CLARE’S 2015 FOOTBALL prospects have been boosted by three new additions to their ranks.
Clare boss Colm Collins confirmed to TheScore.ie that hurler Liam Markham, former Dublin footballer Pat Burke and ex-Meath player Michael Ahern are coming on board.
On the back of the Collins brothers Podge and Sean committing solely to the football squad, and Cathal McInerney moving from the hurlers, Markham has become the latest Banner hurler to join the football squad.
Markham previously played for the Clare senior footballers in 2009 and was part of the 2013 All-Ireland hurling winning senior squad. He recently captained the Cratloe hurlers to win the Clare SHC title and was part of the club’s county SFC triumphant side as well.
Meanwhile former Dublin footballer Pat Burke has also joined up. Burke has played championship for Dublin while he won an AIB All-Ireland club title with Kilmacud Crokes in 2009.
Ex-Meath player Michael Ahern previously played in goal for the Royals in the 2008 championship while he plays outfield for his club Dunshaughlin. Both Burke and Ahern qualify for Clare under the parentage rule which has also seen Kildare’s Niall Browne and Dublin’s Shane McGrath play for the Banner in recent years.
“Pat’s father and mother are from Quilty and Lahinch in Clare,” outlined manager Collins.”His father is a former Clare player. Then both Michael’s parents are also both from Clare. Michael plays outfield for his club and will be outfield for us if it works out.”
Ah god bless the granny rule
From a purely zeitgeist dynamic(apologies for speaking zee German), I think it’s a good thing for Clare footballers to be, perhaps, becoming a genuine force to be reckoned with. Kerry hurlers and Kilkenny footballers, et. al. , take note. Too few counties are, I feel, disproportionately strong in one of the disciplines, and I’d love to see more counties with a Cork or Galway dual-strength potential. This will not happen countrywide,wholesale, for a bucket full of reasons…….but,Hell’s Bell’s,I would just welcome someone OTHER than Cork or Kerry winning the Munster Championship.(it’s been more than 20 years since that happened).
Yes David, and it was Clare who won in then in 1992. There hasn’t been a cow milked in Co Clare since then according to Marty Morrissey!!!
I remember that 1992 win, John. My wishlist for next year’s Munster would be for Clare to win the football and Limerick to win the hurling, be a breath of fresh air. I fear I may be left holding my breath though, unfortunately…..about as likely as Morrisey fittin’ into a 32 inch pair of trousers and running the mile in 4 minutes,lol….
Hang on a minute David. I don’t think its fair to compare the Kerry hurlers to the Kilkenny footballers. Kerry won division 2 this year while Kilkenny are the only team in Ireland who don’t enter the championship
Kilkenny football is on the up! The Kilkenny senior champions bet Aughrim by 4 in the Leinster championship at the weekend. Does that make us a dual county? :-)
Aughrim are the intermediate champions. Don’t forget that little piece of info.
That’s a fair comment,Gary. My comparison wasn’t direct, per. se. , just two of the first aforementioned dual-discipline mismatches that sprung to my mind.(there are many more,of course).I am an Ulster man, so needless to say, hurling success against Leinster/Munster teams is rarer than rocking-horse poo poo. Glass houses and whatnot.:-) lol.