Clare Senior Hurling Championship

For the football equivalent, see Clare Senior Football Championship.

Clare Senior Hurling Championship
Current season or competition: 2024 Clare Senior Hurling Championship
Irish	Craobh Iomána Sinsir Co. an Chláir
Code	Hurling
Founded	1887
Region	Clare (GAA)
Trophy	Canon Hamilton Cup
No. of teams	17
Title holders	Clonlara (3rd title)
Most titles	Newmarket-on-Fergus (23 titles)
Sponsors	Pat O'Donnell & Co.
TV partner(s)	TG4
Official website	clare.gaa.ie

The Clare Senior Hurling Championship or Clare SHC, is an annual hurling competition organised by the Clare County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. It is contested by the top-ranking senior hurling clubs in County Clare, Ireland. It is the most prestigious competition in Clare hurling.

Introduced in 1887 as the Clare Hurling Championship, it was initially a straight knockout tournament open only to senior-ranking club teams. The championship has gone through a number of changes throughout the years, including the use of a round robin, before reverting to a straight knockout format.

In its current format, the Clare Senior Hurling Championship begins once the Clare senior hurling team have concluded their All-Ireland Championship campaign, with seventeen club teams competing in the championship. Six rounds of games are played, culminating with the final match at Cusack Park in October or November that year. The winners of the Clare Senior Hurling Championship qualify for the subsequent Munster Senior Club Hurling Championship, which begins immediately afterwards.

The competition has been won by twenty-three clubs, nineteen of which have won it more than once. Newmarket-on-Fergus are the most successful club in the championship's history, with twenty-three titles.

Clonlara are the reigning champions and current holders of the Canon Hamilton Cup. In 2023, they defeated Crusheen by 3-18 to 2-16 to bridge a fifteen year gap from 2008 to win their third ever title.

History

Early beginnings

Following the foundation of the Gaelic Athletic Association in 1884, new rules for gaelic football and hurling were drawn up and published in the United Irishman newspaper. Over the following three years, county committees were established, with the Clare County Board holding their inaugural meeting on 14 February 1887. The inaugural championship in 1887, saw twenty-two clubs competing, with Smith O'Brien's, Killaloe claiming their first and only title. Since then the championship title has been awarded every year except on nine occasions. No championship took place for a five-year period between 1891 and 1895 or in 1901. The early years of the championship was dominated by Tulla winning eight titles, two of which were won by Carahan, who later became the one club. O'Callaghan's Mills (5), Ennis Dalcassians (4), Kilnamona (3), Newmarket-on-Fergus (2), and Scariff (2) were the only other teams to win multiple titles before the championship was suspended from 1920 to 1922 due to civil unrest during the Irish War of Independence.

Post war of independence

Newmarket-on-Fergus (5) and Ennis Dalcassians (4) dominated the period between 1924 and 1934 winning nine titles between them. Feakle claimed five of the ten titles on offer between 1935 and 1944, including a three-in-a-row from 1938 to 1940. The Jimmy Smyth-inspired Ruan won five titles between 1948 and 1962. The next twenty years was again dominated by Newmarket-on-Fergus who returned after a period in the doldrums to claim thirteen titles between 1963 and 1981, including two three-in-a-rows (1963-1965 and 1967–1969), and a historic four-in-a-row from 1971 to 1974. No other club has won more than back-to-back titles since. The remainder of the 20th century saw Sixmilebridge (6) and Clarecastle (5) win eleven titles between them. From 1995-2000 the Clare champions went on to win six consecutive Munster Senior Club Hurling Championships (Clarecastle, Sixmilebridge (2), Doora-Barefield (2), and Wolfe Tones, Shannon) and two All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championships (Sixmilebridge and Doora-Barefield).

21st century

In 2007 Tulla ended a seventy-four year wait to win their first title since 1933. The following year Clonlara bridged an eighty-nine year gap from 1919 when then won their second county title. There has also been a number of first-time champions since the turn of the millennium with Ballyea, Cratloe, and Crusheen all having won multiple titles since 2009. Since 2015, Ballyea (4) and Sixmilebridge (4) have shared every title between them but have never met in the county final.

