Stephen Mulligan
We wish you a Merry Christmas!

Handball is coming home to Clontarf

Handball (one wall) is an exciting new addition for Clontarf GAA Club. This is a game for males and females alike and for all ages (8-90yrs). It is now the fastest growing sport in primary schools across the country as well as further afield across many European countries.

On Saturday the 24th of July from 10-1pm at the club a foundation course is taking place for all ages. (beginners to advanced). Places are limited for this first course.

To register please contact Ger Craddock:

Mobile: 0872230179 or email: gmcraddock@gmail.com.

Senior Football Match report 10-07-21

Dublin Go Ahead Adult Football League – Division 1 - North: 
Round 4:  Naomh Mearnog v Cluain Tarbh 10th July 2021

 

Clontarf made the trip to the impressive Pairc Mearnog facilities at Blackwood Lane on a beautiful sunny breezy Saturday evening.   This was a daunting test against an unbeaten Naomh Mearnog team whose young Manager enjoyed more than a passing knowledge of his opposition visitors.  After a couple of unsuccessful Mearnog attacks, Clontarf, playing with the wind, and welcoming Morgan Walsh back from injury, got the first score.  Tiz McDonncha worked the ball to Rory Clarke who chipped over the bar.   Next a point from  the Mearnog’s  number 12 Shane Kavanagh.  Then a reply from Nathan Doran who was fouled but made good use of the advantage rule to kick over.  On 10 minutes the home supporters enjoyed watching a well worked Mearnogs goal.  Impressive midfielder Shane Bissett Lynch made a strong run through the Clontarf defence to feed his corner forward who slotted home.  Clontarf responded with a point from Tiz and a free from Nathan.   Mearnogs hit back with points from Bissett Lynch, and centre back Aodan Fee, who beat his man to a Clontarf kick out and popped over a nice point.    Another Nathan free.  Then Conor Doran worked his way forward from full back, and as the defence retreated, he passed to Tiz who slotted over to level the game.  Mearnog had time for a free from Kavanagh to  secure the narrowest of advantages before the first half water break.

 

1-4 to 0-6 at the first water break.

 

Clontarf stepped it up in the second quarter.  Rory Clark won a great long range kick out from Brian Dufficy and gave the perfect pop pass to Matthew McMahon travelling at speed down the right side line.   Matthew burned the defensive cover, cut in and scored a super point without checking his pace.  After another Nathan free,  a swift Clontarf move involving a high catch and strong run from Charlie Meehan, and a kick pass to Nathan providing him with a mark.  The subsequent free kick came off the post, and was collected by the keeper, who looked to build the next Mearnogs move.  However Kieran McKeown had other ideas.  He chased, harried, and dispossessed the Mearnog goalie before swinging the ball over the bar. 

 

The key Clontarf score of the half then came on 28 minutes.  A Mearnogs kick out went over everyone’s heads and was swept up by Jack McCaffrey.  Jack moved forward at pace, giving a swift one-two with Andy Foley, and just kept going straight.  After another one-two, this time with Nathan, he had the simplest of tasks to palm the ball to the net.  Two accurate frees from Nathan completed the Clontarf scoring for the half.  Meanwhile the lively Mearnogs attack had just two points to show for their efforts during an entertaining second quarter.

 

1-6 to 1-11 at half time. 

 

Clontarf’s best score of the match came from the second half throw in.  Andy Foley fisted the ball down to Charlie, who fed Morgan Walsh storming down the middle.  He fed Tiz who stroked over a lovely point off his left.   Three great points from the familiar surroundings of the half forward line,  maybe he won’t be allowed a cameo goalkeeper role again for a wee while! 

 

After a point from the Mearnog wing back, things got even better for Clontarf.   A Foley garryowen dropped short in front of the Mearnogs goals.  Kieran McKeown positioned himself beneath it and couldn’t be dislodged, despite the best efforts of two defenders.  He gathered, swivelled, and side footed the ball along the ground into the net.  A second point and sixth free from in form Nathan Doran, either side of a punt kick from Charlie, completed the Clontarf scoring for the quarter and indeed for the match.   An 11 point lead at the end of the third quarter meant no realistic way back for the home team.

 

1-8 to 2-15 at the second water break.

 

Game management was the Clontarf mindset for the fourth quarter.  Naomh Mearnog did manage to get three points, but Clontarf kept most of the possession, played the ball around, created some chances, and were happy to give some of the subs a run out, knowing the match was over as a contest well before the final whistle.

 

Full time score:  1-11 to 2-15. 

 

A second league win and building confidence for this Clontarf team, with growing signs of strength in depth.  Next up, a  mid-week encounter with our Malahide road close neighbours on Pitch 34 at 7.30pm Wednesday 20th July.  Book your socially distant side line spot now! 

