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THE next phase of Clare’s prepara- tions for the hosting of the National File Under 14 hurling competition 1s about to crank into gear with the pro- motion aspect ready to be launched.

With just over six months to the arrival of clubs from all across the country, preparations have stepped up a gear and Clare Féile Secretary Declan Hogan, from Tulla, says the third weekend in June represents a massive occasion for Clare.

“It was great news when we were chosen to host the 2010 competition and we’ve been hard at work since the announcement,’ he said _ this week. “But the real hard work is only starting now.

“From a logistical point of view alone it’s a mammoth task. You’re talking about 2,000 youngsters de- scending on Clare for the weekend so even in terms of accommodation, it

will take a lot of planning, but we’ve been tackling that over the past few months.”

According to Hogan, the competi- tion will provide a great shop win- dow for Clare.

“You have to look at it from two angles,” he says. “First, we have the chance to promote Clare as a county to the thousands of people who will be visiting. And second, and most 1m- portantly of all, we have the chance to promote Gaelic Games to the kids of Clare. It’s an opportunity of a life- time from that point of view.”

He said the Féile committee are also looking for support from, the county board and the Bord na nOgs.

‘Take the first Friday of the compe- tition for example. We’ll have in the region of 50 pitches in use that day, so we’ll need all the facilities and all the referees we can get our hands on. It would be great to have a free week- end fixture wise.”

In the spring, the committee will begin to host a number of Under 14 blitzes in a bid to familiarise Clare clubs with the structure of the Féile competition.

EXPERIENCED Kerins O’Rahillys defender Barry O’Shea has played in plenty of big games — All-Ireland senior football finals, Munster decid- ers, National League finals, Sigerson Cup finals and two county senior football championship finals — but Sunday’s Munster senior club final against Kilmurry Ibrickane is prob- ably the most important of them all.

O’Shea, who is playing some of the best football he has played in the last two years when he was plagued with injury, admits that this Munster club final will be the biggest day in his ca- reer to date.

“Tt’s always great when you achieve something big with your club and I would think that if we could beat Kilmurry Ibrickane in Sunday’s fi- nal, that would top anything else that I have achieved so far,’ O’Shea said.

‘IT know we won the county final in 2002 but a Munster final 1s another couple of notches higher again so winning would be massive for eve- ryone involved and the entire Kerins O’Rahillys club.

“Anything you win with the lads you grew up with and _ socialise with beats anything you might have achieved with your county or with your school or college.

‘“That’s why there is such a big buzz

around the Strand Road area at the moment because everyone realises that the club stands on the verge of history, but getting across that win- ning line is not going to be easy.”

O’Shea is quick to dismiss the fa- vourites tag and maintains if any- thing Clare opponents Kilmurry Ibrickane should be favourites.

“TI think that the 4/7 being offered about Kerins O’ Rahillys is a joke and in no way reflects the even nature of the contest that will probably go right

down to the wire,’ O’Shea said.

‘The only reason we are odds-on 1s because we are a Kerry team play- ing a Clare team, so they assume that it’s a similar story to the inter-county scene where Kerry would always be favourites to beat Clare.

“Look at the facts — Kilmurry Ibrickane were in last year’s final and only lost by a point and they are also county champions in Clare.

“We were never in the final and didn’t win a game in Munster until

we beat Clonakilty this year and we did not win a game in our county championship — we qualified via the club championship, so how could you make us favourites.”

O’Shea, who did a superb marking job on Declan Browne in the Mun- ster semi-final, also points to the fact that of all years for O’Rahillys to reach a Munster club final, this is the year when they have haemorrhaged WEN ace

“T can tell you one thing — if there is a god of football there, then he is not from Strand Road,’ O’Shea laughed.

“When you look at the team that finished the last day against Moyle Rovers, we were missing seven from the team that lost last year’s county final in injury time.

‘Just look at the year we have had. We lost the lads (Tommy Walsh and David Moran) to Australia, Brian Moran and his dad have been sick during the year and now Brian is doubtful for the final having popped his elbow in the semi-final.

