*Diarmuid O’Donnell scored two goals for Kildysart while Damien O’Loughlin & Corofin secured promotion. Photograph: Burren Eye Photography
The concluding round of games in Divisions 1, 2 and 3 played over the weekend have cleared the way for the play offs and also confirmed what teams will drop down a division for next season.
Prior to the final round, St. Breckans had already sealed their place in the final of the Cusack Cup (division 1). They completed their programme of games with a one point win over Ennistymon at the latter’s venue, a result that sees them maintain their unbeaten run.
It was a disappointing result for Ennistymon as it has pushed them out of the play offs.
In the semi-final Kildysart, who have finished second in the group, will have home advantage against Doonbeg who claimed third spot ahead of Ennistymon. They finished on the same points total but Doonbeg beat Ennistymon when they clashed and as a result get third spot ahead of the North Clare side.
At the bottom end of the table St Joseph’s Miltown had already been relegated before they accounted for Doonbeg on Sunday. They will be joined in making the drop down by county champions Éire Óg who lost to Clondegad on Sunday.
Meanwhile, in Division 2 (Garry cup), Corofin had sealed a place in the final before the final round of games. On Sunday they played a high scoring draw with St. Josephs Doora/Barefield.
Lissycasey received a walkover from O’Currys and have finished second in the division which earns them a home semi-final where they will entertain either O’Currys or St. Josephs who have finished on the same points and who drew when they met earlier in the campaign. Because of the fact that there were some walkovers involving O’Currys it is not possible to apply scoring difference so a play off is required to determine who will go through to play Lissycasey.
Ahead of the weekend’s games Shannon Gaels had been relegated and they will be joined in Division 3 next season by Kilrush Shamrocks who went down to Kilmihil on Sunday while Cooraclare’s win over Shannon Gaels has secured Division 2 status for them for next season.
Wolfe Tones are safely into the final of Division 3 and will compete in Division 2 next season. Killimer have finished second in the group and they will enjoy home advantage in the semi-final against Cratloe who drew with Wolfe Tones at the weekend.
At the other end of the table, Coolmeen and Naomh Eoin have lost out and they will both drop down to Division 4 for 2023.
Kildysart seal semi-final date
Kildysart 3-9
Kilmurry Ibrickane 0-10
Venue: Clareabbey
Two goals from Diarmuid O’Donnell, the second from the penalty spot and one from Kieran O’Brien helped Kildysart seal a place in the semi-final of the Cusack Cup when they proved too strong for Kilmurry-Ibrickane on Sunday.
With their own pitch unavailable due to a major renovation currently taking place, the winners secured Clareabbey for this tie.
They took control from the outset and had opened a nine point lead by half time in a tie in which the players had to contend with a strong wind.
Kildysart: Conor Cusack; Ian Flanagan, Brian Eyers, Stevie Sheehan; Fergal Guinnane, Kieran Leahy, Rory McMahon; Keith O’Connor, Kieran O’Brien; Oisin Coyle, Jamie Evans, Conor Hassett; Diarmuid O’Donnell, Keith Murphy, Seamus Casey;
Subs: Ryan Casey for S. Casey; Conor Moloney for Murphy; Michael Eustace for Hassett; Mikey Donnellan for Coyle
Kilmurry Ibrickane; David Sexton; Shea Gleeson, Darren Hickey, Kevin Killeen; Josh Moloney, Martin McMahon, Michael Comber; Daniel Walsh, Mark Killeen; Oisin Sexton, Paudie Murrihy, Andrew Shannon; Daryn Callinan, Niall Hickey, Joe Campbell;
Subs: Mark McCarthy for O. Sexton; Maurice Donlon for Ml. Comber
Referee: Jim Hickey (Cratloe)
Impressive victory for relegated Miltown
St Josephs Miltown 1-14
Doonbeg 0-10
Venue: Hennessy Memorial Park, Miltown Malbay
Impressive performances from Cormac Murray and Seanie Malone helped already relegated Miltown to what was only their second win of the campaign when they accounted for Doonbeg on Sunday.
Murray scored 1-4 on a day when the home side led by nine points at half time when the score was 1-10 to 0-4.
Doonbeg for whom Paul Dillon top scored with 0-7, got through for some good points in the second half but Miltown’s lead was enough to see them record a merited win.
St. Josephs Miltown: Sean O’Brien; Cormac Devitt, Seanie Malone, Martin Rynne; Jamesie O’Connor, Gearoid Curtin, Sean Neylon; Paul Frawley, Oisin Looney; Euan Lineen,, Micheal Murray, Cian O’Mahoney; Brian Curtin, Killian Keavey, Cormac Murray;
Sub: Cormac Byrne for Lineen;
Doonbeg: Eamonn Tubridy; Cillian Blake, Tadhg Lillis, Jason Linnane; Paraic Aherne, Cian O’Mahoney, Conor O’Mahoney; Eoin Conway, James Killeen; Michael Tubridy, Kevin Pender, Cathal Killeen; Drragh Burns, Paul Dillon, Eoin Killeen
Subs: Brian Behan for J. Killeen; Shane Ryan for Pender; Cian Clancy for C. Killeen.