Teams

2024 Teams

The 16 teams competing in the 2024 Clare Senior Hurling Championship are:

Club	Location	Colours	Position in 2023	In championship since	Championship titles	Last championship title
Ballyea	Ballyea	Black and Amber	Group stage	?	4	2022
Broadford	Broadford	Green and Yellow	Group stage	?	0	—
Clonlara	Clonlara	Gold and Black	Champions	?	3	2023
Clooney-Quin	Clooney / Quin	Green and Red	Quarter-finals	?	1	1942
Corofin	Corofin	Red and White	—	2024	0	—
Cratloe	Cratloe	Blue and White	Group stage	?	2	2014
Crusheen	Crusheen	Red and White	Runners-up	?	2	2011
Éire Óg, Ennis	Ennis	Red and White	Quarter-finals	?	15	1990
Feakle	Feakle	Green and Yellow	Semi-finals	?	6	1988
Inagh-Kilnamona	Inagh / Kilnamona	Yellow and Green	Group stage	?	3	1908
Kilmaley	Kilmaley	Blue and White	Quarter-finals	?	2	2004
Newmarket-on-Fergus	Newmarket-on-Fergus	Blue and Gold	Quarter-finals	?	23	2012
O'Callaghan's Mills	Kilkishen / O'Callaghan's Mills	Green and Yellow	Group stage	?	8	1937
Scariff	Scariff	Green and White	Semi-finals	?	5	1953
Sixmilebridge	Sixmilebridge	Saffron and Blue	Group stage	?	15	2020
St. Joseph's Doora-Barefield	Doora / Barefield	Maroon and White	Group stage	2023	5	2001

Venues

Early rounds

Cusack Park

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 O'Garney Park in Sixmilebridge, Dr Daly Park in Tulla, and Shannon. 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

Winning managers

Manager	Club	Wins	Years won
Robbie Hogan	Ballyea	3	2016, 2021, 2022
John O'Meara	Sixmilebridge	3	2013, 2015, 2017
Michael Browne	Crusheen	2	2010, 2011
Tim Crowe	Sixmilebridge	2	2019, 2020
John Carmody	Kilmaley	1	2004
Ger Ward	Clarecastle	1	2005
Pat O'Rourke	Wolfe Tones, Shannon	1	2006
Jim McInerney	Tulla	1	2007
Jim Gully	Clonlara	1	2008
Mike Deegan	Cratloe	1	2009
Bob Enright	Newmarket-on-Fergus	1	2012
Joe McGrath	Cratloe	1	2014
Kevin Sheehan	Ballyea	1	2018
Donal Madden	Clonlara	1	2023

Trophy

The winning team is presented with the Canon Hamilton Cup. A native of Clonlara, Michael Hamilton (1894-1969) was educated at Clonlara National School and St. Flannan's College in Ennis. He was ordained to the priesthood in Maynooth University in 1919 and later became a professor at St. Flannan's College. In 1922 he became one of the first chaplains in the Irish Army. Hamilton was a noted hurler in his youth and was chairman of the Clare County Board for over twenty-five years. He died while attending the Newmarket-on-Fergus and Clarecastle county final replay on 31 August 1969.

Roll of honour

By club

#	Club	Titles	Championships won
1.	Newmarket-on-Fergus	23	1912, 1916, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1930, 1931, 1936, 1955, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1981, 2012
2.	Éire Óg, Ennis	15	1956, 1957, 1966, 1980, 1982, 1990 As Ennis Dalcassians : 1890, 1911, 1914, 1915, 1924, 1928 (with Clarecastle), 1929, 1934, 1941
	Sixmilebridge		1977, 1979, 1983, 1984, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1995, 2000, 2002, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020
4.	Clarecastle	12	1928 (with Ennis Dalcassians), 1943, 1945, 1949, 1970, 1986, 1987, 1991, 1994, 1997, 2003, 2005
5.	Tulla	11	1889, 1896, 1897, 1898 (as Carrahan), 1899, 1900 (as Carrahan), 1905, 1913, 1933, 1975 (as Brian Boru's), 2007
6.	O'Callaghan's Mills	8	1904, 1906, 1909, 1910, 1918, 1923 (as Kilkishen), 1932 (as Kilkishen), 1937
7.	Feakle	6	1935, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1944, 1988
8.	Ruan	5	1948, 1951, 1959, 1960, 1962
	Scariff		1907, 1917, 1946, 1952, 1953
	St. Joseph's, Doora-Barefield		1954, 1958, 1998, 1999, 2001
11.	Ballyea	4	2016, 2018, 2021, 2022
12.	Clonlara	3	1919, 2008, 2023
	Inagh-Kilnamona		1902 (as Kilnamona), 1903 (as Kilnamona), 1908 (as Kilnamona)
14.	Bodyke	2	1947, 1975 (as Brian Boru's)
	Cratloe		2009, 2014
	Crusheen		2010, 2011
	Kilmaley		1985, 2004
	Whitegate		1950, 1961
	Wolfe Tones, Shannon		1996, 2006
20.	Clooney-Quin	1	1942 (as Clooney)
	Killanena		1975 (as Brian Boru's)
	Ogonnelloe		1888
	Smith O'Brien's, Killaloe		1887