“Danny O’Sullivan is out with his cruciate, Pat Madden has emigrated and Giles O’Grady had to miss the semi-final and is an injury doubt for the final.

“T think any club that would have to play without that number of qual- ity players would struggle, yet we are still in there and preparing for a

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“I think that it shows the battling qualities and the resolve of the squad to be able to overcome such adversity and we will be giving it our all the jie. ¢ me rh Val

How does O’Shea, who will be lining up with his brother Morgan alongside him, think O’Rahillys will do in the final?

“It’s winter football this time of the year so it will be low scoring and a battle all the way,’ he pointed out.

“We need to hold onto possession more than we did the last day and also make better use of the ball when we have it.

‘“Kilmurry Ibrickane are a strong side with a good record in this com- petition and they will know that they are only 60 minutes away from win- ning a Munster final.

“We will have to play at the top of our game, take all our chances, work hard as a team to back each other up and hope that we get a break on the day.

‘As I said earlier, the gods have not been on our side since last year’s county final almost 12 months to the day so let’s hope we are back in fa- vour. I would take a one point win this minute,” he added.

TEAM trainer Ger Lawlor wasn’t looking to hear any talk of moral victories or hard luck stories, but you know deep down he felt that this was an opportunity lost.

The seven point differential didn’t tell the story of this Munster final, of that he was convinced, albeit he didn’t really say so directly in his post-match reflections.

“We were back in it when it was down to two points. They were hav- ing a real go but they came back and hit some great points near the end,’ he said.

“If we had got a goal in the second- half we could have won this Munster title. We had them under the cosh. We took them on but at times were afraid to take them on and we went for a few impossible scores when we could have worked our way in more towards goal,” he added.

Mention of goal and he came to Spa’s goal, but at either end of the first-half that represented the two biggest hammer blows to Cratloe’s hopes of becoming the first side to win a Munster intermediate title.

“We gave them too much respect starting off. We stood off them too much in the first ten, 15 minutes of the game.

“We let them get the ball first, showing too much respect for them

– whether it was because they were from Kerry, I don’t know. You can’t do that with a team from Kerry and they punished us with that first goal that meant we had a terrible start. “They’re natural footballers” – they’re playing football since they’re out of the cradle and they’ll punish you if you give them too much space as we did at the start. The goal before half-time really killed us. We should

have only been two points down at half-time.

“But you have to admire our lads. They showed great determination and heart. They never gave up and you couldn’t ask them for any more. They’re unbelieveable. They’re great. A credit to their club and credit to their families.

They all stood up in that first-half when coming back and again in the

second-half.

“It was always going to be very hard to recover from five down but we brought it back to two again and with seven or eight minutes to go I really thought that we could kick on ANG MY eU0mHsom BLO loe

“We were playing the better foot- ball and they were getting very edgy, but it wasn’t to be when they kicked a few points.”

A SMILE still stretched across his face, Sean O’Sullivan, Spa manager tells it like it is. A Munster interme- diate title that the club never dreamed about, a scoreline that probably flat- tered the Kerry champions and a Spa full-forward that the Kerry manage- ment must call upon.

“This win will take a while to sink in,’ he says. “We never dreamed we could even get this far but we worked so hard.

“I’m sure Cratloe are the same and my heart really goes out to them because losing a Munster Final like this is difficult and I don’t know how I would handle it if we were beaten here today because it means so much Comte

“The bottom line is I’d have to congratulate Cratloe after the year they’re after having and Id have huge respect for them. Huge respect.

‘As for ourselves, we had a target and a game plan coming up here and we were always going to stick to it. We’re after picking up a couple of bad injuries and we’ll have to assess that damage but right now the cup makes up for it.”

There were some shaky moments, O’Sullivan says, when Cratloe clawed their way back into the game and put Spa under pressure. But he identifies Mike O’Donoghue’s second goal of the game, just before half-time, as an important score.

“The second goal came at a cru- cial time. And no better man than Mike O’Donoghue. He really stood up to the pressure today. Even when we lost Andrew Garnett, that was a savage loss, as was the loss of Niall O’Mahony and Brian Gleeson, but after we lost Andrew, Mike inter- cepted a ball and got a savage point out of it.

