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Down’s mission accomplished

“IT was one, but it could have been 16,” quips James McCartan to one reporter from the fourth green field before the dictaphones were rolling, officially that is.

Hence the two-time All-Ireland winner and All Star’s verdict that “it was a strange kind of game”. Down starting as if they meant to run riot around Cusack Park, finishing with the near meltdown of only scoring two points in the last 25 minutes and being driven back over the wall into Stamer Park, the home of Daly’s Undertakers.

And, it would probably have been a funeral for Down’s management team had they been on the wrong side of that one-point margin. No wonder it makes for a reflective McCartan afterwards.

“There’s no doubt about the fact that what we’ll take away from this game is the result – nothing else,” he admits. “It was a strange, very strange. Our lads decided they were going to go for goals at one stage and we were nearly left to rue that.

“Fair play to Clare, they dug deep for last 15 minutes of the first half and the last 15 minutes of the second half. We started both halves pretty brightly. That’s what you set out to do in the dressing room and whenever it starts to unravel a wee bit, you’re scratching your head. You send the same guys out at the start of the second half and they start off like a house on fire again,” he adds.

But from there, McCartan is at a loss to explain where it all went wrong and nearly horribly so.

“When we took Kalum (King) off it wasn’t us thinking we had the game won. We felt we needed fresh legs in there. The guy we brought in probably had missed a bit of training and was a wee bit off the boil, so we put Calum back in to try and finish the game out.

“I was disappointed the way we went out of the game for long periods of both halves – it’s something we’ll have to take a look at. You have to give credit to Clare, but we have to look at ourselves very closely over the next few days.

“I do think over the course of the game we probably deserved to win the game, but if Clare had stuck a goal in and won the match, we would have had to hands up and say that they deserved it, the way they got in at us and came back,” he adds.

That comeback was only denied by Conor Laverty’s last gasp goal-line clearance at the death.

“I was just delighted Conor (Laverty) was there,” admits McCartan. “He might have been lucky to stay on the field because he took a wild swipe at somebody earlier, but obviously we were lucky to get the break.

“In the past Down have lost in places like this. The team talk this morning in the hotel was that if we can get out of here with a one-point win, it will be a positive. That’s what we did. It was a mission accomplished.”

Only just.

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‘I thought we had them, they were really rattled’

IT was 15 minutes from time – Clare were still trailing by three points, but it was the point when Clare coach Liam McHale was like a seasoned salmon fisher on River Moy outside his native Ballina.

The prize catch of the day, a real heavyweight catch, was hooked – just to win the battle of reeling it in to shore.

“I thought we had them,” says McHale. “It was when the Down defender came out and kicked it over the sideline with no one near him.

“I said to myself ‘these guys are under real pressure, we can take them’. Coming into the game, they were under pressure because they’re considered one of the best teams in the country and they were coming to play a Division 4 team.

“They weren’t supposed to be in the position they found themselves in when we were roaring back at them and dominating this game, but it wasn’t enough…….”

It wasn’t enough, say McHale, because the Clare performance over the 70 minutes wasn’t what it should have been. Rather than reflect in the strange kind of glory that comes with any near-miss by an underdog, McHale parses why the result didn’t go his team’s way.

“We had a lot of unforced errors – at the end of the first half and the start of the second half,” he says. “We were turning the ball over, not bringing the ball back and switching the play.

“We had some nightmare plays, especially at the start of the second half. That gave them a six-point lead that ultimately we couldn’t overhaul. It’s disappointing because we had been working on situations where there are two or three defenders around you, but then looking around and working it back, switching the play and attacking again.

“Yes we were excellent at times and played the best football we’ve played this year, but at other times we were very, very poor. We have to try and stop those basic errors. Every time you commit a basic error against a team like this, they’ll punish you. That’s what Down did. “We showed a lot of heart and we were the team playing all the football with about 12 minutes to go – but we wanted to do that for the whole game and unfortunately we didn’t do it. It’s a learning curve.

“If we were a litte bit smarter and took care of the ball a little bit more at certain stages of the game, especially at the end of the first and the start of the second, we could have won that game,” adds McHale.

Instead, just another defeat – Clare’s sixth defeat out of ten competitive games between league and championship – the only returns from the year coming in the league with wins of Kilkenny, London and Longford and a draw with Wicklow.

Wicklow, Longford and London all advanced in the first round Qualifiers – Clare didn’t, which even in their strange kind of glory moment, put a very disappointing year in perspective.

