PICTURED: Pat Keogh. Photo by Burren Eye Photography
GAA, camogie and ladies football clubs in Clare will receive €9,803.92 each from the €1m donated to Clare GAA by J. P. McManus.
Details of the pay out to the 102 clubs were given at the January meeting of Clare GAA on Tuesday night at Hotel Woodstock.
Clare handball chairman Tommy Hegarty expressed disappointment on behalf of the eight handball clubs in the county that the breakdown did not include a sum for the handball clubs.
Based on the correspondence Clare GAA had received when news of the donation was revealed, there is no leeway to include handball, Clare’s head of operations Deirdre Murphy told the meeting before adding “there is no room for error in this”
She pointed out that Clare GAA had corresponded with many other counties and all had the same understanding.
Responding to Hegarty’s statement that handball is part of the GAA, board chairman Kieran Keating said “it is not affiliated to Clare GAA”.
“The handball clubs are not happy and I want to bring back some answers to them”, Hegarty told the meeting.
“The handball people have a valid claim and I wouldn’t have an issue with proposing to our club executive that they make a contribution to handball,”, Cooraclare’s PJ McGuane told the meeting.
Supporting that view Clare GAA’s central council delegate, Robert Frost from O’Callaghans Mills said “we have two handball clubs in our parish and they have a lot of work done”.
Newmarket’s Pat Keogh who also pointed out that they have a handball club in their parish said he will be proposing at their next executive meeting that a contribution be made to handball, “That’s the only way it can be done”, he said,
Ruan’s Michael O’Regan was of a similar view saying it’s up to the clubs how to administer this windfall.
Thanking the clubs for their comments, Tommy Hegarty went on to reflect on Clare’s hosting of the recent national championships. Pointing out that Clare had three winners and nine runners up he highlighted “Diarmuid Nash’s victory in the senior open final on his home court in Tuamgraney”. He went on to thank the clubs, the volunteers, the referees and all who helped make the event the success it was and he pointed out that “Clare had been commended by Ard Comhairle for their hosting of the event”.
Win a house in Ennis
A total of 9,900 tickets have been sold to date in the Win a house in Ennis fundraiser, delegates to this week’s board meeting were told by board chairman Kieran Keating who went on to express the view that there is still time to reach their target of 15,000 before the draw takes place on January 29.
Treasurer Brian Fitzpatrick said “we need to upgrade the different facilities and we need a big outcome to this.
He went on to tell the meeting that “we are up to one third of our target in the Dalcassian Patrons programme. “We need to push the bar up on the income side”, he said
The recently appointed facilities manager, David Hoey has, according to Head of operations Deirdre Murphy “really hit the ground running. All fields have been sanded”.
She went on to day that up coming work at Caherlohan will include the provision of paths, dugouts and a well while they are at tender process in relation to work at Clareabbey which will include improving the dressing rooms and providing more office space which will lead to being able to hold board meetings at the venue while work on the upgrading of dressing rooms at Ballylne will commence shortly.
Demographic committee
Clare GAA will shortly be appointing a new demographic committee and with this in mind Cooraclare delegate P.J. McGuane said he expected to “see more people from west of Ennis on the committee”. He offered himself and David O’Shea from Kilrush as candidates for this committee.
Scoreboard grants
Clare GAA will again offer grants to clubs planning on installing scoreboards, chairman Kieran Keating told this week’s board meeting. “We provided six grants last year and hope to do the same this year”, the chairman said when asking clubs to inform the board if they plan to erect scoreboards this year.
Underage fixtures
Congratulating the underage boards on the production of their masters fixture schedule for 2024, St. Josephs delegate Anthony O’Halloran asked that they take a look at the dates for the under 13 football and under 14 hurling. The timing of these will create a lot of problems for dual clubs and we are looking at having two teams at these grades.
Eire Og’s Rory Hickey supported O’Halloran saying his club would be in a similar position.
Coiste na nOg football secretary Anne Hayes said “the alternative to what is proposed is to put the under 14 and under 16 back to the end of the year.