‘That was another big score for us. We needed it then and Mike stepped up and looking back on that game, that was a serious turning point. The bottom line is that Jack O’Connor should be seriously looking at this ner eb

“But we did lose our way a small bit in the second-half. At half-time we knew we were in a decent posi- tion, up a few points, but I saw Crat- loe play Valley Rovers in Clarecastle last week and I knew that they can play well against the wind.

“I knew we were going to be up against it in the second-half. We had to consolidate our win but they made us work very, very hard and we did pull away in the end but that score- line might be a small bit flattering.”

And off he goes into the half-light of the dressing room, the short road and bonfires on the edge of Kuillar- ney laying in wait.

ENNIS native Anita Lyons is the toast of London town as the fashion1- sta takes the world of clothes and de- sign by storm.

The 31-year-old is the internation- al business manager for Arcadia, a company that is better known to Irish shoppers as the mammy of Top Shop, Wallis, Dorothy Perkins, Burtons, Evans and Outfit.

This week, the Irish community in London paid tribute to the hardwork- ing and successful businesswoman

through one of its publications, highlighting her as one of the most powerful Irish businesswomen in the English capital.

Anita is no stranger to the world of retail and some would say her role within the retail clothing company was even pre-destination.

Her mother is the proprietor of Eileen’s boutique in Ennis, while her father owns Kelly’s corner shop.

As a child she was taken to trade shows and quickly became familiar with the business.

She was determined, however, that

she would never end up in the busi- ness and studied for an arts degree and a business post-grad at the Na- tional University of Ireland, Galway.

However, an open day held by Ar- cadia in Dublin changed her mind and she began work there as a gradu- ate trainee. She soon became a vital part of the company and became brand manager in the Oxford Circus branch. From there she was promot- ed to her current position, with inter- national responsibilities.

She was quickly given the major undertaking of setting up the Rus-

sian and Eastern European market.

Her glamorous lifestyle has also seen her shop with Beyonce and sit beside top models at world movie asi Rene

Although she thrives in the com- mercial corporate world and has no plans to leave the job anytime soon, the Ennis woman hopes to one day open her own business. What that business would be is still a mystery.

For now, she works hard to stay ahead of trends and remain one of the most fashionable Irish women in London.

DOONBEG, the five star golf resort in West Clare, has been selected as the European Golf Resort of the Year for its “exceptional contribution to the world of golf travel’. The prestigious award was made by the International Association of Golf Tour Operators (LAGTO) whose more than 300 golf tour operators cast votes for this an- nual award. Doonbeg’s sister proper- ty on Kiawah Island, South Carolina, won the North American Golf Resort of the Year Award. The awards were presented at the [AGTO awards gala dinner which was held in Malaga last night (19 November 2009).

Previous winners of the European Golf Resort of the Year include Turnberry (Scotland), Druid’s Glen (Ireland), Praia D’El Rey (Portugal), Dona Filipa & San Lorenzo (Por- tugal) and Carton House (Ireland). The awards scheme was inaugurated by IAGTO in 2000.

[AGTO’s 300+ golf tour operators, representing 49 different countries, cast their votes prior to the awards dinner. Each operator was asked to nominate what they consider to be the best performing golf resorts of the year enjoyed by their golf trav- elling clients. There are over 1,000 golf resorts in the USA alone and an estimated 2,000 in total worldwide. The golf resort in each of the three- categories — Europe, North America and the Rest of the World — with the

most number of votes receives the 2010 Golf Resort of the Year acco- lades.

Operators were asked to consider the resorts under the following cri- teria: Customer satisfaction, quality of golf course/s and accommodation, value for money, accessibility to tee times, speed of communication and quality of service of the golf resort sales, marketing, reservation, admin- istration and management staff

Speaking of the award Mr Joe Rus- sell, general manager, Doonbeg, said that they were delighted to win such a prestigious award. “We rely on the Golf Tour Operators to provide us

with a great deal of business and the award is acknowledgement that we are providing the kind of service that they and their clients require. In ac- cepting the award I do so on behalf of all of the staff at Doonbeg. We pride ourselves on our attention to detail and the service we give and I believe this award is an endorsement of both.”