“We have to try and improve,” says McHale. “The ambition for this team at the moment is to get out of Division 4 – with the likes of Wicklow, Fermanagh, Limerick and Waterford, it’s not an easy task, but that’s the team’s ambition and that’s the right way to got about it.

“Get out of Divison 4, stay in that and then have an assault on Division 3. When you’re at that level and in Division 2, maybe then Clare can compete with the big boys in Munster. That’s what Clare football has to do first. Getting the best team out and getting out of Division 4 is a big must.”

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Brave Banner denied at the death

Down 1-13 – Clare 1-12 at Cusack Park, Ennis

NO moral victories screamed Micheál McDermott afterwards; so too did team coach Liam McHale, while new captain Gary Brennan sang the same hymn in the huddle on the field minutes after the end.

But just a few feet away James McCartan had a different take on things when saying “all the plaudits go to Clare on this one”. Yes, he would say that wouldn’t he, after Down escaped with the championship lives intact, but there was substance to his words at the same time.

Clare had whipped up a storm in the closing 25 minutes – coming from six adrift of the bluebloods in red and black and being a few more revolutions of an O’Neills away to a standout moment in the county’s less than distinguished football story.

They produced something special – true grit married to never-say-die that exposed the soft underbelly of a Down side that, save last year’s exploits, has a history of fragility in the Qualifier series.

And, when David Tubridy stroked over a 66th minute free to bring the sides level at 1-12 apiece, they were barging at the door of history, within touching distance of Clare’s greatest football day since Martin Daly put the ball in the Cork net at the Stamer Park end in the last second in 1997.

The chance came when Laurence Healy’s fist connected with his clubmate Joe Dowling’s up and under in the 70th minute, beat keeper Brendan McVeigh and was on its way into the same Stamer Park end net until Brendan Lavery got back to save the day.

That close for Clare, that close for Down, who lived to fight another day in 2011 thanks to Paul McComiskey’s 68th minute winner that he fisted over the bar, when they could so easily have died.

All this after Clare had looked dead themselves inside five minutes of this helter-skelter afternoon that eventually re-affirmed a notion – long since lost – that Clare had any kind of future in football.

Clare were at sea from as early as the first minute when a sweeping move Brendan McComiskey, Benny Coulter and was flashed inches wide of Joe Hayes’ left hand post by Martin Clarke.

Four minutes later they were looking for life rafts after points by Lavery and Clarke was followed by a goal after a burst from Kevin Duffin was taken on by Coulter and Sean Poland before Lavery fisted to the net past Joe Hayes from eight yards.

Amazingly, that was effectively as good as it got for Down in the half as Clare gradually got accustomed to the pace of the game after settling points from Mark Tubridy and Alan Clohessy by the tenth minute, while their recovery was complete when Ger Quinlan’s 16th minute point was followed by a Timmy Ryan goal a minute later.

Ryan got the better of both Dan Gordon and Brendan McVeigh, toepoking the ball to the net when a long ball from Cathal O’Connor from the right wing broke on the edge of the square.

Down recovered some of their poise before the break thanks to frees by Paul McComiskey and Martin Clarke and two fisted efforts from Paul Laverty, but Clare’s determination was rewarded with fine points from play by Gary Brennan and Ger Quinlan to leave them only 1-6 to 1-5 adrift at the break.

However, Down’s rapid fire response on the turnover that saw them hit five points inside 12 minutes seemed to restore order.

Their county minor captain Caolan Mooney got them going while Liam Poland, Paul McComiskey, Benny Coulter and corner-back Brendan McArdle also pointed as Down moved 1-11 to 1-5 clear.

Remarkably though, Down only managed two points in the final 25 minutes as Clare’s tour de force brought them to within inches of a fairytale success.

They roused themselves once more thanks to a David Tubridy point from play in the 48th minute. From there it was all Clare as two more Tubridy points from frees, either side of two from play by sub Joe Dowling brought the gap back to 1-12 to 1-10 by the 57th minute.

Then John Hayes raided up the right wing and stroked over a point in the 63rd minute, while David Tubridy’s 66th minute equaliser had an air of inevitability about it.

So did the winner – but it had come down the other end from McComiskey’s fisted effort, not Laurence Healy’s one in the final minute of normal time.