List of finals

Legend

  All-Ireland Club Champions

  Munster Club Champions

  Munster Club Finalists

List of Clare SHC finals

Year	Winners		Runners-up
	Club	Score	Club	Score
2024
2023 [1]	Clonlara	3-18	Crusheen	2-16
2022 [2]	Ballyea	2-14	Éire Óg, Ennis	1-16
2021 [3]	Ballyea	1-17	Inagh-Kilnamona	1-16
2020 [4]	Sixmilebridge	0-20	O'Callaghan's Mills	0-12
2019 [5]	Sixmilebridge	0-21	Cratloe	0-15
2018 [6]	Ballyea	1-20	Cratloe	1-14
2017 (R) [7]	Sixmilebridge	1-20 (0-19)	Clooney-Quin	1-14 (1-16)
2016 (R) [8]	Ballyea	2-14 (1-11)	Clonlara	2-11 (1-11)
2015 [9]	Sixmilebridge	1-21	Clonlara	0-15
2014 [10]	Cratloe	0-14	Crusheen	0-06
2013 [11]	Sixmilebridge	1-10	Newmarket-on-Fergus	0-11
2012 [12]	Newmarket-on-Fergus	3-10	Cratloe	0-09
2011 [13]	Crusheen	0-10	Sixmilebridge	0-04
2010 [14]	Crusheen	2-13	Cratloe	1-11
2009	Cratloe	3-05	Clonlara	1-09
2008	Clonlara	1-12	Newmarket-on-Fergus	1-09
2007	Tulla	1-07	Crusheen	0-09
2006	Wolfe Tones, Shannon	2-11	Newmarket-on-Fergus	0-13
2005	Clarecastle	0-09	Wolfe Tones, Shannon	0-07
2004	Kilmaley	1-10	St. Joseph's, Doora-Barefield	1-09
2003	Clarecastle	3-14	Ballyea	1-11
2002	Sixmilebridge	3-10	Clarecastle	2-08
2001	St. Joseph's, Doora-Barefield	1-15	Sixmilebridge	1-12
2000	Sixmilebridge	4-09	Éire Óg, Ennis	1-08
1999	St. Joseph's, Doora-Barefield	3-12	Sixmilebridge	1-12
1998	St. Joseph's, Doora-Barefield		Kilmaley
1997	Clarecastle	2-11	St. Joseph's, Doora-Barefield	0-11
1996	Wolfe Tones, Shannon	1-11	Clarecastle	1-08
1995	Sixmilebridge	2-10	Scariff	0-15
1994	Clarecastle		St. Joseph's, Doora-Barefield
1993	Sixmilebridge	3-08	O'Callaghan's Mills	2-06
1992	Sixmilebridge	1-11	Éire Óg, Ennis	1-10
1991	Clarecastle		Scariff
1990	Éire Óg, Ennis	1-05	O'Callaghan's Mills	1-03
1989	Sixmilebridge	3-14	Clarecastle	1-11
1988	Feakle		Ruan
1987	Clarecastle		Feakle
1986	Clarecastle		O'Callaghan's Mills
1985	Kilmaley		Éire Óg, Ennis
1984	Sixmilebridge		Clarecastle
1983 (R)	Sixmilebridge		Éire Óg, Ennis
1982	Éire Óg, Ennis	3–08	Sixmilebridge	2-09
1981	Newmarket-on-Fergus		Tubber
1980	Éire Óg, Ennis		Newmarket-on-Fergus
1979	Sixmilebridge		St Brendan's (Kilmaley / Barefield)
1978	Newmarket-on-Fergus		Clarecastle
1977	Sixmilebridge		Kilkishen
1976	Newmarket-on-Fergus		Sixmilebridge
1975	Brian Boru's (Bodyke / Killanena / Tulla)		Éire Óg, Ennis
