*Conor Ryan and Cathal McInerney. Photograph: Ruth Griffin.
CONOR RYAN’s return to the Cratloe colours this summer gave a lift to all GAA followers across the county and getting to capture his third Clare SFC medal is something not even the most ardent of St Breckan’s supporters will begrudge him.
Man of the match in Clare’s drawn All-Ireland final against Cork in 2013, he earned an All Star in his breakthrough inter-county season but more importantly a coveted All-Ireland SHC with Shane O’Donnell setting the way with 3-3.
Three years on and issues with his pituitary gland began to emerge which kept him sidelined for the entire 2016 championship season.
At the beginning of 2018, at the age of 26 Conor was told his days of playing sport were finished.
So it was incredibly uplifting for GAA supporters of all codes to see Conor get back to the field with Cratloe’s seniors in hurling and football this season, it was a sight topped off by him winning a senior football championship and getting introduced at half-time to partner his brother Diarmuid in the middle of Cusack Park.
Speaking to The Clare Echo, Conor noted the “special” feeling associated with their latest championship win. “Personally I didn’t think I’d get to wear this jersey again and at the time getting back into the jersey was sweet, when you’re in it winning is the most important thing at the end of the day, getting back today feels really sweet most importantly because my best buddies are still here and as I say it one of them (Liam Markham) walks past. When I finished at the time I thought I’d never play and the biggest burn for me was Diarmuid, you see the man he has come on to be now and he surpassed the talent which I ever had which is fantastic, to play with him today was special”.
Six years after what was a difficult exit from the Cratloe camp, the UL graduate was struck by how a cohort managed to ensure the club still aspired to the highest of standards. “I had made my peace with not playing fairly quick but I couldn’t get rid of the fact in my head that I hadn’t played with Diarmuid especially when I saw the man he has grown into. Today was never going to be about me or Diarmuid playing together, we had a job to do. The one thing I’ve come back into this year after being away from the team for six years, you just see that the standards have not dropped and especially with the footballers I put that down to the four Collins’, each and every single one of them, the standards that those boys drive, the three boys are a credit to Colm and what he has done, God only knows where we would be as a football team without the three boys or Colm, it is incredible”.
Though it was far from easy, Conor had accepted the days of getting to kick or puck ball with Cratloe were over. “I had made my peace with it fairly quick but there was things burning away at me, being in America and watching Cratloe in county finals, it was really hard and hurt the heart but to come back today and still be involved was a blessing, to overcome my own battle was one thing but to be a part of something special like this makes it all worthwhile, you can look back over the years at what we’ve won, today is unequivocally the sweetest for many reasons”.
Time would also change his role within the side, from one of the first names on the teamsheet to impact sub, noticeably his presence as a leader in the set-up continues to be as strong as ever. “I’ve a different perspective on life now than when I first played, I was probably burning too much energy on a couch thinking about games, when I came back I would have sold my left arm for a minute never mind coming in at half time. When I came back it was just the opportunity to play in this jersey again, as the weeks went on you’re smelling silverware and there is nothing like that. I’ve been away from sport for a long time, I tried my best to find something to replace it in terms of that buzz but I haven’t been able to, today it does get on top of you because it’s emotional”.
Ryan’s journey makes him appreciate the magnitude of the club’s third ever senior football title but the nine year wait ensures his teammates also savoured it. “Look around today, there are some many lads that played in those years that aren’t here today, it was a county final and a county championship for the community, every one likes to put Cratloe hurling versus Cratloe football but it’s really a community effort, people ask us which we prefer but we just love going out and wearing this jersey, you can see the community spirit on the pitch, I don’t take this lightly it really was a win for Cratloe parish, Cratloe as a community and the people of Cratloe because in 2014 a lot of people would have said we were at the peak of our powers and we would get used to it, nine years is a long time when you’re expecting every year to win something”.
He added, “At the start of the year everyone thought they were playing second best to Éire Óg, they started off like a train, as we showed in 2015 three in a row is very hard to win, it is hard to keep going. They were brilliant champions, we beat them on a penalty shootout which was a sweet way to win but Jesus it is a cruel way to lose. There’s a good few of us here, have we a three in a row in us? We’re just happy to win today”.
At the outset of the 2023 championship, Cratloe were not tipped to be the side lifting Jack Daly nevermind to have Conor Ryan to the fore driving them to success, it showcases that sporting success can really be the stuff of dreams.