 

Clontarf Team; Fergal O’Bryne; Conor Doran, Shane Walsh,  Mark Winters, Jack McCaffrey(1-0), Stephen O’Quigley, Andy Foley, Dave Egan; Maitias McDonncha (0-3), Charlie Meehan (0-1), Morgan Walsh, Kieran McKeown (1-1), Nathan Doran (0-8, 6F), Rory Clarke (0-1).  Subs: Matthew McMahon (0-1), Sean Prendergast, Brian Berney.

Senior Football Match report 07-07-21

Dublin Go Ahead Adult Football League – Division 1 - North:

Round 3: St. Maurs v Cluain Tarbh. 7th July 2021

Clontarf Senior Men’s Footballers travelled to north county Dublin in search of a first league win on Wednesday night, with St. Maurs the opposition in round 3 of the league.

The home team settled into their stride first with two scores from forward ‘marks’ by last year’s Dublin U20 scoring sensation, Ciaran Archer. After a couple of unsuccessful early attempts, Clontarf responded with a point from Charlie Meehan. St. Maurs then scored a point from their 10, and Clontarf hit a reply from Nathan Doran. Another St. Maurs point from their number 9, and then a free by Nathan after he was taken down on a typical strong run at the opposition defence. A fairly even first quarter ended with the home team ahead by the minimum.

0-4 to 0-3 at the first water break.

St. Maurs pushed ahead in the second quarter with points from Archer either side of two great efforts from their 15 and 10. Meanwhile Clontarf’s pacey counterattacking game and good forward movement were starting to make an impact. A purposeful run from full back by Conor Doran led to Andy Foley kicking an assured point. Kieran McKeon was causing all sorts of problems for his marker, and made two great catches in a row. The first resulted in a wide from play when a mark might have been a better option with the benefit of hindsight. Next ball in, and another great catch from Kieran, and this time he took his mark, making no mistake with it to claim the last score of an evenly contested first half.

Half time: 0-7 to 0-5.

Happily for the away supporters, the second half was much more one sided, as Clontarf produced their best half of football of the league so far. The St. Maurs defence struggled during a 15 minute purple patch from the team in the red. Five unanswered points demonstrating several textbook ways to work scores. Firstly a swift passing move involving Nathan Doran and Rory Clarke was finished off by a point from Charlie. This was followed by ‘keep ball’ as Clontarf worked over and back across the field in search of an opening. Eventually Matthew McMahon threaded a super pass to Nathan who ran strongly at the defence and drew a foul which he converted. Next Foley made a typical dominant catch from a Clontarf kick out, and laid the ball off to Jack McCaffrey. Jack, travelling at speed, cut through the defence, was fouled, but still kept going to chip over the bar. He was back in position for the subsequent St. Maurs play, making an interception which led to another point from Charlie. Then yet another Foley fetch in the middle started another patient build up, and eventually a second point from Kieran. At this stage, a rampant Clontarf attack was starting to enjoy themselves. At the same time, an aggressive Clontarf defence gave the home team no easy changes, with the collective effort typified by one great hassle and dispossession by Mark Winters.

This all left Maitias McDonncha, wearing an unfamiliar No.1 shirt, with much to admire in front of him, and little to do around him. His kick outs were excellent, and maybe his shot stopping ability was equally excellent, but we’ll never know because his defensive colleagues didn’t allow any opportunities for St. Maurs to test him out.

0-8 to 0-10 at the second water break.

The dominant Clontarf performance continued through the fourth quarter. The lightning pace of Shane Walsh from corner back, and the smart running of Stephen O’Quigley from wing back, were causing particular trouble for the home defence. One such break provided Kieran McKeon with a successful scoring opportunity. Then Stephen made a great catch and run forward to feed the ball to Niall McCaffery who was fouled and Nathan scored the resultant free. Another attack moved the ball quickly to Charlie who ran at the defence and kicked over. Next an impressive build up, with Stephen again to the fore, ended with Foley floating over a great point. The final Clontarf score came in injury time, and it was another Nathan free as the home defence became increasingly frustrated. St. Maurs, living on scraps, could only register three points during the half, and were probably relieved to hear the final whistle.

Full time score: St Maurs 0-10 Clontarf 0-16.

A welcome first win and definite signs of progress for this Clontarf team, who will need to maintain the upward curve for a tough away encounter in a couple of days time against unbeaten Naomh Mearnóg on Saturday 10th July at 6.30pm.