Referee: Joe Kelly (Cooraclare)
Clondegad’s win sends Éire Óg to division 2
Clondegad 1-11
Éire Óg 0-6
Venue: Éire Óg GAA Grounds, Ennis
Relegation was staring directly at both Clondegad and Éire Óg when they clashed at the Ennis club’s venue on Sunday.
Shane Brennan’s goal separated the sides at half time when the score was 1-2 to 0-2.
Once again Gary Brennan played a key role for Clondegad and he finished as his team’s top scorer with 0-4 to his credit.
Substitutes Eoghan Donnellan (0-3) and Seanie O’Leary (0-2) also contributed important scores as the Ballynacally based side secured their place in the Cusack Cup for next season while sending Éire Óg down to Division 2.
Clondegad; Declan O’Loughlin; Niall Lynch, Brian Murphy, Brian Casey; Conor Gavin, Peter Casey, Stephen Casey; Gary Brennan, Brandon O’Connell; Morgan Garry, Shane Brennan, Eoghan Gavin; Paudge McMahon,, Daniel Kelly, Barry Toner
Subs: Seanie O’Leary for Garry; Ryan Jennings for S. Brennan; Eoghan Donnellan for D. Kelly; James Murphy for McMahon; Diarmuid O’Neill for . Gavin
Éire Óg; Shane Daniels; Eoin Guilfoyle, Aidan McGrath, Gavin D’Auria; Ultan Shields, Conall Ó hÁiniféin, Dean D’Auria; David McNamara, Ikem Ugwueru; Sean Perrill, Mark McInerney, Oran Cahill; Niall O’Donoghue, Danny Griffin, Luke Moore
Subs: Andrew McElwee for Ó hÁiniféin; James Lyne for O’Donoghue; Hugh Connolly for O’Donoghue (inj); Alan O’Neill for Moore (inj);
Referee: Fergal Gray (Feakle)
Kelly breaks Ennistymon hearts
St. Breckans 0-13
Ennistymon 3-3
Venue: Ennistymon
Padraig Kelly converted a 45 in injury time to break Ennistymon hearts when the North Clare neighbours met at Ennistymon on Sunday.
The result ended Ennistymon’s involvement in this year’s competition. While they finished on the same points as Doonbeg, the magpies have qualified for the quarter final because they accounted for Ennistymon when the sides met earlier in the campaign.
Ennistymon got off to a great start and they quickly jumped into a 2-1 to 0-0 lead with goals from Niall Canavan and Tiernan Hogan on their way to a half time lead of 2-2 to 0-3. Hogan also found the net in the second half when he converted from the penalty spot.
Jamie Stack was the winner’s top scorer with 0-5 while Padraig Kelly landed 0-3 with Cian Burke getting two points as the Lisdoonvarna side maintained their unbeaten run.
St. Breckans: Mark O’Donnell; Ciaran Flanagan, Patrick Doherty, Cian Burke; Conor Burke, Maccon Byrne, Conor Shannon; Micheal Flanagan, Dale Masterson; Eoin Guerin, Padraig Kelly, Denis O’Callaghan; Jamie Stack, Cathal Guerin, Cian Jimmy Burke;
Subs: Colm O’Brien for Shannon; Ryan Burke for Cian Jimmy Burke;’
Ennistymon; Noel Sexton; Dara Conneally, Adam Ralph, Ciaran McMahon; Liam Cotter, Lawrence Healy, Tiernan Hogan; Eanna Rouine, Sean O’Driscoll; David McNamara, Ryan Barry, Keelan Guyler; Niall Canavan, Eoin Rouine, Sean Rouine.
Subs: Cathal Reilly for Healy; Dara McNamara for Ralph;
Referee: Barry Kelly (St Joseph’s Miltown)
Spoils shared in high scoring contest
St. Josephs Doora/Barefield 3-14
Corofin 2-17
Venue: Gurteen
St. Josephs Doora/Barefield and Corofin produced a lively contest when they clashed in the Garry Cup at Gurteen on Sunday.
Corofin went into the tie having already qualified for the final and guaranteed promotion to Division 1 for next season but St. Josephs Doora/Barefield needed at least a draw to keep their hopes of getting to the play offs alive.
In a tie which produced some fine individual performances, both side enjoyed periods of dominance and while both can point to missed chances, a share of the spoils was a fair outcome on a day when the home side held a one point advantage, 2-9 to 2-8, at the break.
