The Clare county football team represents Clare in men's

Gaelic football Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach; short name '), commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA or Football is an Irish team sport. It is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by kic ...

and is governed by

Clare GAA Clare may refer to: Places Antarctica * Clare Range, a mountain range in Victoria Land Australia * Clare, South Australia, a town in the Clare Valley * Clare Valley, South Australia Canada * Clare (electoral district), an electoral district * Cl ...

, the

county board A county board is a common form of county legislature, particular of counties in the United States. Related forms of county government include: * Board of Supervisors — a form of county legislature in some U.S. states * County commission, ...

of the

Gaelic Athletic Association The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional ...

. The team competes in the three major annual inter-county competitions; the

All-Ireland Senior Football Championship The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship (SFC) ( ga, Craobh Shinsir Peile na hÉireann) is the premier competition in Gaelic football. An annual tournament organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), it is contested by the county ...

, the

Munster Senior Football Championship The Munster Senior Football Championship, known simply as the Munster Championship and shortened to Munster SFC, is an annual inter-county Gaelic football competition organised by the Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It i ...

and the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

. Clare's home ground is Cusack Park,

Ennis Ennis () is the county town of County Clare, in the mid-west of Ireland. The town lies on the River Fergus, north of where the river widens and enters the Shannon Estuary. Ennis is the largest town in County Clare, with a population of 25,27 ...

. The team's manager is

Colm Collins Colm Collins is a Gaelic football manager, associated with Cratloe GAA club. Career Collins is a native of Kilmihil. He began managing Clare in late 2013 and became the longest-serving inter-county football manager when Mickey Harte left Tyr ...

from

Cratloe Cratloe () is a village in County Clare, Ireland, situated between Limerick and Shannon in the mid-west of Ireland. It is possible that the name derives from ''Croit-shliabh'' meaning "hump-backed hill", referring to Woodcock Hill. The present ...

. The team last won the Munster Senior Championship in 1992, but has never won the All-Ireland Senior Championship or the National League.

History

Clare has won two

(SFC) titles. The county competes in Division 2 of the

1917: First Munster SFC title and only All-Ireland SFC final

Clare won its first Munster SFC in 1917, defeating

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

on a scoreline of 5–04 to 0–01. This was after losing deciders in 1912 and 1915 to

Kerry Kerry or Kerri may refer to: * Kerry (name), a given name and surname of Gaelic origin (including a list of people with the name) Places * Kerry, Queensland, Australia * County Kerry, Ireland ** Kerry Airport, an international airport in Count ...

and in 1916 to Cork. Clare then faced

Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...

in the 1917 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship (SFC) semi-final and won by a scoreline of 2–01 to 0–05. However, in the 1917 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, Clare narrowly lost to

Wexford Wexford () is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the island of Ireland. The town is linked to Dublin by the M11/N11 N ...

by a scoreline of 0–09 to 0–05. Wexford had won the All-Ireland SFC in 1915 and 1916 and would complete a four-in-a-row in 1918.

1979: "Milltown Massacre"

A low point for the county team was the so-called "Milltown Massacre" in 1979. During a game played in

Milltown Malbay Milltown Malbay (), also Miltown Malbay, is a town in the west of County Clare, Ireland, near Spanish Point. The population was 829 at the 2016 Census. Name There is a townland on the southern edge of the town called Poulawillin or Pollawillin ...

, Clare lost to Kerry by a scoreline of 1–9 to 9–21, a difference of 35 points. Tommy Tubridy, the father of

David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

, played in that game.

1990–1994: John Maughan and second Munster SFC title

Clare football's greatest day since 1917 arrived in 1992 when, under the stewardship of

Mayo Mayo often refers to: * Mayonnaise, often shortened to "mayo" * Mayo Clinic, a medical center in Rochester, Minnesota, United States Mayo may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Mayo Peak, Marie Byrd Land Australia * Division of Mayo, an Aust ...

native John Maughan, the county won its second Munster SFC by defeating Kerry in the final at the

Gaelic Grounds The Gaelic Grounds, know for sponsorshop reasons as the TUS Gaelic Grounds, is the principal GAA stadium in the Irish city of Limerick, home to the Limerick hurling and football teams. It has a capacity of 44,023. History 9 October 1926 saw ...

