WITH HIGHS and lows aplenty throughout the sporting year, it’s been twelve months to remember on and off the field with plenty of competition for the sought-after Clare Echo sporting awards.
In what is year five of The Clare Echo sporting awards, the coveted accolades are as keenly contested as major derby battles.
Not everyone can be a winner, if it was that easy then everyone would be a champion but we must applaud the commitment of all sportspeople in the county, their coaches, mentors, supporters plus the volunteers, officials and administrators who make our games what they are.
So, The Clare Echo sporting awards for 2024 go to….
Remember the name award – Max Carmody
Starting with our youngest recipient. In the U13 competition of the inaugural Damien Carmody memorial tournament, it was seven year old Max who stole the show. Lining out for Western Gaels, he was introduced from the bench and kicked 0-3 as the amalgamated side from the Loop Head Peninsula prevailed over Doonbeg. Coming from the football mad Carmody family, Max has the background and the appetite to match so watch out for what this young man has in store on the football field.
Team of the year – Clare’s senior hurlers
All-Ireland champions and winners of the Allianz National Hurling League, the Clare senior hurlers of 2024 became the first team from the county to win both titles in the same year. Unbeaten in the league, Clare defeated Kilkenny 3-16 1-20 in the final to get their first taste of silverware in front of 12,307 in Semple Stadium in April. When it came to the Munster championship, Limerick came from nine points down to beat Clare by three in the first round but the season was saved when Clare produced a comeback of their own in round down, they trailed by seven points versus Cork in Páirc Uí Chaoimh but hit three goals to record a two point win. A one point win over Davy Fitzgerald’s Waterford in Ennis and a routine 1-24 0-24 final round victory against Tipperary set up a Munster final rematch with Limerick in Thurles where the attendance was 45,148, it was an outing where the Banner County never got motoring and Limerick eased to 1-26 1-20 win to be crowned provincial champions for the sixth year in a row. After such a below par display from Clare, the doubters were in force but they rallied and showed the resilience which manager Brian Lohan has so often spoken about. In the All-Ireland quarter-final, they eased beyond a fourteen man Wexford on a score of 2-28 1-19 to set up a third successive All-Ireland semi-final with Kilkenny and here it was third time lucky as Clare prevailed 0-24 2-16. Then it was time to reach the Holy Grail as for the second time in eleven years, Clare defeated Cork in an epic to renew acquaintances as a full-house of 82,300 flocked to Croke Park to savour a titanic tussle which went all the way to extra time and finished 3-29 1-34. Oh how that famous day of 21st July 2024 has shortened the winter for the people of Clare and all thanks to our heroic hurlers who we are only proud to salute.
Sporting venue of the year – Lahinch Golf Club
Currently construction work is ongoing to the clubhouse of Lahinch Golf Club but the North-West Clare venue is an attraction for golfers all over the world for a reason. At the beginning of July, Lahinch Golf Club staged the 2024 Arnold Palmer Cup which enjoyed the biggest crowds in its twenty seven years and of course the scenic setting had something to do with that, there was some excellent golf too as the historic Old Course on Ireland’s Atlantic coast was shown in its best possible light. Lahinch’s constant is the annual South of Ireland Championship which took place at the end of July. A bigger spectacle awaits in 2025 with the hosting of the Walker Cup which will see daily crowds of 10,000 when Great Britain and Ireland host the United States in the biennial men’s matches. In 2019, Lahinch gleamed when hosting the DDF Irish Open and it hasn’t looked back since.
Moment of the year – Tony Kelly
Roald Dahl once said, “Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it” but the wizardry of the All-Ireland winning captain is clear to see in a thirty six second clip featuring Clare’s third goal scored on the fifty first minute of the All-Ireland final. Tony Kelly has his share of believers and detractors but he produced his greatest magic trick in the biggest arena when scoring one of the greatest goals ever seen against Cork on All-Ireland final day (July 21st). David Fitzgerald dropped and popped the sliotar to Tony who had eight Cork defenders within 20m as he flicked the sliotar over the head of Seán O’Donoghue and with immense power in the wrists shortened his grip and struck the sliotar beyond Patrick Collins in a tight space on the biggest of days. Never has a goal that resulted in such cheers among a crowd of 82,300 been able to silence the uneducated that fall into the category of TK detractors.