Doonbeg, in County Clare Ireland, is a luxury resort destination featur- ing five star accommodations, a Greg Norman-designed championship links golf course, restaurants, pubs and a state-of-the-art spa. Overlook- ing the Atlantic Ocean on the mag-

nificent crescent-shaped Doughmore Bay, Doonbeg allows for whole-own- ership cottages and suites as well as a private residence club managed by Timbers Resorts, the word’s leading creator of deeded property interests. For all other inquiries, contact Mike Touhill, Doonbeg Director of Pub- lic Relations, 843 768-6529, Mike _ Touhill@KiawahIsland.com.

FLOODING may have postponed the visit of two of the biggest names in Irish soccer to Clare this week but one World Cup hero 1s expected to be in the county on Friday.

Football Association of Ireland (FAT) chief John Delaney along with the Technical Director Packie Bon- ner were due to attend a workshop in Ennis tomorrow to launch Clare’s hosting of the 2011 FAI Annual Gen- eral Meeting.

However in an email last night Clare District Soccer League secre- tary, Oliver Fitzpatrick, stated that the event has been postponed due to bad weather.

The occasion would have marked one of the first public appearances

for Delaney since the FAI’s request to have the controversial World Cup play-off between Ireland and France replayed was knocked back by FIFA.

One man on his way to Clare is Ray Houghton. The hero of Giants stad1- um in 1994 will at the Clare Inn to officially launch the new website of Ennis Town football club.

Houghton will also present players with the club’s new jersey. The man who famously ‘put the ball in the English net’ visited Ennis last year.

“IT just think its great in counties like Clare; so many youngsters are given the opportunity to play soccer, which wouldn’t have been the case quite a few years ago. It’s changed dramatically”, he said at the time.

COLM Honan’s reaction to Clon- lara’s shock county final defeat to Cratloe was to let his players go. His reckoning was that the mileage in their legs to reach county final day would have to do, because the stom- ach for getting back to the grind just wouldn’t be there.

However, lack of appetite for train- ing could in no way be construed as being equal to lack of interest — Ho- nan wanted this and so did his play- ers, simply out of a fear of the dam- age a second big-game defeat could do.

“Tt would have been very very hard to take another loss. Playing in two county finals and to lose both would have been a disaster for us,” admits Honan.

“We didn’t really drive them on for this game. We didn’t make a huge

deal of it beforehand but at the same time once we were out on the field we were very anxious to win it. I thought that they played fairly well at times.

“We hadn’t met at all after the county final, apart from meeting on Friday night for a chat. There are a lot of leaders on that team and it showed at various times during the game when we wanted it most.

“We won the last three puck-outs having conceded the goal. They were puck-outs that were hard to win against the wind but we won them. They got a few chances but our workrate put them under savage pressure. We finished out the game strongly.

“The pitch was in beautiful condi- tion, but conditions were very diffi- cult. Fellas found it very hard to turn, Sometimes the ball would bounce, other times to would just go plop. First touch was difficult, passing was

difficult. It was hard to judge where it was going to end up so it was a bit of a lottery at times.”

Clonlara won that lottery and so in part exorcised some of their county final demons — of course they will never fully go away until Canon Hamilton is back where they feel it belongs, but Honan for one is look- ing forward to trying to meet that challenge.

“You don’t get too many chances to win county finals,’ he admits, “but having said that this Clonlara side are young enough. There’s a young enough squad there and they’ll come back strong again. I know they’ll come back again in the champion- ship. It’s onwards and upwards, go for a few pints and winter well and come back again next year”’.

THE biggest and most important day in the history of Spa GAA Club is about to dawn.

With the days, minutes and hours to Sunday’s Munster intermedi- ate football final in Mallow ticking away, it’s almost show-time for Sean Moynihan’s men who are now just 60 minutes away from their place in lo- cal football folklore.

Not only is this the first time that a team from the club has contested a provincial football final, but Spa are also the first East Kerry club to compete in a Munster intermediate decider.