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Survival of the fittest to decide this tie

Ga lway v Cla r e @ Pea r se St adium, Sa lt hill, Sat ur day 7pm (Dia r muid Kir wa n, Cor k) Ext r a-t ime playable if necessa r y CALL IT Déjà vu if you will but the truth remains that we have been here before. Only 12 months ago in fact, off the back of an encouraging yet losing start to the championship, Clare entered the qualifiers with renewed hope before disappointingly failing to perform when it mattered most.

How much Clare have learned since then is still up in the air but their propensity to leak ‘soft’ goals is something that has haunted the Banner for the past three years and going on the Tipperary game, is still quite prevalent. Clare have now conceded 14 goals in their last seven games while only scoring six themsevles.

As Anthony Daly stressed before the league final, that tendency to flit in and out of the game is something that just needs to be ironed out over time and comes with young and inex- perienced players and looking at his Dublin side, it certainly gives Clare hope for the future.

For that to happen, Clare need to make the breakthrough and take a big scalp. After all, it’s over three years since Clare’s last championship victory and having lost their last seven games, beating Galway is now of paramount importance.

However, Clare’s neighbours have been eerily quiet since being humbled by the Dubs which is worrying for the Banner. Had they come out and pointed fingers, the morale in the camp would have diminished further but by staying quiet, you can sense a back lash from the Tribesmen. After all, before Tipperary emerged from the pack last year, it was felt that Galway were the team most likely to knock Kilkenny off their perch and they haven’t become a bad team overnight, regardless of what is being said about them outside of the camp.

So this is essentially a clash of two wounded animals who may have to eat up the other in order to survive. It’s survival of the fittest at this stage.

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Demand in Clare for rural broadband is low

APPLICATIONS from people in Clare to have broadband provided under the Rural Broadband Scheme are fewer than from other counties across the country, it has been revealed.

In response to a query from The Clare People , a spokesperson for the Rural Broadband Scheme said that just 32 applications applications from areas in County Clare have been received to date, despite the fact that almost every area in the county is eligible to apply.

Only Ennis and a few other pockets in the county are ruled out of the scheme, but few Banner residents have opted to take advantage of it.

“Applications from Clare are definitely less than the national average but there is still some short time left for people to apply,” the spokesperson said.

Pointing out that access to broadband is vital for rural businesses and increasingly becoming a basic tool in homes and schools, the spokesperson said that it’s important that Clare people, who may qualify, get their applications in before the July 29 deadline.

The Rural Broadband Scheme was established to enable a basic broadband service to be provided to individual rural premises, which are not capable of obtaining a broadband service from existing internet service providers. The Scheme was set up in conjunction with the Department of Agriculture as a measure under the Rural Development Plan using funding from the European Agriculture Fund for Rural Development.

This first phase involves inviting and processing applications. In the second phase of the scheme, the department will check with existing internet service providers to see if they are willing to provide a service to the premises concerned. If none of the companies concerned are prepared to offer a service, then the application will progress to the next phase in the scheme in which the department will engage an internet service provider who will offer a basic internet service to applicants. While the department will be paying part of the cost of the infrastructure necessary to provide a service, the applicant will be responsible for paying the costs of the service itself.

It’s expected that the scheme should be completed by the end of 2012 at the latest.

Anyone interested can apply online by visiting the department’s website www.dcenr.ie and following the links for the Rural Broadband Scheme, by downloading an application from the website and sending it in the post or alternatively by calling 01 6782020 or call save the RBS on 1850 678100. The link includes a map of Clare showing the eligible areas.

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Businesses targeted by email scam

AN POST customers are asked to be on their guard against a new scam email, after Clare businesses were targeted.

The mail contains the subject line “RE: Information TV License #12488340238” and claims to come from service@tvlicence.ie. The email offers a refund of € 58.00 on an overpayment for a TV Licence.

Confirming that they have had complaints from “mostly business customers” a spokeswoman for An Post said that anyone getting the mail should delete it and under no circumstances click on the accompanying link.

“Anyone who provided personal information in response to these hoax emails should contact their bank or credit card company immediately,” she added.

John Halloran, from Westbury, who runs his own web-design company was one of the businesses who received the email.

“It was offering me a refund on my TV licence fee and I smelled a rat straight away because my wife is the one who always looks after renewing the TV licence and the mail cam to my business email. But I might have been drawn into it, at least to a certain point otherwise. I can see how people go along with it, thinking that if it comes from An Post, then it must be genuine. In fact I got a call from a customer of mine asking did I think she should reply and I told her no way. That’s why I contacted you, [ The Clare People ] in case anyone else is fooled.”