1974	Newmarket-on-Fergus		Crusheen
1973	Newmarket-on-Fergus		Clarecastle
1972	Newmarket-on-Fergus		St. Senan's, Kilkee
1971	Newmarket-on-Fergus		Clarecastle
1970	Clarecastle		Crusheen
1969 (R)	Newmarket-on-Fergus		Clarecastle
1968	Newmarket-on-Fergus		Clarecastle
1967	Newmarket-on-Fergus		Clarecastle
1966	Éire Óg, Ennis	2–08	Whitegate	1–04
1965	Newmarket-on-Fergus		Éire Óg, Ennis
1964	Newmarket-on-Fergus		Clarecastle
1963	Newmarket-on-Fergus		Whitegate
1962	Ruan		Sixmilebridge
1961	Whitegate		Newmarket-on-Fergus
1960	Ruan		Scariff
1959	Ruan		Éire Óg, Ennis
1958	St. Joseph's, Doora-Barefield		Feakle
1957	Éire Óg, Ennis	5–09	Whitegate	2-03
1956	Éire Óg, Ennis	4–05	Clarecastle	2-08
1955	Newmarket-on-Fergus		Éire Óg, Ennis
1954	St. Joseph's, Doora-Barefield		O'Callaghan's Mills
1953	Scariff		Newmarket-on-Fergus
1952	Scariff		Sixmilebridge
1951	Ruan
1950	Whitegate		Ruan
1949	Clarecastle
1948	Ruan		Clarecastle
1947	Bodyke
1946	Scariff
1945	Clarecastle
1944	Feakle		Clooney
1943	Clarecastle		Scariff
1942	Clooney		Scariff
1941	Ennis Dalcassians
1940	Feakle		Clooney
1939	Feakle		Clarecastle
1938	Feakle		Kilkishen
1937	O'Callaghan's Mills		Clarecastle
1936	Newmarket-on-Fergus		Clarecastle
1935	Feakle		Newmarket-on-Fergus
1934	Ennis Dalcassians
1933	Tulla
1932	Kilkishen
1931	Newmarket-on-Fergus
1930	Newmarket-on-Fergus
1929	Ennis Dalcassians
1928	Ennis Dalcassians / Clarecastle		Newmarket-on-Fergus
1927	Newmarket-on-Fergus
1926	Newmarket-on-Fergus
1925	Newmarket-on-Fergus
1924	Ennis Dalcassians
1923	Kilkishen		Feakle
1922	No Championship
1921	No Championship
1920	No Championship
1919	Clonlara		Scariff
1918	O'Callaghan's Mills		Scariff
1917	Scariff		Feakle
1916	Newmarket-on-Fergus
1915	Ennis Dalcassians
1914	Ennis Dalcassians
1913	Tulla
1912	Newmarket-on-Fergus
1911	Ennis Dalcassians
1910	O'Callaghan's Mills
1909	O'Callaghan's Mills
1908	Kilnamona	0-11	O'Callaghan's Mills	0-10
1907	Scariff		O'Callaghan's Mills
1906	O'Callaghan's Mills
1905	Tulla
1904	O'Callaghan's Mills
1903	Kilnamona
1902	Kilnamona		Barefield
1901	No Championship
1900	Carrahan
1899	Tulla
1898	Carrahan
1897	Tulla
1896	Tulla
1895	No Championship
1894	No Championship
1893	No Championship
1892	No Championship
1891	No Championship
1890	Ennis Dalcassians
1889	Tulla
1888	Ogonnelloe
1887	Smith O'Brien's

