Éire Óg end 35-year wait for Clare title on emotional day in Ennis

SEA OF RED: Éire Óg Ennis players including Darren Moroney, 9, celebrate after victory in the Clare County Senior Club Hurling Championship final match between Clooney Quin and Éire Óg Ennis at Zimmer Biomet Páirc Chíosóg in Ennis, Clare. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

Clare SHC final: Éire Óg 0-17 Clooney-Quin 0-12 

This is what it’s about. For Éire Óg, ending a 35-year wait for a Clare senior hurling title was an opportunity to honour friends, family and the faith that carried them through.

Before the game, players brought their children, nieces and nephews onto the field for photographs and the parade. They wanted to relish this occasion. Afterwards, captain David Reidy paid tribute to his teammate Darren O’Brien, after the passing of his brother Bernard last week.

“Today isn’t just about celebration,” he said from the Zimmer Biomet Páirc Chíosóg steps.

“It’s also a day of real emotion for our group. Last week, one of our own lost his brother, Bernard O’Brien. On behalf of the town and on behalf of Eire Óg, we want to send our love and support to Darren and all the O’Brien family.

Bernard was shining a light on us today. We are proud to dedicate this win to his memory.” 

Reidy was outstanding, particularly in the second half, as Gerry O’Connor’s side needed their leaders to steer them through a tense decider. On one side, Peter Duggan did all he could to drive Clooney-Quin towards what would have been their first title in 83 years. On the other, the Ennis club’s range of threats and composure in the stretch shone through.

Marco Cleary, 18, clipped four points from play. Shane O’Donnell waged a fierce battle with rising prospect John Conneally yet still finished with two points. They led 0-9 to 0-8 early in the second half and managed to turn a two-point lead with five minutes remaining into five by the final whistle, as a sea of red poured onto the pitch.

For the first time since 1990, and after the heartbreak of defeat in the 2022 final, the Canon Hamilton Cup was coming home to Ennis.

“John Russell was the only one in our group to experience it. What a club legend he is. He doesn’t have to say much, but by god, when he says something, he means it,” said Reidy on the field afterwards.

“A couple of years ago, it may even have been 2022, we went around to a couple of the older lads in the club.

“When I say older lads, lads who won it that are 55, 56, 57. Just to see what Eire Óg meant to them. I have been playing 13, 14 years. We have only gotten to two semi-finals, a lot of quarter finals. We wanted to see what it meant to them. The club as a whole, winning, getting to finals… The information they gave to us, it just made everyone closer in the club.” 

For a brief spell, the game looked set to become a showdown between two Clare stars. Reidy thundered out with four second-half scores; Duggan answered with three in succession: a free, a point from play, and a 65 after a goalmouth scramble.

After a quiet afternoon, O’Donnell showed his class, slicing through the Clooney-Quin defence to clip a signature score. Reidy added another, and Oran Cahill punched the air after landing his second just before the whistle. The temperature rose to boiling point in the 45th minute as a skirmish broke out in front of the town goal. After a lengthy delay, David McNamara and Darragh McNamara were shown yellow cards.

Aside from a rifled effort by Callum Hassett, Clooney-Quin were reliant on Duggan for scores throughout the second half. What stood out about Éire Óg, apart from their spread of scorers, was their composure under pressure. They knew how to play the game in the right areas and their management team gave careful thought to the timing and makeup of every substitution.

The club stands one win away from a first-ever double, with the footballers to face St Joseph’s Doora-Barefield next week. For now, the hurlers can let it all go.

“At the start of the year, we took it as six games,” said Reidy.

“This was just game six of six. The way we worked it, it’s about risk and reward. We kept training throughout the championship. We’ve a hell of a lot of dual players starting on both sides, on both panels. We said we’re going to go hard at both and see where it gets us.” 

For this group, all the way to history.

Scorers for Éire Óg: D. Russell 0-5 (0-2 f, 1 65); D. Reidy, M. Cleary 0-4 each; O’ Cahill, S. O’Donnell 0-2 each.

Scorers for Clooney-Quin: P. Duggan 0-9 (0-5 frees, 1 65); C. Hassett, J. Conneally, D. McNamara 0-1 each.

ÉIRE ÓG: D. Stack; F. Treacy, C. Russell, L. Corry; R. Loftus, A. Fitzgerald, D. Moroney; J. Collins, O. Cahill; S. O’Donnell, D. Reidy, D. McNamara; D. O’Brien, D. Russell, M. Cleary.

Subs: E. O’Regan for O’Brien (half-time); T. Kavanagh for McNamara (48); R. Mulcahy for Moroney (53); J. O’Dwyer for Collins (58); N. McMahon for O’Regan (66).

CLOONEY-QUIN: C. Duggan; S. McNamara, C. Grogan, E. Maxted; J. Conneally, D. Keogh, J. Cahill; R. Taylor, J. Corry; J. O’Connor, P. Duggan, J. O’Neill; S. Scanlon, C. Hassett, D. McNamara.

Subs: D. Fox for Scanlon (39); M. Duggan for O’Connor (48); U. O’Sullivan for McNamara (54); T. Lee for Hassett (60); B. McInerney for McNamara (63).

Referee: J. Bugler (Whitegate).