*Ger Quinlan takes on the role of Ennistymon manager. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill
FOUR of Clare’s twelve senior football clubs will have new managers this season.
Mark Shanahan (Ennistymon), Douglas Hurley and Geoff O’Sullivan (Corofin), Brian Dillon (Kilmihil) and James Murrihy (Kilmurry Ibrickane) have stepped down from their respective clubs for 2024.
At the time of writing Kilmihil hadn’t put their management teams in place. Kilmihil do have a coach in Lawrence Murray, a former player with the club until he transferred to Kilmurry-Ibrickane.
Peadar O’Brien, a member of the outgoing management team has stepped up to the role of manager with Corofin. He will have Derry native Mark Rafferty who resides in the Doora/Barefield parish, as team coach. Rafferty was manager when Doora/Barefield last contested the Clare SFC final, he was manager of Doonbeg in 2021 and has been a selector with the Clare minor footballers. Tony Kenny will continue involved with at least one more selector to be added.
John Keane will continue as manager of his native Doonbeg but there will be changes to his management. Outgoing selectors, Kieran O’Mahoney, Padraig Gallagher and Conor Whelan, all former players with club and county, have stepped down. Joe Blake has announced his retirement from playing with the club and has moved into the role of selector. Former inter county player from nearby St Senan’s Kilkee, David Russell, now a resident in Doonbeg parish, will coach the team. He was part of last year’s management team.
Mark Shanahan has opted not to seek a third year in charge of the Ennistymon senior footballers who contested the Clare SFC final in 2022 and battled relegation last year. Former Clare midfielder Ger Quinlan who coached the team during Shanahan’s tenure is making the jump to manager with 1992 Munster championship winner Brendan Rouine continuing as selector. John McInerney and Brian Conway have also stepped down as selectors. A meeting is to be held this Friday night where further additions are expected to be made to Quinlan’s management.
County champions Cratloe will have the same management team which is headed up by Colm Collins. This includes Brian O’Connell, Shane Markham, Oscar O’Dwyer, Sean O’Dea and Jody O’Connor on video analysis. It will be the first time in over a decade that Collins serves solely as club manager having combined the role with that of Clare manager since 2014.
Beaten finalists St Breckans will again be managed by Kerry All-Ireland winning goalkeeper Declan O’Keeffe. Former club player Johnnie Mooney has been added to the selection committee. O’Keeffe had been involved for two seasons under Donie Garrihy before taking on the mantle of manager last year. Ex Clare footballer, Odran O’Dwyer continues as the side’s coach. The North Clare side came up short in the county final, Cusack Cup final and U21A final in 2023 and will be bidding to atone for those defeats this year.
Kilmurry Ibrickane will be under new management this year with Offaly native David Egan taking over the manager’s role from James Murrihy who will be focussing on the intermediate championship this season, having taken on the role of manager with Clondegad who lost their senior status last year. The ex Clare ladies football manager spent two seasons over his native club. Egan at the beginning of October stepped down as manager of Cork club, St Michael’s in Blackrock, he oversaw their return to the Premier SFC for the first time since 2006 and a play-off defeat denied them a place in the quarter-finals of the top flight. The ex Offaly footballer recently relocated from Cork to Ennis with his family.
St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield who bowed out of the quarter-finals following an extra time defeat to Éire Óg stick with the same set-up. Donagh Vaughan remains as manager where his ticket includes ex Clare minor football manager Maurice Walsh, coach Ger ‘Bobby’ Kelly and Clare senior football video analyst Diarmuid Whelan. Ex O’Currys footballer Eoin Troy has been added to the Doora/Barefield management.
Éire Óg’s bid to reclaim the Jack Daly sees them add a new coach to their management. Seanie Buckley who coached them to senior success in 2021 and 2022 has gone on to join the Clare senior football management. Paul Madden remains in situ as manager of the Ennis club with Peter Cosgrove and Shane Daniels sticking on as selectors. They have added Galway native, Justin Burke an ex Corofin footballer as coach, he held the same role with Milltown last year as they won the Galway senior football championship.
Martin Guerin is to return for a second year in charge of the St Joseph’s Miltown. The Liscannor man will once again be joined by selectors Jim Marrinan, John McDonagh and David Talty. They have a new addition in the guise of former player, Eoin Curtin a three-time Clare SFC winner was manager of the Liscannor intermediate footballers last season.
Three-time Clare SFC winning manager with Kilmurry Ibrickane, Aiden ‘Horse’ Moloney will commence a second season in charge of Lissycasey. The club has appointed Christoir McCaw as S&C coach. Pakie Keane, Danny Lynch and Jimmy Collins continue as selectors. Lissycasey were beaten by St Breckan’s in the quarter-finals last year.
Kildysart made a big impression last season in their first year back in the senior ranks, reaching the quarter-finals and topping a group which included eventual winners Cratloe, Lissycasey and Ennistymon. They have unsurprisingly moved to keep the same management which is headed up by David Butler in place. John O’Sullivan will continue as coach of the team. This year their representation on the Clare senior football panel has trebled with Emmet McMahon now joined by Diarmuid O’Donnell and Fergal Guinnane.
The confirmed senior football management teams are
Cratloe: Colm Collins (manager), Brian O’Connell, Sean O’Dea, Shane Markham; Jody O’Connor, Ger Crotty (physio) Oscar O’Dwyer (S&C).
Ennistymon: Ger Quinlan (manager), Brendan Rouine, with more to be confirmed.
Lissycasey: Aiden Maloney (manager), Pakie Keane, Danny Lynch, Jimmy Collins, Christoir McCaw (S&C); Danny Pyne (logistics).
Kildysart: David Butler (manager), John O’Sullivan (coach), Jacko Cleary, John Murtagh, Terry Murphy, Darragh Butler.
St. Breckan’s: Declan O’Keeffe (manager), Odhran O’Dwyer (coach), Pat Haugh, Jersey O’Loughlin, John Petty, Johnnie Mooney, John Earls (physical therapist);
Corofin: Peadar O’Brien (manager) Mark Rafferty (coach); Tony Kenny plus another selector to be added.
St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield: Donagh Vaughan (manager), Ger Kelly (coach), Maurice Walsh, Eoin Troy, Evan Hennessy (S and C) Diarmuid Whelan (Stats and Video analysis) Morgan Rowland (kit).
Kilmurry Ibrickane: David Egan (manager), Vincent Talty, Kevin Sexton, Gary Sexton (S&C), Aaron Ryan (S&C).
Éire Óg: Paul Madden (manager), Justin Burke (coach), Peter Cosgrove, Shane Daniels, Victor O’Riordan (S&C), Mike Carmody (Fitness coach), Tom Russell, Billy Woods (backroom);
Doonbeg: John Keane (manager), David Russell (coach), Joe Blake, Megan Downes (S&C);
St Joseph’s Miltown: Martin Guerin (manager), John McDonagh, Eoin Curtin, Jim Marrinan, David Talty.
Kilmihil: Manager and selectors to be appointed; Lawrence Murray (coach).
