Last October Niall OāConnor, Clare minor hurling coach and a member of the Eire Ćg club in Ennis, wrote a letter circulated to every club in Clare. It was prompted, he said, by the fact the Clare Under-16 hurlers had been left without a manager since March. No coach, no strength and conditioning work. No guidance on nutrition. āA scandal,ā he wrote.
There was the failure to replace Kelvin Harold, Clareās underage strength and conditioning coach who left in April. Clare havenāt won an Under-20 game since 2015, he said. āWe have no coaching or player development committee, we have no taskforce, we have no pathway.ā
The letter broadened out from there. He touched on topics that have inflamed the mood in Clare for years, including the state of Caherlohan, the county training facility that has absorbed nearly ā¬5m in costs, still afflicted by pitch-drainage issues that left the hurling squad seeking alternative training venues last winter. He asked why Clareās development teams werenāt being overseen by more All-Ireland winners.
āAnthony Daly, the heartbeat and leader of our 1995 and 1997 winning teams and former director of Limerickās hurling academy said last October, āI am unsure if I could work with a number of top officials in the county board, the culture is all wrongāā¦ If I was the person holding that man and others of that ilk back, I would walk out the door for the good of Clare hurling.ā
The letter resisted directly criticising Pat Fitzgerald, Clareās long-standing full-time secretary, but the inference was clear. Clare needed to be run in a more modern way. It translated into a motion from Eire Ćg to Clareās annual convention last December proposing an independent five-person committee to perform a root-and-branch strategic review of Clare GAA, bringing proposals back to the clubs before the end of 2021. The motion was deferred but will be debated at the next board meeting this Tuesday.
In response, the Clare county board released details of four new sub-committees focused on finance, Caherlohan and underage development in hurling and gaelic football. Many of the names touted in the local press were instantly recognisable. Former Munster Council chief executive Simon Moroney to head the Caherlohan committee; Gary Brennan, David Tubridy and current manager Colm Collins as part of the football committee; every former Clare hurling manager back to Daly as part of the hurling committee, including Davy Fitzgerald.
Problems quickly emerged. The inclusion of Fitzgerald on the committee reportedly drew a furious reaction from Clare manager Brian Lohan, who objected to his presence while still Wexford manager. County chairman Jack Chaplin last week denied Lohan had offered his resignation. āNobodyās position is in doubt,ā he told The Clare Echo.
Some of those proposed for inclusion on the committee only found out when they read the newspaper. Members of the Clare board were reportedly annoyed names were released before being relayed to the clubs. Last week former players Frank Lohan, brother of Brian, and Darach Honan also weighed in on social media.
āOther counties surging ahead with progressive approaches,ā said Honan. āIn Clare the purpose of committees being set up seems to be to maintain power and the status quo. Change desperately needed.ā
The issues in Clare have been simmering for months, with the hurling team emerging as the lightning rod for conflict. Lohanās appointment in 2019 ended a disastrous process that featured Donal Moloney walking away in exasperation at his treatment by the board, a statement from the playing squad criticising the board and the appointment of Louis Mulqueen ā the executiveās preferred choice ā spiked by club delegates who insisted on a better selection procedure.
Lohanās time as manager since has been marked with difficulties. Resources have been scarce. Training gear didnāt arrive on time. Meals were also an issue. Tensions between Lohan, the Clare management and Fitzgerald broke out on the sideline against Wexford last season and the politics underpinning everything has prompted questions within Clare. Was the lack of support a sign Lohan was being subtly forced out? Is Fitzgeraldās potential inclusion on the hurling committee the beginning of his eventual return to Clare?
Everything is polarised right now. Last year Clare suffered losses totalling nearly ā¬500,000, with tiny fundraising returns recorded on the balance sheets in the past couple of years. Allegations of online bullying against Pat and Davy Fitzgerald have also intensified the general mood.
On Friday Eire Ćg released precise details of its proposed seven-man committee comprising seven current or former chief executives, including Tony Garry of Davy Stockbrokers and Mark OāConnell of Repucon Consulting, who have produced strategic reports for Munster Rugby and Munster GAA, the FAI, Cycling Ireland and Llanelli Scarlets.
Thatās their pitch. The county board have made theirs. The need for change is clear but the mood is like a tinderbox. A single spark could start the fire.