Celebration of the year – Jack Daly
Bridge Utd’s Jack Daly not only produced the most acrobatic celebration by a Clare sportsperson in 2024 but he also had the distinction of appearing on the front page of The Clare Echo after his mid-air somersault was captured to perfection by the one and only Joe Buckley. After scoring the winning goal in the FAI U17 Cup quarter-final, Jack had a celebration to match to chronicle a truly special moment for the Sixmilebridge club. Jack lined out with Limerick FC at U15 level after representing Clare in the Kennedy Cup along with their U14 and U15 sides. The challenge for Jack will be to reproduce such celebrations when he lines out in Astro games beyond his forties.
Multi-tasker of the year – Brian Reilly
Proud Banner GAA club man, Brian Reilly had a personal best in 2024 when it came to acting as an umpire. He was on duty in the white coat for a total of nineteen finals throughout the calendar year. On top of this, Brian is an active steward on match days in Cusack Park where he has been responsible for increasing the waist-lines of the sporting media in the county through his constant supply of confectionary. Away from sporting matters, he is settling into the comfortable new surrounds of the €17m de Valera library where he works as a library attendant. For 2025, he’ll be hoping his beloved Banner get inspiration from his previous entries in the Christmas tree throwing competition and take flight in their quest to get out of the Junior A hurling ranks.
Take a bow award – Eimear Considine
From the period of April 2022 to August 2024 when she came on as a substitute for Muster in their Vodafone Women’s Interprovincial Series match against Connacht, there was a lot packed into the life of Eimear Considine. In January 2023, she and her husband Dean Ryan welcomed their son Caolan into the world. A cruciate ligament injury in the 2022 6 Nations in April was followed by a second ACL injury and a hamstring injury which kept her out of the international scene. Yet she bounced back to earn a 27th Irish Cap, she scored on her first international appearance in more than two years as Ireland shocked Australia in Belfast and she played a key role when Scott Bemand’s side then stunned New Zealand in WXV1 later that month. Considine’s final Ireland try came in her penultimate match against Canada, and she lined out in green for the 29th and final time against the USA in October. The former Clare dual star announced her retirement from rugby in November, weeks after watching her husband Dean win a first Clare SFC title with Éire Óg. Glory Kilmihil is the proud line from her native village in West Clare but few have brought more glory to it in a sporting sense than Eimear. Notably, she is the second award winner to use the Outlier Nordic T-Bar invented by Ennis’ Damien McMahon, the other of course being Tony Kelly.
England Women vs Ireland Women
Ireland’s Eimear Considine after the game
Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Evan Treacy
Unsung hero award – Oisin O’Grady
On February 17th, Oisin O’Grady broke two Irish records when competing in the National Pool Lifesaving Championships. First, the Kilmurry teenager broke the Irish record for the junior 100m Mankin Carry with a time of 48.47 at Water Safety Ireland’s National Pool Lifesaving Championships, he is the first person in Ireland to have a sub 50 time. Within twenty four hours, he smashed another record, this time in the junior 100m tow with fins, he finished in a time of 57.91. His exploits may not be known by many but what Oisin achieved is certainly worthy of recognition.
Breakthrough of the year – Fantastic Feakle
Feakle powered to a seventh Clare SHC title in October with a fully merited 1-17 0-13 win over Sixmilebridge. Captain Oisin Donnellan lifted the Canon Hamilton as the East Clare village celebrated senior championship glory for the first time since 1988. It was the stuff of dfor the tight and united bunch of players who have also demonstrated their abilities as a hard-working side with plenty of skill and this, their greatest day in front of an attendance of 6,557 against Sixmilebridge was no different. There were tears of joy on the field and celebrations to behold as one of the smallest villages in the county claimed the top prize in one of the most competitive club championships in the country. Proud son of Feakle, Fr Harry Bohan described hurling as a religion in the village when speaking to The Clare Echo in advance of the county while pointing out that its people are always proud of their roots, “There was a story about a Feakle man going to work in London, the Cockneys were making fun of him so he put down his bag and said ‘Feakle whilst I live and Feakle while I die, I’ll take on the whole lot of ye’”. The Feakle hurlers took on the lot of Clare and apart from Kilmaley in the second round of the championship where they lost by a single point, they came up trumps in every other outing on their way to raising the Canon.
