Fair few lads from the wesht residing in those parts now, bringing their foreign practices
Same story with Cratloe 15 years ago. Brusier and Duggan winning with Cratloe was the spark for them to set up the football then too
They have a few really nice hurlers added in the last couple of years in Conneally and Keogh and another handful to come in the next few years. Add Duggan, McNamara and Taylor to the mix and you have a nice base to build off
Cratloe ticking along nicely.
Thats a shocking result for Inagh.
And whatâs the deal with Davy? Is he fully in charge of them now?
What age is Bobby Duggan now? Will he ever get a look in with the county team again?
Bobby is 27- no interest in playing IC anymore.
Thatâs a pity. That link to Instagram didnât work I think but itâs a video of him scoring a cracking goal.
In the local derby at weekend? Heard he got a nice goal alright
Bobby had the talent but lacked the will to make it. Think heâs only back with Clare castle properly this year after a while away.
How are my beloved Inagh doing guys ?
Can we go one better this year ? I think we can
In a bit of trouble after losing a game they were 1/14 to win
Too many of the Kilnamonas on the team Iâd say
SOBs sent them home with their fiddles under their arms
NORTH CLARE has been deprived of a visit from the Jack Daly for over seven decades and the last two surviving men from the region with Clare SFC medals are hopeful the drought will soon end.
It was 1950 when Kilfenora defeated Clonhanes in the Clare SFC final on a scoreline of 1-04 0-03, their opponents were an amalgamation of Mullagh and Doonbeg. Wing-backs for the victors were John Arkins and Jack Lynch, they were the youngest members of what was only the second Kilfenora side to taste senior glory, thankfully they are still hale, hearty and well able to recall the events of seven decades ago.
Now aged 91 and 90 respectively, both John and Jack are incredibly fresh for their age and remain impressively sharp both with their views of the current game and the memories of times gone by. âWeâre toughâ, said John when divulging their respective ages.
Dermot Hogan was captain of the Kilfenora side and spoke on the occasion of his delight at bringing the championship title back to North Clare. The occasion is still to the fore of Johnâs mind, âItâs 72 years ago, thereâs a lot of floods gone down the river since but we can remember it, weâre still hoping someone in North Clare will pull it off again. Jack is a mighty man for going to the gamesâ.
As ever keen to bring his teammate and close friend into proceedings, Johnâs mention of Jackâs attendance at games sparks another discussion about how the pandemic has led to more opportunities to watch club games without leaving the house. âWith COVID, youâre able to watch the club games on television and things like that, there isnât much going out nowâ.
That may have been a positive in widening the reach of the game but John remarked, âThe COVID ruined it allâ relating to the reduction in mingling associated with championship encounters.
âBefore that even too you could take a drink and drive, thatâs so many years back, we used to have great times with the few drinks after,â Jack quipped when diverted to the big changes that have occurred since their playing days.
Arkins noted, âit was a social occasionâ and this was met with definite agreement by his colleague who espoused on how the debriefs and sometimes post-mortems among teammates after games in Nagleâs were often more memorable than the action on the field, âIt was indeed, youâd be describing a fella hitting a belt, it was so funny, youâd be watching it now itâs grand but even the hurling has changed, you canât touch anyone or youâve a yellow card, youâll be sent off or get a black card, I think it started with the soccer and the fellas inside in Limerick, a fella went to the soccer and heâd know how to fall, that started to happen in the GAA too, a fella would fall down for no reason and start roaring.
âI always remember, Dermot Hogan one day back in Miltown, the one time I got a belt that turned me upside down, I was lying down and I was mad to get up because I was so disappointed but Dermot came over and said âstay downâ, I said âI must get upâ but Dermot was looking for a bit of a breather, it was so funny, that was the way it was, it was great funâ.
They soldiered together in the back-line in the underage ranks and at senior level, they tasted glory in 1950 but came up short in the 1957 and 1958 county semi-finals when going down to a Raymond
Clancy inspired Kilrush Shamrocks, John himself scored a goal in the 57 clash when it took two meetings to separate them and the Shams. âOh in 57 we were blackgarded, the ball hit the side of the net, it never went in at all, it hit the side of the net but Gerry Lynch was in goals that day, he had the habit of walking back and lifting up the net to take up the ball and then he hopped the ball, the umpire was only a young fella and it seems the father was on the sideline watching them, someone from Kilrush shouted that it was a goal and the young fella put up the flag, Tommy Waldron a lovely fella admitted after that it wasnât,â Jack protested.
Jack began working in Limerick at the beginning of 1951 which took him away from the sport but he was back in action by the time they returned to the last four.
Mention of the special team bus which brought them from Miltown Malbay following their county final win plus the line of cars and bonfires which marked their return and that of the senior championship to the âPopeâs Parishâ brings a smile to their faces.
