Clare Senior Football Championship

The Clare Senior Football Championship is an annual Gaelic Athletic Association club competition organised by Clare GAA between the top twelve gaelic football clubs in County Clare, Ireland. The winners represent the county in the Munster Senior Club Football Championship, the winners of which progress to the semi-finals of the All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship. The Clare SFC final is generally held in the month of October and is played at Cusack Park in Ennis.

In 2014 Cratloe completed a historic first Clare Senior Championship 'Double' in eighty-five years since the famous Ennis Dalcassians in 1929.

In 2016 a Football Review Agreement decided that from 2019 onwards the Clare Senior and Intermediate Football Championships would both involve twelve teams in an effort to make both more competitive. This meant that five clubs would lose their senior status and be relegated down to the Clare Intermediate Football Championship. The eleven remaining senior clubs would be joined by the intermediate champions to form the new senior championship, and thereby increasing the intermediate championship from eight to twelve teams. 2018 saw the relegation of Doora-Barefield, Kilfenora, O'Curry's, St. Breckan's and Wolfe Tones down to the intermediate championship.

As part of the 2016 Football Review Agreement, a pathway was left open for any amalgamations that wished to enter the senior championship. Two intermediate clubs - Naomh Eoin and O'Curry's - from the Loop Head Peninsula in West Clare took up this opportunity for 2019. After their relative success, their near neighbours St. Senan's, Kilkee were due to join them under the name Western Gaels for the 2022 senior championship.^[1] However, they pulled out of the championship before it began.

The 2023 champions, and holders of the Jack Daly Cup are Cratloe who bridged a nine year gap from 2014 to win their third overall title. They defeated St. Breckan's, Lisdoonvarna by 1-10 to 1-08 in Cusack Park, Ennis.

Senior clubs

The twelve clubs that will participate in the 2024 Clare Senior Football Championship are:

Venues

Early rounds

Fixtures in the opening rounds of the championship are usually played at a neutral venue that is deemed halfway between the participating teams. Some of the more common venues include Hennessy Park in Miltown Malbay and Kilmihil. Cusack Park in Ennis also hosts several double-headers in the early rounds of the championship.

Final

The final is regularly played at Cusack Park in Ennis. Named after the founder of the GAA, Michael Cusack, the ground had an original capacity of about 28,000, but following a 2011 safety review, the certified capacity was reduced to 14,864. In 2015 a major renovation started, this included the demolition and re-erection of the main stand and construction of a new entrance/exit at the north side of the stadium. Once completed in late 2017 the official capacity was increased to 19,000

Roll of honour

List of finals

Munster Club Champions Munster Club Finalists

North Clare was a two-time temporary amalgamation similar to the modern-day divisional teams seen in Cork and Kerry. North Clare drew it's players from the Ballyvaughan-Fanore, Corofin, Ennistymon, Kilfenora, Liscannor, Michael Cusack's and St. Breckan's football clubs. They competed together at senior level when they were all competing at either intermediate or junior level individually. North Clare played in three county finals in 1934, 1977 and 1978, losing on each occasion to Kilrush Shamrocks.

When Ennis Dalcassians won the 1943 Clare Junior Football Championship, they offered an opportunity to players from fellow junior club, Doora-Barefield, to join with them and enter the 1944 senior championship as the Ennis Faughs. In 1952 when Ennis Dalcassians became Éire Óg, the Ennis Faughs continued to play at senior level until disbanding after losing the 1956 county final. In a thirteen year period, the Ennis Faughs reached eleven county finals, winning four senior titles in 1947, 1948, 1952 and 1954. When Ennis Dals were relegated back down to junior level in 1945, a second Ennis Faughs team also entered and immediately won the 1946 Clare Intermediate Football Championship.

In 1993, Éire Óg and Doora-Barefield were both competing at intermediate level. Éire Óg once again offered an opportunity to players from Doora-Barefield to join with them and try to replicate their previous successes. The new Ennis Faughs entered and immediately won the 1994 Clare Senior Football Championship, defeating Kilrush Shamrocks in the county final after a replay. They reached back-to-back county finals in 1995, but relinquished their title to Doonbeg. As Éire Óg won the 1995 Clare Intermediate Football Championship, the Ennis Faughs were once again disbanded. Doora-Barefield subsequently went on to win the 1997 Clare Intermediate Football Championship.