Achievement of the year – Liam Jegou and Erin Riordan Clare’s Olympians
To reach the pinnacle of one’s sport is a feat worth applauding and becoming an Olympian certainly represents this. Ballyvaughan native Liam Jegou became an Olympian for the second time when taking to the waters of Paris in the canoe slalom, the twenty eight year old made his Olympic debut in Tokyo in 2020. He previously became the first Irish C1 slalom paddler to win gold at a World Cup event when he was victorious at the 2020 event in Pau, France. For the Paris Olympics, he agonosingly missed out on a silver medal in the canoe slalom, he was having one of the best runs of his life at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium when he hit the final of 23 gates on the course. He was given a two-second penalty, taking him from what would have been a leading position to third. By the time all 12 finalists had completed their runs, Jegou was in seventh.
Whitegate’s Erin Riordan part of the 4x100m freestyle relay team. The twenty five year old has a biomedical degree from UCD and a Masters in science from DCU. She was part of the 400m freestyle relay team alongside Victoria Catterson, Grace Davison and Danielle Hill, the first women’s relay team to represent Ireland at the Olympics since Munich 1972. Earlier in 2024, they finished tenth at the World Championships in Doha, when it came to the Olympics, the quartet were just outside the Irish Record of 3:41.75 in 3:42.67, for eighth in their heat, after a great battle with Hong Kong in the next lane who touched just ahead in 3:42.42. Both of Erin’s parents are Irish but she was born in Japan and there has been spent time living in Switzerland, Hong Kong and the UK. Her first time experiencing daily life in Ireland came in 2017 when she started college here.
Rising star of the year – Seán Considine
World champion Seán Considine has been lighting up the handball courts in 2024. The Clooney/Quin teenager in November won the U15 boys singles world championships, he won his place on the Irish team by winning the U15 Junior title in February. Last year, he captured the All Ireland U14 singles title last year in 40×20 and 60×30 which was a fabulous double achievement. The St Flannan’s College student says his left-hand kill is his best shot. Handball is continuing to flourish in the county, in the month of February alone seventeen Munster Junior titles were won by young handballers in the county while Diarmaid Nash and Colin Crehan remain among the top handballers at adult level. Prior to heading to the Worlds, Seán listed Declan Nerney’s ‘Stop the world and let me off’ as his favourite song, for his age-group he has taken over the world in a handballing sense but the taste in music might improve with age.
Sports person of the year – Adam Hogan
Several of the victorious Clare hurling side were in contention for the this gong but nobody can match Adam Hogan when it comes to sporting success in 2024. It began on a high when he won a Fitzgibbon Cup with Mary Immaculate College who were trained by Cratloe’s Podge Collins, his showings earned him a Rising Star award and he was also named as player of the championship. Fresh from this, the tigerish corner back gave an outstanding display as Clare won the Allianz National Hurling League for the first time since 2016 when overcoming Kilkenny, his showing in this final was arguably his greatest in a Clare jersey. He didn’t rest on his laurels in the championship it must be mentioned and he kept the number two jersey for the remainder of the year with Clare as they capped it off the season by winning the All-Ireland, his parents Michael and Ruth were among the star performers as Up For The Match broadcast from Feakle. He was rewarded for his displays with an All Star at corner back and he was also named as Young Hurler of the Year, the second East Clare man to win the accolade in as many years following in the footsteps of Mark Rodgers. It didn’t end there for the student who was to the fore in Feakle winning a first Clare SHC title since 1988 when they powered past Sixmilebridge. His feats didn’t end there as his interview with Ross O’Donoghue proved to be one of the most popular videos on The Clare Echo’s TikTok but presumably this is near the bottom of his many highlights for 2024, here’s hoping he is given adequate time to rest before returning to action with county and college for 2025.
