West Clare Gaels - All Ireland Champions and Brilliant Sign Posts

romah

Well done to the girls from West Clare on winning the All Ireland Intermediate Club Championship ..

but also thanks for making the trip in car yesterday from Kilkee to Ennis most enjoyable..

It was worth the trip just to read all those signs ...there must be hundred of them all along the side of the road !!! Well done


The report from Clare FM is below :


West Clare Gaels have been crowned All Ireland ladies intermediate club champions after a 3-9 to 0-08 point win over St Conleth's in Nenagh.

The Clare side led from start to finish and were up by 7 points at half time after a Niamh Lardner goal in the opening half gave them a 1-6 to 2 point advantage.
Further goals in the second half from Katie Geoghan-including one from the penalty- spot gave the Clare side their first ever All Ireland title with a 10 point winning margin
Manager Darragh Kelly told Clare FM the performance was most impressive:
The win more than makes up for the club's defeat in the Junior decider in 2007. Captain Michelle Downes was part of the 2007 side-said they were determined not to lose another All Ireland final
to 0-08 point win over St Conleth's in Nenagh.
The Clare side led from start to finish and were up by 7 points at half time after a Niamh Lardner goal in the opening half gave them a 1-6 to 2 point advantage.
Further goals in the second half from Katie Geoghan-including one from the penalty- spot gave the Clare side their first ever All Ireland title with a 10 point winning margin
Manager Darragh Kelly told Clare FM the performance was most impressive:
The win more than makes up for the club's defeat in the Junior decider in 2007. Captain Michelle Downes was part of the 2007 side-said they were determined not to lose another All Ireland final.

mjon3105

.... and this report from SportsNewsIreland.com proves your point... very well deserved indeed especially after the Club, players and especiatheir supporters contributing to the cost of the London trip....




By Michael O’Neill


West Clare Gaels 3-9 St Conleths, Laois 0-8


West Clare Gaels scored a convincing 3-9 to 0-8 victory over Leinster titleholders St Conleth’s of Laois in the All Ireland Intermediate Championship final at McDonagh Park, Nenagh. For the Clare team it was a great end to a fantastic season in which they not only won the All Ireland crown but also became Munster Intermediate Champions AND won the Clare Senior title. Yet bear in mind that less than six weeks ago, there was some doubt as to whether they could even continue in this championship. Drawn away to Parnell’s in London they faced the mammoth task of securing almost 11,000 Euros to cover the cost of flights, accommodation and expenses.

Even after a Munster Council grant of Euros 1500 and one of Euros 1,000 from the Clare County Board that left a lot to be raised . The efforts of the players, their families, their administrators,club management and particularly the people of West Clare,especially those from their native parishes of Kilkee, Cross and Carrigholt ensured that the London trip did take place.,and with some 50 fans flying to support the team as well as many Clare people living in London. Even then they were 1-5 to 0-1 behind in that game but fought back to secure a semi-final place and keep their dreams alive.


Captain Michelle Downes paid tribute to the supporters: “We were under major pressure with the London trip but you couldn’t give enough credit to the people of Kilkee, Carrigaholt and Cross for the amount of fundraising they have done for us. There were banners and buntings everywhere and people have been going to every match. Some people have gone above and beyond. ”. Before the final, the West Clare girls were also determined to put behind them the sad memories of their All Ireland Junior final loss in 2007 against Dublin’s Foxrock-Cabinteely . Ten of that team played in this year’s final.


In yesterday’s final , the St Conleth’s team fought a gallant fight but they were always behind and West Clare Gaels richly deserved their win. The Gaels, playing with the aid of a first half strong wind were always in control and led from start to finish after Leanne Lynch opened the scoring with a point in the second minute . Two points up after 10 minutes, that margin increased to 0-4 to 0-1 by the 19th minute and a couple of minutes later Niamh Lardner made it 1-4 to 0-1 when she scored a fine goal,following a great attacking move from Sinead Kelly. At half time the Clare champions led 1-6 to 0-2 and were by far the better side in that opening 30 minutes so much so that even then it was difficult to imagine that the Laois girls, hard though they tried, would significantly reduce the gap let alone win and so it proved.

Three minutes after the restart, they conceded a penalty and Katie Geoghegan (who had a similar attempt well saved in the London quarter final) made no mistake this time as she hammered the ball to the net for a 2-6 to 0-2 lead. There was no easing up however, no taking things for granted and the Laois side continued to press hard whenever the opportunity arose. Half way through the second half, after an exchange of points is was 2-8 to 0-4 but the game was well and truly over when some 5 minutes from time, Katie Geoghegan popped up again to score her second and the teams third goal.Indeed she was unlucky not to get a third when her final shot at goal rebounded off the post.

St Conleth’s never gave up, (especially Claire O’Connell who scored seven of their points, five from frees) and added three points in the final minutes but it was West Clare Gaels’ day, and no one could deny them or their celebrating fans their day of glory. It will be a week of great celebrations in Carrigaholt, Cross and Kilkee. Shauna Harvey,only 15 , was deservedly “Player of the Match” ably supported by Captain Michelle Downes, evergreen Majella Griffin (some fourteen years after her first appearance in a Clare jersey), Niamh Lardner and corner forward goal scoring hero Katie Geoghegan. Manager Darragh Kelly and his Management team will be rightly proud of their charges . Going into the final Michelle Downes again: ““We don’t want to be remembered as the team that lost two All-Irelands. There’s a lot more maturity about the team now. “We can celebrate after”. “We’ve been here before and we didn’t win it. I think everyone is aware that is not going to happen this time” . How right she was.


Champions of All Ireland and as team mates Becky O’Farrell and Katie Geoghegan pointed out on their Facebook page (before the final) ::: “ Don’t stop believing” !


Scorers:-

Scorers for West Clare Gaels: K Geoghegan 2-1 (1-0 pen), N Lardner 1-2, M Griffin 0-4 (3f), M Kelly & L Lynch 0-1 each.
Scorers for St Conleth's: C O'Connell 0-7 (5f), M Allen 0-1.

finbarrk

Late night in Kilkee last night by all accounts! Well done to them.

bannerbabe

Well done to the WCG ladies on winning the all ireland

finbarrk

Is there a big night Sat in the west? Rumour has it anyway!