Limerick Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...

, by a scoreline of 2–10 to 0–12. This victory was aided in no small part by two second half goals from Colm Clancy and Martin Daly. This victory was also historic in that it is the only year from 1936 to 2020 (when Tipperary won) that neither Kerry nor Cork won the Munster SFC. Clare's luck would run out however, and in the 1992 All-Ireland SFC semi-final, the team lost to

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

by a scoreline of 3–14 to 2–12. Full back on the team of 1992 was

Seamus Clancy Seamus Clancy is a Gaelic footballer from Kilnaboy County Clare. He won a Munster Senior Football Championship in 1992 when Clare had a surprise win over Kerry in the final, he later won an All Star award and is to date Clare's only football A ...

, brother of full-forward Colm, and he was rewarded for his performances in the 1992 championship with a place on the All-Star team of that year.

2013–present: Colm Collins

Collins led Clare from Division 4 to Division 2 of the

. Clare qualified for a 2016 All-Ireland SFC quarter-final by defeating

Roscommon Roscommon (; ) is the county town and the largest town in County Roscommon in Ireland. It is roughly in the centre of Ireland, near the meeting of the N60, N61 and N63 roads. The name Roscommon is derived from Coman mac Faelchon who built ...

. Won against Roscommon again, this time at

Croke Park Croke Park ( ga, Páirc an Chrócaigh, ) is a Gaelic games stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Named after Archbishop Thomas Croke, it is referred to as Croker by GAA fans and locals. It serves as both the principal national stadium of Ireland and he ...

, in the 2022 All-Ireland SFC.

Support

Clare has its own supporters' club, which is separate from the supporters' club of the county hurling team.

Current panel

Current management team

:''Apppointed in October 2013, some additions noted.'' *

Manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

(

) *

Coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

: Brian Carson, replacing Gerry McGowan ( Tourlestrane) at the end of the 2022 season; McGowan succeeded Carson from 2021, while

Paudie Kissane Paudie Kissane (born 1 March 1980) is an Irish Gaelic footballer who played as a left wing-back for the Cork senior team. Born in Whitechurch, County Cork, Kissane arrived on the inter-county scene at the age of eighteen when he first linked ...

, Ephie Fitzgerald and Mick Bohan all coached Clare for one year under Colm Collins's management before Alan Flynn and Brian Carson served two years each *Assistant coach: Mark Doran (Down), from the end of the 2022 season *

Goalkeeping coach A sports coach is a person coaching in sport, involved in the direction, instruction and training of a sports team or athlete. History The original sense of the word ''coach'' is that of a horse-drawn carriage, deriving ultimately from the Hun ...

: Joe Hayes, replacing Declan O'Keeffe at the end of the 2022 season *

Selector Selector may refer to: *Selector, electrical or mechanical component, a switch *''Selector'', music scheduling software for radio stations created by Radio Computing Services *Selector, of music, otherwise known as a disc jockey *Selector, a pers ...

s: Enda Coughlan and Declan Downes * Strength and conditioning coach: Michael Cahill (Limerick), replacing Rob Mulcahy at the end of the 2022 season

Managerial history

Clare have a history of appointing "foreign" managers, with John Maughan, from

, proving to be the most successful; Maughan led Clare to the 1992 Munster SFC (a first in 75 years). Other outsiders to manage Clare include Frank Doherty (

) and the

men

Donie Buckley Donie Buckley (born early 1960s) is an Irish Gaelic football coach and former player. He played at full forward with his local club Castleisland Desmonds but never with the Kerry county team. His coaching has taken him all along the western co ...

(who managed jointly with Michael Brennan from

), John Kennedy, John O'Keeffe,

Mick O'Dwyer Michael O'Dwyer (born 9 June 1936) is an Irish retired Gaelic football manager and former player. He most famously managed the senior Kerry county team between 1974 and 1989, during which time he became the county's longest-serving manager an ...

and

Páidí Ó Sé Páidí Ó Sé (, ; 16 May 1955 – 15 December 2012) was an Irish Gaelic football manager and player, whose league and championship career at senior level with the Kerry county team spanned fifteen seasons from 1974 to 1988. Ó Sé is wide ...