Coach of the year – Paul Talty
Team Ireland enjoyed its most successful Olympics in Paris collecting a record haul of seven medals. In the swimming pool, Ireland has made a splash with Daniel Wiffen winning gold in the 800m and bronze in the 1500m while Mona McSharry won bronze in the 100m breast stroke final. Playing a big part in the success was Lahinch’s very own Paul Talty who was Head of Physical Preparation with Swim Ireland. After graduating with a degree in Sports and Exercise Science from UL, he worked at Coventry University, before going to the Northern Ireland Sports Institute as a Strength & Conditioning coach. Talty’s involvement in the success was even referenced by All-Ireland winning manager from Armagh, Kieran McGeeney. The North Clare man has since left his role with Swim Ireland and is now the Head of Athletic Performance with Monaghan GAA.
Deserved pat on the back award – Marie Crowe
Sixmilebridge’s Marie Crowe was joint winner of the journalist of the year award alongside Mark Tighe for their groundbreaking two-year joint investigation into abuses in women’s soccer. They also won the investigative journalism award at The Irish Journalism Award In a 15,000-word report published by this newspaper in July, and an RTÉ Investigates documentary broadcast on the same Sunday, multiple female footballers revealed how they were the subject of alleged unwanted or inappropriate sexual advances from FAI coaches in the 1990s. The Football Association of Ireland subsequently apologised to former international players and trainees on a Fás training course who spoke about their experiences and described how their lives were profoundly affected. This was proper journalism and is worthy of ever plaudit that goes their way.
Sporting role model of the year – Gordon Kelly
One of the longest playing defenders of his generation, Gordon made his debut for the Clare senior footballers in 2006 and stayed lining out with the county until he was aged thirty seven. He’s still one of the standout players for St Joseph’s Miltown in the Clare SFC and got the better of players many years his junior in this year’s championship alone. It is his activism off the field that was noteworthy in 2024. He is behind the Clare Gaels For Gaza and has been an almost ever-present at marches and rallies held in the county to show solidarity with the people of Palestine. He organised peace vigils outside Cusack Park and in advance of the Munster SFC final held at the same venue between Clare and Kerry, he led the way as ex county footballers including Gary Brennan, Ger Quinlan, Lawrence Healy, Podge Collins, Cathal O’Connor and Sean Collins stood in solidarity at Ennis Courthouse to highlight the ongoing war.
Mic drop of the year – Anne Hayes
Inclusion in this year’s list means Anne Hayes is a back to back winner in The Clare Echo sporting awards. She took the quick-thinking award last year after she grabbed the microphone to sing Amhrán na bhFiann in Cusack Park when a technical glitch meant the recording wouldn’t play. This year, she takes the award for the mic drop moment of the year. In what was the first County Board meeting of Clare GAA following the All-Ireland success, the gathering ended on a sour note when Anne along with Asst Treasurer walked out following a bust-up with the top table. She exited her role as PRO of Clare GAA following the meeting after her “skillset” was questioned by Chairman, Kieran Keating. Indeed the matter was front page news and wasn’t so much a storming of the Capitol but more a stormy affair in Caherlohan. Many clubs and ex officers have praised the work of the Lissycasey woman following her exit, prior to this she had been on the County Board since 1984.
Blazing a trail award – Laura O’Connell
Broadford’s Laura O’Connell in December qualified for the first-ever Formula Woman Nations Cup. She was one of only two Irish women on the starting grid at the global event which was broadcast to 120 countries from Dubai. Qualifiers will proceed to the Formula Woman Nations Cup Finals, part of the Formula Woman Festival in May 2025. The event will broadcast to over 120 countries with an expected attendance of over 60,000. Her father Patrick introduced her to motorsport and she has followed the fortunes of Formula One icons Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher from a young age. She has already competed in numerous races in the UK, including the MSVR all-comers in Brands Hatch and Donnington Park; the Miata Trophy in Brands Hatch, and drove the Jaguar Project 8 in the Sprint Series in Blyton Park, all of which contributed to her attaining a place in the Formula Woman qualifiers.
