match defeat to Limerick with Inagh/Kilnamona’s Eamonn Foudy replacing him at the final water break.
Only John Conlon had been on the senior panel longer than Tuohy who was recruited to the panel by Mike McNamara and given a regular starting spot by his successor Ger ‘Sparrow’ O’Loughlin. At senior level, he collected an All-Ireland medal in 2013 as the sub-goalkeeper to Patrick Kelly and an Allianz National Hurling League medal in 2016, both during Davy Fitzgerald’s tenure. He won the starting jersey from both Kelly and Andrew Fahey in the 2018 campaign under Donal Moloney and Gerry O’Connor when Clare reached the All-Ireland semi-final and Munster final.
His senior call-up came on the back of impressive displays at minor and U21 level for his county. Donal was between the posts when Clare won their first ever All-Ireland and Munster titles at U21 level in 2009, he was in goals a year previous when John Minogue’s side were controversially beaten by Tipperary in the 2008 Munster final.
A graduate of NUIG, Donal won a Fitzgibbon Cup title with the Galway college in 2010 when they ended a thirty year wait for honours. Diarmaid Nash (Scariff), Patrick Kelly (Clarecastle), Domhnall O’Donovan (Clonlara), John Conlon (Clonlara), Cormac O’Donovan (Clonlara), Caimin Morey (Sixmilebridge) were the other Clare men to feature in their 1-17 1-16 extra time win over WIT, Conlon memorably hit the winning point.
For his beloved Crusheen, Tuohy was their reliable netminder when they their first Clare SHC in 2010 and retained the title a year later managed by Michael Browne.
In a statement on Thursday morning, Donal said, “I would like to take this opportunity to thank every intercounty team manager I worked with since U14. I have nothing but great memories of all the teams I played with and the courtesy shown to me by everyone I worked with since joining Clare squads as a young goalkeeper has been exemplary. I hope that my efforts did credit to the faith people showed in me and I was never happier than when handed a Clare jersey.
“I wish every Clare GAA side the very best for 2021 especially the Clare senior hurlers whom I will be supporting from the sidelines. I would like to reserve special mention to my school principal Gerry Kearney for giving me a love of hurling, St Flannans College, NUIG and also to my employers Dell Technologies for their understanding over the years. I wish to thank my club Crusheen who has supported me unwaveringly over the years and I will give my all to them for the coming years as an exciting new group of players emerge in the club at all levels,” the thirty one year old added.
