Clare side make big strides from small base

GAELIC GAMES MUNSTER CLUB FOOTBALL: ALTHOUGH THE approach to this year's Munster club football final has been dominated by the reappearance of Kerins O'Rahillys' David Moran after trialling in Melbourne with AFL side St Kilda there is an equalling compelling return story on the other side of the fence.

Clare champions Kilmurry-Ibrickane are back in the final after a five-year absence and looking to emulate their achievement of capturing the provincial crown this Sunday in Limerick.

The club’s story is typical only in the way it reflects the twists and turns of identity and the rich variety of experience common to GAA clubs up and down the country.

In geographical terms the club’s parish covers a wide area along the Clare seaboard. Its centre of gravity is the fishing village and seaside resort of Quilty but it also takes in the neighbouring village of Mullagh and Coore, home to a church and a school.

When the GAA introduced the one-parish rule the club came into being but back in the 1940s Quilty and Mullagh were sufficiently autonomous and thriving on the independence to face each other in a county final.

What distinguishes the club these days is the excellence of the husbandry of football talent.

Kilmurry-Ibrickane may cover a good stretch of territory but it is home to only about 1,500 of a population.

Pat O’Dwyer, who guided the club to the 2004 Munster success, remarked at the time: “It is an astonishing thing to see 60 and 70 kids out there in the field on Sunday morning and to think that is all down to the voluntary commitment of people. And that is such a precious thing. Without that, the whole thing can disappear overnight.”

O’Dwyer played on the first club side to win the county title in 1966 and coached the county titles of 1993, ’99, 2002 and ’04 before retiring.

He is credited with being the driving force behind the club’s emergence in the past two decades.

That emergence is only showcased by the success of the senior team. The most remarkable aspect of the club is its relentless under-age achievement, especially remarkable in the context of a confined catchment.

“They have a massive under-age structure,” according to veteran county officer and local broadcaster Des Crowe. “That’s the reason they’ve been there or thereabouts over the past 15 years or so. They’ve won everything up the line including five under-21s in a row.

“On the current team for instance Enda Coughlan and Evan Talty both have medals from all five.”

The club is home to RTÉ broadcaster Marty Morrissey, who played and coached there, as well as to a couple of big names in Clare football: Aidan “Horse” Moloney from the John Maughan-managed side of 1992 that took home the All-Ireland B in 1991 and a year later the first Munster football title in 75 years after beating Kerry in the final.

More recently Odran O’Dywer, one of Pat’s sons, gave distinguished service to the county and captained the successful Tommy Murphy Cup side in 2005 as well as playing international rules for Ireland.

His career was curtailed by chronic back injury but at 35 years of age he’s back with the club and playing well, hitting five points in the semi-final, as Kilmurry avenged last year’s defeat by Drom-Broadford.

His brother Peter is also back after a couple of years spent working in Wexford and it was his two points that swung the county final against Kilkee.

The task facing them on Sunday is difficult but they have experience of dealing with the Kerry threat, having beaten Milltown-Castlemaine in the 2004 semi-final.

A repeat of that and they will end the decade with two Munster titles, a fair achievement to take down past Spanish Point along the Atlantic coast.