Having watched Cratloe at first hand, Moynihan is aware of the task I OT-LMrEhY ECDL ACM OD CHESS LO (OR

“They looked impressive. They are a small bit like ourselves — a young team, lively, extremely fit and they wouldn’t have any stars but have a massive work-rate,’ says Moynihan.

“Cratloe look like a really good side. They use the ball very well. They actually seemed to play better against the wind than with it and, overall, I was impressed with what Sa

With no injury worries to report, Spa will look to their star duo of Mike ‘Stam’ O’Donoghue and Niall

O’ Mahony for scores, with the former being the main source of scores.

“The likes of Mike O’Donoghue and Niall O’ Mahony have got us over the line on numerous occasions but I have always stressed that we are very much a team effort,’ he adds.

‘There have been days when the two boys might have an off-day and that’s when Tomas Lynch could step up, or if he had an off-day, Conor Glesson or Cian Tobin or Pa Murphy or one of the other lads could step up to the plate.

“We will need an unbelievable ef- fort from all the lads on Sunday if we want to win the Munster title. It’s what we want. We know how close we are but there is a seriously hard game of football ahead of us. We have to match their intensity other- wise we will be in trouble.”

His team is on a high at the moment and the spirit is great, as Moynihan explains.

“There is a serious belief in our squad at the moment. The work-rate is there, the determination and a de- sire to achieve something special. There is a special spirit there.

“Even away from the football, they are all good friends. They head off out on the town together and just get os aer VORA oll E

“The camp is buzzing and I think

that will stand to us on Sunday. When you are representing your county wearing the Spa jersey, well, that’s the ultimate for these players. Focussing on the game is not a prob- one

“We are up against a team that put out the favourites so we have it all to do. This is very much like the Cur- row game (the county intermediate final) when we both went in with ht- tle to choose between us. Whoever performs on the day will take the trophy and that’s going to lend itself to a fantastic game.”

Interestingly, under Moynihan, Spa have never lost a final. A lucky omen ahead of Sunday, perhaps.

“We have played four finals since we took over as a management team and we haven’t lost one yet. Touch wood,” he says.

“We won back-to-back East Kerry leagues, we won the county interme- diate and we won Division Two (of the county football league) outright as well so that’s four trophies.

“We know how to win together and that will be invaluable in a big exh on

“ANOTHER one bites the dust.” One of Queen’s signature tunes that could easily describe the significant number of teams who have fallen on Cratloe’s powerful sword. Despite the hurling season coming to an eventual end last weekend in Waterford the footballers have at least one more big day out after this stirring victory. “Tt’s absolutely wonderful,’ ex- claimed jubilant selector Ger Lawlor afterwards. “We showed great char- acter and heart out there. We fought hard and gave them nothing easy. I’m so pleased with this fantastic result.” And who would blame him? Crat- loe’s achievement of taking another scalp along their road to success can’t be underestimated. They were the better side overall and only for a brief period of wind aided domi-

nance for Rovers this game would have been long wrapped up before the final whistle.

“The start of the second-half saw them take some control and they started getting on top,’ admitted Lawlor, “however we responded per- fectly. We didn’t lie down and then Padraig Chaplin came on and took his goal well. Then a few minutes later and McGrath got our third. They say goals win matches and they certainly helped us today. They re- ally killed off their challenge in the end.”

His post match analysis was very accurate indeed. Chaplin’s and Mc- Grath’s goals in the final quarter se- cured progression into next week’s Munster final against Kerry champi- ons Spa. What an amazing bonus for the Munster Club of the Year. They were so close in reaching a similar

position with the hurlers but now the footballers have dealt with this sem1- final hurdle and only one more game stands in the way of yet another his- toric final success for Cratloe.

“What a great year we have had? And now we have a Munster final to look forward to next week. Hope- fully our much congested year will be rewarded then. It’s not going to be anyway easy of course. I don’t think a bad football team has ever come out of Kerry and I don’t next weekend we will come up against the first. With a bit of luck we will be cel- ebrating again this time next Sunday as well.”

That would definitely be the icing on the cake. For their efforts alone this year in both codes they deserve another piece of silverware. It could happen, because this Cratloe team doesn’t seem to entertain defeat.