It’s understood that a number of businesses were targetted.

“An Post TV Licence never send emails which require customers to send personal information via email or pop-up windows. This was not a particularly sophisticated scam but if these people get even a tiny percentage of the people they contact to cooperate, then they have made money and it costs them nothing to email people,” the spokeswoman said.

She added that customer should also be on the alert about mails which inform customers that they have won a prize.

“These mails are just about legal. If you ring the number, you’ll be on hold at a premium rate for 20 or 30 minutes. If you persist and claim the prize, then there will be something like a book or a magazine. But we have to deliver these letters because they are paid for an mailed legally.”

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Tulla nursing home gets green light

AN BORD Pleanála has given the go-ahead for the development of a 26-bedroom nursing home to be built in Tulla that will be able to cater for up to 30 patients.

The planning appeals authority handed down its judgement last week, bringing to an end a process started in December 2009 when John and Ted Nugent originally submitted plans to Clare County Council to develop the nursing home facility in the East Clare town.

The decision to give the project the go-head comes even though an inspector’s report said the development would be contrary to proper planning.

“I consider that the location of a 26-bedroom nursing home together with 8 no. assisted living complex units, ancillary facilities and associated site development works on this site would be contrary to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area,” said Planning Inspector Patricia Young.

However, in making the order granting permission for the project, An Bord Pleanála said “in deciding not to accept the inspector’s recommendation to refuse permission, the board considered that a nursing home at this location would not contravene materially the development plan, having regard to its location and connectivity to the settlement of Tulla and to the pattern of existing and permitted development in the immediate vicinity.”

There were a number of objections to the original nursing home application, with Noreen Hickey from Cork saying “the proposed devel opment contravenes the new HIQA standards with are underpinned by legislation” and that it is “outside the existing town zoned area which contravenes the planning regulations of Tulla”.

Conditional permission for the development was granted by Clare County Council planners last December, with Director of Service Nora Kaye saying that “the proposed development would not seriously injure the amenities of the area or of property in the vicinity, would not be prejudicial to public health and would otherwise accord with proper planning and sustainable development of the area”.

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Guilfoyle wins chain on 5-4 vote

INDEPENDENT councillor Michael Guilfoyle was last night elected as the new Mayor of Ennis.

Cllr Guilfoyle secured the backing of a majority of councillors at yesterday’s annual meeting of Ennis Town Council to beat off the challenge of Fine Gael councillor, Johnny Flynn by five votes to four. Cllr Guilfoyle replaces outgoing Mayor, Cllr Tommy Brennan (Ind).

He was proposed for the post by Cllr Peter Considine (FF) and seconded by Cllr Frankie Neylon (Ind).

Cllr Flynn was proposed by Cllr Mary Howard (FG) and seconded by Cllr Paul O’Shea (Lab).

Nominating Cllr Flynn, Cllr Howard said her party colleague had fought three elections and had been elected on either the first or second count on each occassion.

Cllr Considine said Cllr Guilfoyle had handled the position as Chairman of the Council before and had done an “excellent job”.

Councillors Brennan, Considine, Neylon, Guilfoyle and Brian Meaney (GP) voted for Cllr Guilfoyle. Councillors Howard, O’Shea, Flynn and Mary Coote Ryan (FG) voted for Cllr Flynn.

Cllr Guilfoyle was first elected to Ennis Town Council in 1983. He served as Council chairman in 1988 and 1991 and was the town’s first Deputy Mayor when the position was introduced in 2004.

In the same year, Cllr Guilfoyle lost his seat in the local elections. He regained his Council seat in 2009 and served as Deputy Mayor in the same year.

Cllr Guilfoyle told the meeting that as a person “born and bred” in Ennis he said it was “great honour” to be Mayor.

Cllr Guilfoyle acknowledged the role of outgoing Mayor, Cllr Brennan, highlighting the opening of new playground and youth centre facilities. He said he hoped to introduce a new civic awards scheme to recognize local people.

He also paid tribute to Cllr Flynn, hailing his commitment to the town before adding, “I hope you’re turn comes”.

Cllr Guilfoyle added, “I hope I will be as fair around this table as Cllr Brennan and other councillors were”.

Cllr Considine said Cllr Guilfoyle had represented the town with “great dignity and some panache”.

Cllr Neylon said people in the Turnpike, where Cllr Guilfoyle lives, had described him as “the comeback kid”.

Cllr Flynn wished the new Mayor every success, saying he had the energy and skills for the job.