Clontarf Team: Maitias McDonncha, Ciaran Kyne, Conor Doran, Shane Walsh, Mark Winters, Jack McCaffrey(0-1), Stephen O’Quigley, Andy Foley (0-2), Dave Egan, Patrick Mohan, Charlie Meehan (0-4), Sean Prendergast, Kieran McKeown (0-3, 1M), Nathan Doran (0-6, 3F), Rory Clarke. Subs: Matthew McMahon, Niall McCaffery, Craig McConnell.

Hurl-A-Ton 2021 - Defibrillator Fundraiser

Hurl-A-Ton 2021 - Defibrillator Fundraiser

Clontarf GAA Hurling and Camogie players are coming together, with support from Clontarf First Responders, to raise funds for additional local publicly available AEDs. On Saturday 10th July, we’re planning to puck a sliotar from St. Anne’s Park to Semple stadium (without leaving the park!) We’ll be pucking the ball for 100 miles or 160kM to raise money to purchase one additional public AED in the area.

Senior Men’s Football Match report 26-06-21

Dublin Go Ahead Adult Football League – Division 1 North: Round 2
Cluain Tarbh v St. Brigid’s Saturday 26-06-2021

A Clontarf trivia question: “when was our last home league match before Saturday?” Answers on an envelope into the club letterbox (not really, just have a think…😊). Anyway, the welcome return of Division 1 football to Pitch 35 saw a Clontarf team searching for their first league points facing a St. Brigid’s team in a similar position.

Brigid’s had the better start with a 45 and a free to go 2 up after 5 minutes. Meanwhile Clontarf dropped two shots short. Then Jack McCaffrey worked his way forward to feed Andy Foley who steadied the ship with a great point from distance. This was followed by points from Charlie Meehan and Shane Walsh, whose intelligent running from wing back was causing problems for the Brigid’s defence.

0-4 to 0-2 at the first water break.

Clontarf settled into the task in quarter two, and the game settled into a pattern. Plenty of Clontarf chances, good Brigid’s kick outs resulting in promising positions for them, only to be dispossessed by a composed and effective Clontarf defence, some pacey home team counter attacks and occasional Brigid’s penetration, with one great point from their number 5. Then a super pass from Foley put Kieran McKeown into a scoring position and he popped it over. A further point from Nathan Doran left Clontarf three up at the break and looking comfortable. 

Half time: 0-6 to 0-3.

In the first 10 minutes of the second half, a point and a free form Nathan book ended Clontarf’s best spell of the match. In between, Charlie scored another two and a strong run from Kieran McKeown put him through for an excellent point. Brigid’s got one back but looked under pressure, and Clontarf enjoyed a 7-point lead after 40 minutes. 

It would have been nice to stop the clock then. Instead the Brigid’s attack, led by Paddy Andrews, were not for giving up. They set about pegging back the Clontarf lead, and anyone who thought the game was over at that stage was wrong. Meanwhile Clontarf, with a number of personnel changes, seemed to lose shape and concentration. We were still dominating around midfield, thanks to some great catches from Foley and Charlie in particular, and we were still creating chances, but just not converting them! In contrast, an efficient Brigid’s team picked off score after score to increase the pressure. 

0-11 to 0-7 at the second water break.

The final quarter continued in the same fashion and with five minutes to go, it was level! Injury time arrived, and another great point from the Brigid’s wing back put us 1 down! It was now 20 minutes since the last Clontarf score, despite superior possession and better fitness! 

Time for one last Clontarf attack deep into injury time, and with a patient build up, as we searched for an opening, up stepped Dave Egan to take the responsibility and he hit a majestic score off his left. The full-time whistle sounded! A draw and our first point of the 2021 league. In the circumstances, we’ll take that! 

Overall a good full squad effort, including welcome second half appearances for Fergal O’Byrne and Sean Prendergast, and solid senior team debuts for Mark Winters and Niall McCaffery. But lots of learnings for the next day, when this young Clontarf team will play St. Maurs, in a mid-week away match at 7.30pm on 7th July. 

And, by the way, our last home league game was a win against Ballinteer in the first (and only) league match of 2020! 1st March 2020 BC (Before Covid!).

Final Score: 0-12 to 0-12.

Clontarf Team: Ross O’Hanlon, Ciaran Kyne, Conor Doran, Declan Monaghan, Shane Walsh (0-1) Jack McCaffrey, Stephen O’Quigley, Andy Foley (0-1), Dave Egan (0-1), Patrick Monaghan, Charlie Meehan (0-3), Joe McDonagh, Brian Bernie, Nathan Doran (0-4, 2F), Kieran McKeown (0-2). Subs: Mark Winters, Niall McCaffery, Fiachra (Theo) Dodd, Fergal O’Byrne, Sean Prendergast.