The Cahill brothers, Gearoid and Diarmuid, not for the first time in this campaign, excelled for Corofin and between them contributed 2-14 of their side’s tally with Diarmuid bagging 2-7, 2-4 of which came from play while Gearoid chipped in with 0-7.
On the Doora-Barefield side, Tom McDonald scored two goals while Eoghan Thynne was their other goalscorer.
St. Josephs Doora/Barefield: Tom O’Brien; Dara Whelan, Con O’Brien, Peter Collins; Kieran Thynne, Jack Hannan, Cian McDonagh; Eoin Hanrahan, Dara O’Callaghan; Tom Hannan, Tom McDonald, Dara Nagle; Joe Raftery, Eoghan Thynne, Brian Guilfoyle;
Subs; Sam Costello for O’Callaghan; Nicky Hardiman for Guilfoyle.
Corofin: Luke Neylon; Gearoid Hanrahan, Cilléin Mullins, John Rees; Cillian McGroary, Brendan Keane, Michael Cahill; Sean O’Brien, Fionn Clancy; Cillian Clancy, Gearoid Cahill, Damian Ryan; Diarmuid Cahill, Kevin Keane, Eoin Davoran.
Subs: Shane O’Brien for Mullins; Eoin Fitzgerald for C Clancy; Cian Doolin for Hanrahan; Josh Ryan for Davoran
Referee: Pat O’Connell Byrne (St. Breckans)
Kilmihil send Kilrush down to Division 3
Kilmihil 2-12
Kilrush Shamrocks 0-10
Venue: St Michael’s Park, Kilmihil
With relegation staring both sides Kilmihil emerged as deserving winners over Kilrush on Sunday while the result has sent the losers crashing to Division 3 for next season.
Early exchanges saw the sides evenly matched but they the visitors got a grip on proceedings, helped by a goal from Gearoid O’Grady and from here on they held the lead.
O’Grady also had a hand in his side’s second goal as his low cross ended up in the net after taking a deflection off a defender as Shane Egan challenged.
Kilmihil; Sean Cafferkey; Shane Downes, John Finnucane, David Coughlan; Jack King, Stan Lineen, Gavin Downes; Conor Finnucane, Jack Keating; Niall Reidy, Gearoid O’Grady, Alan Normoyle; Martin O’Leary, Sean Crowley, Ciaran Downes;
Subs; Michael Keating for King; Jack Donovan for O’Grady; Niall Pender for Coughlan; Cathal Murray for Reidy; Shane Egan for Normoyle
Kilrush Shamrocks: Thomas Moloney; Niall Brennn, Euan Power, Sean Purtill; Billy clancy, Sean Canny, Cathal McMahon; Ewan Kelly, Gearoid O’Brien; Liam Madigan, Ross Phelan, Sean Madigan; Cathal Carigg, Keith Crowley, Dylan O’Brien;
Referee: Michael Talty (Kilmurry Ibrickane)
Cooraclare seal Division 2 status
Cooraclare 1-12
Shannon Gaels 0-5
Venue: Labasheeda
Cooraclare sealed their division 2 status for next season with this victory over Shannon Gaels at Labasheeda on Sunday.
The winners were three points ahead at half time when the score was 0-7 to 0-4 and they went on to hold the upperhand in the second half.
Eoin O’Driscoll was the winner’s goalscorer in the second half and he also scored a point in each half on a day when Ciaran and Padraic O’Donoghue.
Colin and Brian McNamara, John Lillis and Mark Tubridy also got on the scoresheet. Barry Crehan (3) and Thomas Kelly were the scorers for the home side.
Cooraclare: Mark Lillis; Fergal Donnellan, Niall Kelly, Tom Downes; Robert Ryan, Padraic O’Donoghue, Keith Marrinan; Brian McNamara, James Chambers; Colin McNamara, Damian Burke, Eoin O’Driscoll; Fionn O’Driscoll, Ciaran O’Donoghue, John Lillis;
Subs; Mark Tubridy for Burke; Kevin O’Gorman for F. O’Driscoll; Jason Lillis for John Lillis; Fergal Nolan for R.Ryan
Shannon Gaels: David Foley; Eoin Keane, Jack Reidy, Tadhg Kelly; Aaron Malone-Smith, Matthew Reidy, Fergal Kenny; Darren Crehan, Dylan Kenny; Tomas Cleary, Thomas Kelly, Ronan Davis; Tom O’Gorman, Barry Crehan, Gearoid Kenny;
Subs: Michael McMahon for Keane; Eanna Moloney for Davis; Thomas Kenny for G. Kenny;
Referee: Barry Keating (Lissycasey)
O’Currys unable to field….again
For the second time in recent weeks, O’Currys conceded a walkover because they were unable to field a team. Operating from a small panel of nineteen, injuries forced them to concede their game to Lissycasey a couple of weeks after they conceded their last round to Corofin.