Cllr Neylon was elected Deputy Mayor ahead of Cllr Paul O’Shea. He was proposed by Cllr Brennan and seconded by Cllr Meaney. Cllr O’Shea was proposed by Cllr Flynn and seconded by Cllr Howard.

Councillors Brennan, Considine, Neylon, Meaney and Guilfoyle voted for Cllr Neylon. Councillors Howard, Flynn, O’Shea and Coote-Ryan voted for Cllr O’Shea.

Cllr Brennan thanked his family, councillors, council officials and council staff. He added, “Without the support of family you won’t do much.”

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Record number brave rain for Clare 10K

RECORD numbers turned out to walk, jog and run the Clare 10K on Saturday in what has become one of the sporting highlights of the summer in the county.

The event, organised by The Clare People newspaper in conjunction with Clare Haven, was once again a major success. This is the sixth year of the event and the number of entries topped 1,300 for the first time.

Local athlete Seán Hehir won the race in a time of 29 minutes 42 seconds, while Veronica Colleran from Ennis Track Club won the women’s race.

All of the money raised from the run goes to Clare Haven, which provides support for female victims of domestic abuse and their families.

According to Services Manager with Clare Haven Denise Dunne, this event is the organisation’s biggest annual fundraiser.

“The Clare 10K is our biggest fundraiser for the year. Over the past couple of years it has become difficult to fundraise. We can’t keep the service open without fundraising,” said Ms Dunne.

“The people of county Clare have been very good in supporting the Clare 10K every year,” she added.

Colin McGann, of The Clare Peo- ple , said that while the weather was poor for the run on Saturday morning, the pouring rain didn’t dampen the spirits of most entrants.

“Around 1,100 turned up on the day, which was less than the 1,300 entrants, but thankfully the rain didn’t keep the majority of people away,” he said.

“It was a family fun day out and it is great to have the facilities at Lees Road. The running track adds another dimension to it. We are happy to support a good cause,” he said.

While several top class athletes take part every year, hundreds of walkers also participate in the event.

“And while it is becoming more competitive up the front, equally the numbers of walkers have increased every year,” he added.

Carmel Brady, of The Clare People , paid tribute to the participants and also the volunteers who helped out on the day.

“A huge thanks to all the volunteers. Complimentary refreshments were available for everybody for the first time, which was a nice touch,” she said.

“We are hoping to increase numbers again next year. People are becoming more health-conscious and there are a lot of Meet and Train running groups and walking groups across the county,” she added.

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Tourist site ticket plan launched

FOUR of Clare’s prime tourism hotspots will come together this Friday to launch a major new ticketing strategy, which they hope can attract thousands of extra tourists to the Banner county in years to come.

By using a special Burren4Group ticket members of the public will now be able to access the Cliffs of Moher, the Aillwee Caves, Caherconnell Stone Fort in Carron and the Burren Centre in Kilfenora for a fraction of the previous costs.

Several thousands copies of the special ticket will be circulated to hotels and guesthouse around Ireland, allowing anyone access to all four tourism location for just € 18 – a saving almost half on the non-ticket price to enter the four sites.

The initiative is designed to both attract tourist to the area but to also encourage the more of the 700,000 tourists who visit the Cliffs of Moher each year to stay overnight in the area or possibly for a number of days or a weekend.

“This really came about following the realisation that we are living in recessionary times and people don’t have the money to go to all the different centres. This is a combination of offering people good value but also offering them something really special. We have the iconic Cliffs of Moher, Aillwee, the fort in Caherconnell and ourselves, so you have a bit of everything that you might want,” said Frances Connole of the Burren Centre.

“Hopefully that this will get people to stay longer in the area and ultimately that is what all of this is about. This is not a day trip, we have so many great facilities here are there really is something for everyone.”

The scheme will be launched on a pilot basis by the Minister for Tourism, Michael Ring (FG) in Kilfenora this Friday. It is hoped that the ticket will be rolled out on a widespread basis should it prove to be a success this year.

“If this is successful, we build on that success in future years. We don’t want to rush into anything. At the moment the ticket is aimed only for individual travellers but down the road we will look at things like family tickets and things like that,” continued Frances. “It is just too early to roll that all out now. We need to float the idea and make sure that people will be happy with it and that it will work. It is a new project and a big innovation for this region so we need to be sure before we proceed. I think people will be interested in it though. This is about working together and networking together instead of always looking over the water and being in competition. It is a good idea and I think that people will like it.”