Records and statistics

Consecutive championships

5-in-a-row:
- Once by Kilrush Shamrocks (1975–1979)
3-in-a-row:
- Twice by Doonbeg (1967–1969), and (1972–1974)
- Once by Ennis Dalcassians (1909–1911)

"The Double"

The following clubs have won both the Clare Senior Football Championship and Clare Senior Hurling Championship in the same year:

Four times by Ennis Dalcassians (1980, 1911, 1914, 1929)
Once by Cratloe (2014)

By decade

The most successful team of each decade, judged by number of Clare Senior Football Championship titles they won, is as follows:

1880s: Two titles for Newmarket-on-Fergus (1887, 1888)
1890s: Three titles for Ennis Dalcassians (1890, 1897, 1899)
1900s: Three titles for Ennis Dalcassians (1904, 1907, 1909)
1910s: Four titles for Ennis Dalcassians (1910, 1911, 1913, 1914)
1920s: Three titles for St. Joseph's, Miltown Malbay (1923, 1925, 1927)
1930s: Five titles for Kilrush Shamrocks (1930, 1931, 1934, 1937, 1938)
1940s: Two titles for Ennis Faughs (1947, 1948)
1950s: Three titles for Kilrush Shamrocks (1951, 1957, 1958)
1960s: Four titles for Doonbeg (1961, 1967, 1968, 1969)
1970s: Five titles for Kilrush Shamrocks (1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979)
1980s: Three titles for Doonbeg (1982, 1983, 1988)
1990s: Five titles for Doonbeg (1991, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999)
2000s: Four titles for Kilmurry-Ibrickane (2002, 2004, 2008, 2009)
2010s: Four titles for Kilmurry-Ibrickane (2011, 2012, 2016, 2017)
2020s: Two titles for Éire Óg, Ennis (2021, 2022)

Barren spells

The longest gaps between successive Clare Senior Football Championship titles are:

70 years: Shannon Gaels, Labasheeda (1900–1970)
42 years: St. Senan's, Kilkee (1942–1984)
40 years: Éire Óg, Ennis (1954–1994)
30 years: Kilmurry-Ibrickane (1933–1963)
27 years: Cooraclare (1918-1945), and Kilmurry-Ibrickane (1966–1993)
26 years: St. Joseph's, Miltown Malbay (1959–1985)
25 years: St. Joseph's, Miltown Malbay (1990-2015)
21 years: Cooraclare (1965–1986)
17 years: St. Joseph's, Miltown Malbay (1932–1949)
15 years: Ennis Dalcassians (1914-1929), and Éire Óg, Ennis (2006-2021)
14 years: St. Senan's, Kilkee (1928–1942)
13 years: Kilrush Shamrocks (1938–1951) & (1962–1975)
12 years: Kilrush Shamrocks (1912–1924)
11 years: Cooraclare (1945-1956) & (1986-1997), and St. Senan's, Kilkee (1992–2003)
10 years: St. Joseph's, Miltown Malbay (1906–1916)

References

^ "Naomh Eoin, O'Curry's & Kilkee To Play As Western Gaels". The Clare Echo. 29 March 2020.
^ "Collins Steers Cratloe To First County Title In Nine Years". RTÉ Sport.
^ Brennan, Eoin (30 October 2022). "Patience A Virtue As Éire Óg Defend Clare SFC Crown With Victory Over Ennistymon". RTÉ Sport.
^ "Éire Óg End 15-Year Wait For Clare SFC Crown". Irish Examiner. 7 November 2021.
^ "Clare SFC final: Sweet sixteen for Kilmurry-Ibrickane". Hogan Stand. 26 September 2020. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
^ Brennan, Eoin (27 October 2019). "Late Surge Sees St Joseph's Miltown Claim Clare SFC Title". RTÉ Sport.
^ "O'Dwyer provides the spark for holders". Irish Examiner. 30 October 2017. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
^ "Kilmurry Ibrickane win 11th Clare title". Irish Examiner. 24 October 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
^ "St Joseph's end 25-year famine". Irish Examiner. 19 October 2015. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
^ "Clare SFC final: Podge purrs as Cratloe complete double". Hogan Stand. 12 October 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
^ "Champagne on ice as Cratloe make history with first-ever senior football title". The Score. 17 November 2013. Archived from the original on 19 November 2013. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
^ "Kilmurry Ibrickane's guile sees them home". Irish Examiner. 22 October 2012. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
^ "McInerney exposes gulf in class". Irish Independent. 17 October 2011. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
^ "Tubridy takes centre stage in dull show to deliver title for Doonbeg". Irish Independent. 11 October 2010. Retrieved 11 October 2010.
^ "Éire Óg Withstand Brave Lissycasey Fightback". Irish Independent.

External links

Official Clare Website
Clare on Hoganstand
Clare Club GAA