. However,

(from

club

) began managing the team in 2013 and lasted so long that

RTÉ (RTÉ) (; Irish language, Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the Public broadcaster, national broadcaster of Republic of Ireland, Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on RTÉ Television, telev ...

called him "an icon of stability" in 2022, in contrast to less successful managerial appointments elsewhere.

Players

Notable players

Gary Brennan Gary Brennan is an Irish Gaelic footballer who played for the Clondegad club and at senior level for the Clare county team. He also plays club hurling for Ballyea. Playing career Club Inter-county On 31 July 2016, Brennan started in midfi ...

* Gordon Kelly

Records

David Tubridy David Tubridy (born 1987) is a Gaelic footballer. He plays senior football for Doonbeg and the Clare county team. Tubridy plays as a forward. The '' Irish Independent'' has described him as "the floating butterfly lurking on the Clare '45". ...

became top scorer in

history against

in May 2021, his total score in the competition after this game (22–412, i.e. 478 points) causing him to overtake the record of Mickey Kearins.

All Stars

Clare has one All Star.

Competitive record

All-Ireland SFC final record

Honours

National

** Runners-up (1): 1917 *All-Ireland Senior B Football Championship ** Winners (2): 1991 *

Tommy Murphy Cup The Tommy Murphy Cup was a Gaelic football competition, featuring senior county teams eliminated from the early stages of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship and also Kilkenny when not fielding a team in the main All-Ireland. The seri ...

** Winners (1):

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

* National Football League Division 2 ** Winners (2): 1992, 1995 * National Football League Division 3 ** Winners (2): 1987, 2016 * National Football League Division 4 ** Winners (1): 1982 *

All-Ireland Minor Football Championship The Electric Ireland All-Ireland Minor Football Championship is the premier under-17 "knockout" competition in Gaelic football played in Ireland. 2017 was the final year of the minor under 18 football championship as it were replaced by an under ...

** Winners (1): 1929

Provincial

** Winners (2): 1917, 1992 ** Runners-up (12): 1912, 1915, 1916, 1919, 1925, 1929, 1936, 1937, 1941, 1949, 1997,

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

McGrath Cup The McGrath Cup is a Gaelic football competition played each January in Munster Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms ...

** Winners (13): 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1990, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2000, 2002, 2008,

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

Munster Football League The Munster Football League was a senior inter-county Gaelic football competition. It was established in 1925. The competition was often referred to as the McGrath Cup, as the trophy was presented by Mr. Pat McGrath, the secretary of the Munste ...

** Winners (1): 1933–34 *

Munster Junior Football Championship The Munster Junior Football Championship is a gaelic football tournament between the six counties of Munster: Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary, Clare and Waterford. It is the third-tier county teams playing off in a single-elimination tournament w ...

** Winners (1): 1925 *

Munster Minor Football Championship The Munster Minor Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football competition organised by the Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1928 for the youngest competitors (under-18) in the province of Munster in Ireland. It is ...

** Winners (3): 1929, 1930, 1953

Minor team

Clare have won one All-Ireland and three Munster titles at minor level. They won the first of their three Munster Minor Football Championships defeating

Waterford "Waterford remains the untaken city" , mapsize = 220px , pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe , pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe , pushpin_relief = 1 , coordinates ...

in 1929. Clare then proceeded to qualify for the inaugural All-Ireland Minor Football Final. In the final they faced

Longford Longford () is the county town of County Longford in Ireland. It has a population of 10,008 according to the 2016 census. It is the biggest town in the county and about one third of the county's population lives there. Longford lies at the meet ...

and prevailed by 5-03 to 3-05, to crown Clare All-Ireland Minor Champions. Clare defeated

Tipperary Tipperary is the name of: Places *County Tipperary, a county in Ireland **North Tipperary, a former administrative county based in Nenagh **South Tipperary, a former administrative county based in Clonmel *Tipperary (town), County Tipperary's na ...

in the 1930 Munster final to retain their provincial crown. The Banner County had to wait until 1953 for another Munster title. On this occasion Clare defeated

in the decider.

Competitive record

All-Ireland Minor Football Championship Final appearances

References

{{GAA National Leagues County football teams