Manager of the year – Brian Lohan
“In Clare hurling like a religion and Brian Lohan is like our God,” said Tony Kelly from the steps of the Hogan Stand as he captained the county to All-Ireland glory. Since he was appointed Clare manager on October 31st 2019, Lohan has managed to reignite a strong base of support for the county’s hurlers. During his five years in the hot seat, there has been good and bad days but a level of consistency certainly developed as Clare returned to the top table and were arguably the closest team to Limerick in 2022 and 2023 before going all the way to win the ultimate honour in 2024. A two-time All-Ireland winner himself, Brian appears to have the complete backing of the players which is testament to the job he has done. Over the course of his tenure, there have been costly mistakes and poor calls but he has got a lot right including decisions to improve his coaching ticket via the addition of Brendan Bugler and constantly searching for ways to bolster up the people around him. On the biggest day, Clare produced their greatest performance and the management got all the calls correct, it’s why for 2024 there can be no other winner of this accolade than Mr Brian Lohan.
Setting the way award – Laurie Ryan
Yet another exceptional female dual-star, Laurie Ryan shows it’s capable to do a lot and not drop your standards. A former captain of the Clare ladies footballers, Laurie joined Athlone Town’s senior WNL side in 2021 and made her debut against Shelbourne on 27 March. She went on to make 21 league and cup appearances that year and captained the team in 2022 when they finished runners-up in both the League and the FAIW Cup. Laurie made up for that disappointment by lifting the trophy the following season though, captaining the Athlone side that beat Shelbourne on penalties in the 2023 final at Tallaght Stadium. This season, she played her 100th game for Athlone Town and captained the side as they confirmed an historic maiden Premier Division success with a 2-0 win against Bohemians. Not alone is she one of the top female soccer players in the country but Laurie also lines out with the Banner Ladies and Clare in ladies football, she was wing back on the Clare team to win this year’s Division 3 National League. On top of it all, the Ennis woman also manages to hold down a full-time job as an Assistant Lecturer at TUS Midlands Department of Sport and Health.
Fashion accessory of the year – Ronan Lanigan and the boot
Statistics highlighted by The Clare Echo in advance of Éire Óg winning a third title in four seasons may have jinxed county defender, Ronan Lanigan. It was noted in a county final preview that he played every single minute in league and championship this year for Mark Fitzgerald’s sole season in charge of the Clare footballers. He also lined out from start to finish for Éire Óg in their six outings on their way to winning back the Jack Daly. When it comes to county finals, players tend to factor in the post-match attire but in the aftermath of Éire Óg’s 1-10 0-6 win over Kilmurry Ibrickane, Lanigan had a protective boot on before they left the dressing room, a piece of footwear which is becoming increasingly common for top sports stars as they leave the grounds. The physiotherapist had the style to match the boot with what could be a daring pair of white pants, the choice of which led to slagging within Townie circles but received the thumbs up from the fashion correspondents of The Clare Echo.
Doing it the hard way award – Truagh/Clonlara
It took three hours in the middle of November to separate Truagh/Clonlara and Gailltir in an extraordinary Munster final replay. In pitch darkness, after double extra time, a sudden death 45 from Róisín Begley saw the Clare side celebrate their first Munster senior title. It was far from easy for the South-East Clare side who a month earlier collected their second senior championship. They would go on to be the first team from the county to line out in the All-Ireland senior camogie club final.
Honourable mentions –
Ennis’ Barry Cotter lined out for Barnsley against Manchester United in September at Old Trafford in the third round of the Carabao Cup to fulfil the dream of a lifetime.
Cratloe’s Luke Murphy and Emmet Calvey of Newmarket-on-Fergus were key members of the Irish U20 rugby side lining out in the 6 Nations and seeing their pedigree as young prospects rise.
Ennis Hockey Club achieved a major milestone in March when qualifying for its first Munster final.
Also in March, for the first time the Clare Schoolboys/Schoolgirls Soccer League (CSSL) had three teams bidding for national glory with the David Hogan managed U14 boys, John O’Malley’s U16 boys and the U16 girls managed by Donal Magee all in action.