• Brian Boru's were another temporary amalgamation that was composed of the Bodyke, Killanena and Tulla clubs in 1975. They competed together at senior level when they were all competing at either intermediate or junior level individually. Brian Boru's won the 1975 senior county title defeating Éire Óg, Ennis in the final.
• St Brendan's were an temporary amalgamation of the Kilmaley and Doora-Barefield clubs in 1979. St Brendan's contested the 1979 county final, losing out to Sixmilebridge.

Records and statistics

Consecutive championships

• 4-in-a-row:
  • Once by Newmarket-on-Fergus (1971-1974)
• 3-in-a-row:
  • Three times by Newmarket-on-Fergus (1925-1927), (1963-1965), and (1967-1969)
  • Once by Feakle (1938-1940)

"The Double"

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

• Four times by Ennis Dalcassians (1890, 1911, 1914, 1929)
• Once by Cratloe (2014)

By decade

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

• 1880s: One title each for Smith O'Brien's, Killaloe (1887), Ogonnelloe (1888) & Tulla (1889)
• 1890s: Three titles for Tulla (1896, 1897, 1899)
• 1900s: Three titles each for Kilnamona (1902, 1903, 1908) & O'Callaghan's Mills (1904, 1906, 1909)
• 1910s: Three titles for Ennis Dalcassians (1911, 1914, 1915)
• 1920s: Three titles each for Newmarket-on-Fergus (1925, 1926, 1927) & Ennis Dalcassians (1924, 1928 (with Clarecastle), 1929)
• 1930s: Three titles each for Newmarket-on-Fergus (1930, 1931, 1936) & Feakle (1935, 1938, 1939)
• 1940s: Three titles for Clarecastle (1943, 1945, 1949)
• 1950s: Two titles each for Scariff (1952, 1953), Éire Óg (1956, 1957), St. Joseph's, Doora-Barefield (1954, 1958) & Ruan (1951, 1959)
• 1960s: Six titles for Newmarket-on-Fergus (1963, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969)
• 1970s: Six titles for Newmarket-on-Fergus (1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1978)
• 1980s: Three titles for Sixmilebridge (1983, 1984, 1989)
• 1990s: Three titles each for Sixmilebridge (1992, 1993, 1995) & Clarecastle (1991, 1994, 1997)
• 2000s: Two titles each for Sixmilebridge (2000, 2002) & Clarecastle (2003, 2005)
• 2010s: Four titles for Sixmilebridge (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019)
• 2020s: Two titles for Ballyea (2021, 2022)

Barren spells

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

• 89 years: Clonlara (1919-2008)
• 74 years: Tulla (1933-2007)
• 44 years: Feakle (1944-1988)
• 40 years: St. Joseph's, Doora-Barefield (1958-1998)
• 31 years: Newmarket-on-Fergus (1981-2012)
• 29 years: Scariff (1917-1946)
• 21 years: Ennis Dalcassians (1890-1911) & Clarecastle (1949-1970)
• 20 years: Tulla (1913-1933)
• 19 years: O'Callaghan's Mills (1918-1937), Newmarket-on-Fergus (1936-1955) & Kilmaley (1985-2004)
• 16 years: Clarecastle (1970-1986)
• 15 years: Clonlara (2008-2023)
• 14 years: Éire Óg, Ennis (1966-1980)
• 11 years: Whitegate (1950-1961) & Sixmilebridge (2002-2013)
• 10 years: Scariff (1907-1917), Wolfe Tones, Shannon (1996-2006)

See also

• Clare Intermediate Hurling Championship
• Clare Junior A Hurling Championship
• Clare Under-21 A Hurling Championship

References

1. "Conlon leads Clonlara to fairytale Clare final win". RTE Sport. 23 October 2023. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
2. "Hooks, blocks, and tackles was winning formula". Irish Examiner . 24 October 2022. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
3. "Ballyea Deny Final Debutants Inagh-Kilnamona To Secure Clare Hurling Crown". The Irish Times.
4. "Sixmilebridge make some history and look to the future after retaining Clare SHC title". Irish Examiner. 27 September 2020. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
5. "Clare SHC final: joy for Davy Fitz' as 'Bridge see off neighbours". Hogan Stand . 13 October 2019. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
6. "Strong finish sees Ballyea secure second title". Irish Examiner. 22 October 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
7. "Sixmilebridge the team of decade as fairytale ends for Clooney-Quin". Irish Examiner . 23 October 2017. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
8. "Ballyea show courage in abundance to land first title". Irish Examiner . 31 October 2016. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
9. "Gilly glory as Bridge too strong". Irish Examiner . 12 October 2015. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
10. "Clare SHC final: Cratloe complete first leg of double". Hogan Stand . 5 October 2014. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
11. "Battling Bridge reign supreme after final epic". Irish Examiner . 11 November 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
12. "Newmarket end 31 years of hurt". Irish Examiner . 29 October 2012. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
13. "Dillon to fore as Crusheen become Goliaths". Irish Independent. 23 October 2011. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
14. "Long wait over for Crusheen as Meaney's cameo seals historic first". Irish Independent. 18 October 2010. Retrieved 18 October 2010.

External links

• Official Clare Website
• Clare on Hoganstand
• Clare Club GAA