Jack Lynch and John Arkins. Photograph: Joe Buckley
John in particular can recite conversations from that very night of September 3rd 1950. âI can remember it well, Dermot gave a speech in the square, there was a desperate crowd at that game, in those days there was huge crowds. John Joe and Patrick Lynch they were brothers, they were mighty supporters, we were all in the pub together, we had mighty craic, they would describe every kick of the game, I remember John Joe saying to me âthe wet ball was like catching a sod of turfââ. Fielding during the match had been poor with the greasy leather and heavy underfoot conditions blamed for this.
As well as moving to Limerick, Jack got married, âthat finished me altogether,â he said with a smirk. Heâs now based in Inagh, âwhen I went to Inagh first there was nothing there, they had no hurling pitch, JJ Keating across from me on the Ennis side, he was a bachelor living in a big farm, that was the big field and he allowed lads to go in and do a bit of hurling but it was only walloping each other, if you hit a good shot into the river then it was gone, they were only able to drive the ball a short distance so when they went out playing they thought it was fascinating because they could drive the ball. All of a sudden, theyâve developed a beautiful team since joining with Kilnamonaâ.
Kilfenora has always been home for John a farmer, who has five children, they live across Clare and in Galway with his sons Sean and Joe picking up plenty of injuries while representing Kilfenora, post-playing he served as Chairman while holding roles of manager and selector with plenty of teams within the club. Jack also has five children, three of which are based in the United States and our sit-down prompts him to make a point that he must ask his grand-children Stateside what sports they are involved in.
Back to the field and further smiles eek out when reminiscing on their rivalry with Lisdoonvarna. âThey had a great team, I remember one year they had six GardaĂ playing with them, youâd to be careful what you did on the field. Mick Greene had some pull with getting GardaĂ into the town. They were our biggest rivals in North Clare, it was about the bragging rightsâ John said. There was something sweet about their meetings, Jack pointed out, âWe used to beat them always though and it was lovely to hit a shot on the GardaĂ, it was the only time you could hit them with no repercussionsâ.
Moving West, Miltown and Kilrush always gave tough encounters, Jack recounted, âThey controlled it with Sean Guinnane. When we went to Miltown playing the match, you had to beat the ref, the umpires and the linesman, if there was any doubt about the ball going out it was the other side that got it, Kilfenora never did because they were afraid of their life, they played a lovely nice style of football, we used to shove it into them, they used to hate it, it was so funny. We were always the best of friends, thatâs what I loved about it, you would kill each other on the field and when it was all over we were the best of friends. It was great to beat Lisdoonvarna just to quieten them for a whileâ.
They credited Paddy Hennessyâs training with strengthening Miltown but John acknowledged that it was Jack that âcalmed downâ their half-forward line of John Donnellan, Donie White and Johnny Neville but he observed, âback the West they were all big strong guysâ.
Returning to conversations of the 1950 happens for the duo more than youâd think with the topic
coming up for Jack following an anniversary mass in Kilfenora three years ago, âwe started talking about that game in 1950, they were drawing me about Clahane and their mother with Doonbeg now, I said they were big strong lads with Clahane whereas theyâre more refined with Doonbegâ.
He continued, âThe 1950 side was some team, they were all lovely footballers, football was lovely at the time, it was tough but thatâs what made it goodâ. Current Clare and Kilfenora footballer, Cian OâDea is singled out by John as one of the top footballers in the the province. Praise is harder to come by from Jack when asked if OâDea would make the 1950 team, âHeâd hardly be picked, heâd be too softâ.
John Arkins and Jack Lynch. Photograph: Joe Buckley
Arkins remains defiant that OâDea would have made it despite the lack of comparisons between the styles of play, âItâs a different game, you played your square on the field, you played your man and that was it, mind your patch, beat your man and youâre doing wellâ.
Down through the years, they have had to bid farewell to their teammates that have passed on before them. They were the youngest members of the 1950 side, âthe grace of God,â is what John maintained served as their reason for the present health, âYouâve no say in that, some win and some loseâ.
Nonetheless saying goodbye to men they soldiered on the field with has never been easy, âThey were all nice fellas. Brian Mahony was the last of them, he died two years ago, he was a fiddle player, he was two years older than us, a lovely man,â John outlined. He then points to a picture of their team which has Tommy Lenihan smoking a fag. This reminds Jack, âthe amount youâd smoke at that time was so little because you hadnât the price of them. Before a match, if they thought you were smoking theyâd give out to you. When I came to live in Inagh, they were big horses of men, on the Saturday night over fifty years ago, those big fellas would come in, they were playing the hurling match the next day and theyâd play mighty matches, Iâd say to myself we must be pure useless because we hadnât a drink taken and all this training but then I discovered they were Junior B, all these big strong fellas and they belting each otherâ.
They live in hope that the Jack Daly will return to North Clare. âSt Breckanâs last year I thought were shaping up, they are the nearest to it. They are good enough to get over the line. Ăire Ăg have some very good players but St Breckanâs are as good, without a doubt, they are a nice team to watch. I donât know what the hell happened against Ăire Ăg, they were better than what they showed in the semi-final,â John said.
Even though they are Kilfenora through and through, they are eager for a team whether it is St Breckanâs, Ennistymon or Corofin to bridge the 72 year drought. âOh God, we would, definitely we would love to see it,â John stressed with Jack adding, âanyone from North Clare would be greatâ. Success like this would be timely according to Arkins, âthe danger is with populations dwindling, it needs the liftâ and the pair flag that areas such as Kilfenora, Liscannor and OâCurrys have very small panels at adult level. âBefore everyone in North Clare was playing football, if you could kick a ball at all then you were playing but that has changed. The rules and the refereeing has changed, the same with the hurling it was a lovely game to watch with the sliotar up and down the field,â Jack said.
There is a confidence mixed with the hope for the fortunes of the North Clare sides at senior level tasting success but they are not as optimistic of the chances of Kilfenora returning to the top tier, âWeâd only be hopeful. Cian OâDea is an excellent footballer but he canât win a match on his own,â John surmised.
Feigning of injuries and playing for frees are features of the current game that irk the duo. Of the falling for frees John said, âYou wouldnât do that in our time, youâd give him a dartâ while Jack revealed, âYou would want to hurt him but only for that moment in timeâ. Since leaving Kilfenora, Jack has ironically ended up living in hurling dominated parishes, âI didnât get the hurling bug because I loved football. The soccerâs touch was a pityâ while John interjected, âIt took away the love of it a bit, definitely. I donât get the same kick out of it watching it on televisionâ.
Jack continues the debate, âThey go right up to the goal and youâd say, why donât you kick it over the bar, then they turn around and pass to someone elseâ with John questioning, âIs it that they are not able to kick it over the bar? The county fellas can be 25 or 30 yards from the goal and they go handpassing to a fella who hits it wide. Clifford in Kerry can do it alrightâ.
Opting for the fisted or handpass score is âa pityâ says Jack while John admitted to being in awe of the fitness levels of the current crop. âBut itâs easy for them to be fit, they are only running around but if they got a good dunt that would slow them, that was the idea, hit the good fella and it will slow him upâ. âTommy Casey in his day wing back would do it, thatâs for sure,â pipes up John having done his genealogy during the conversation to discover that the man asking him the questions is the grandson of five-time Clare SHC winner with Ruan, the late Tommy Casey. âHe would indeed, they had Jimmy Smyth too, a great player, he was a lovely hurler with Ruan and the Leahys, I knew everyone of them at that time,â Jack agreed.
Remarkably the only senior titles won by Ruan and Kilfenora were all achieved during the window of 1941 to 1962. âIt was great, we supported each other. Tony Meaney would talk about the old days, the Smyths and the Lyons, big strong men,â John noted. Like their Ruan counterparts, they never suffered any hamstring injuries, âthere wasnât a word about them,â John observed with Jack adding, âbut shur everyone was walking and cycling, pushing wheelbarrows, they had bicycles and if you had a puncture youâd to walk. Fellas were as tough as iron, they didnât mind getting a dart because they would give it themselves and thatâs where you would enjoy itâ.
If they were given the opportunity to rewind the clock 72 years and do it all over again, theyâd jump at the chance and most definitely throw a few dunts along the way. âWe would to be sure, every bit of it. It was our life. Itâs the friendships, medals are two a penny nowadays, itâs about the friendship. Frank Mahony when he used to come in here playing the fiddle, Christ it was lovely to meet him again,â John concluded.
That was a lovely read.
Lissycasey 2-08
St Josephâs Doora/Barefield 1-08
Ennistymon 1-09
Kilmurry Ibrickane 0-09
St Breckanâs 0-14
Corofin 1-7
Cratloe 1-13
Kilmihil 1-08
Ăire Ăg 3-11
St Josephâs Miltown 0-13
Clondegad 1-7
Doonbeg 0-9
Lissycasey, Cratloe, Eire Og and Clondegad are through now regardless of what happens in the last round
IFC
Coolmeen 0-14
Kilrush Shamrocks 2-8
Kildysart 1-11
Naomh Eoin 0-9
Cooraclare 0-8
Ennistymon 1-3
The Banner 1-7
Kilfenora 0-9
Wolfe Tones 2-12
OâCurrys 0-13
Shannon Gaels 1-10
Michael Cusackâs 0-7
SHC
Halftime
The Mills 2-7
Broadford 0-9
Ballyea 0-3
Cratloe 0-3
Fifteen gone, Cratloe have seven wides already, should be a few ahead
Halftime
Cratloe 2-7
Ballyea 0-6
Ballyea missed had two efforts saved/blocked in the one passage of play, Cratloe went up the field and Rian Considine burned his man and stuck it under the keeper. Ballyea point, and Podge has an effort saved with the rebound batted home by Mikey Hawes. Scoreline is probably a fair enough reflection of the play when you take all the Cratloe wides into account
The Mills 2-9
Broadford 0-12
Midway thru the second. Skin and hair flying by all accounts