A FEW NAMES jump off the team sheet, when one goes looking for the starring cast of Clare’s stunning victory over Limerick in the SHC.
We invite Shane O’Donnell to stand up after a busy evening at the Gaelic Grounds where he was a constant torment for the home defence. Tony Kelly was right there too, hurting Limerick in the capacity of provider as well as scorer. That’s his usual beat. Aron Shanagher left his imprint on the game after coming on as a late substitute to tap over two points in 10 minutes.
David Fitzgerald has been arguably Clare’s most consistent performer, and he demonstrated that quality again to conquer Limerick and hand them their first championship defeat of 2023. His Inagh-Kilnamona clubmate Aidan McCarthy also distinguished himself with a fine haul of seven points. And that’s where we begin.
McCarthy has been commanding the attention of the crowd throughout the year, as he churned out an impressive league campaign. He chalked up 2-51 throughout Clare’s Division 1 journey, and is a worthy successor to Kelly as the team’s chief free-taker. His impact is underlined by the fact that he missed all of Clare’s 2022 season after suffering a a serious ankle injury in a workplace accident.
Two-time All-Ireland winner Fergal Hegarty was the Inagh-Kilnamona manager when McCarthy first made the breakthrough to the senior grade. Even then, he was standing out having been included in the 2017 minor team of the year.
“In my first year as manager, Aidan was U18 and we gave him his head. He was exceptional. He was probably our top forward, exceptionally good under a high ball. He has developed a lot more physically since then but he was a strong guy for his age. He’s put on a lot of bulk since with strength and conditioning. He was scoring four or five points for us as a minor at that stage.
“He was always destined to be a Clare senior. He was an All-Star at minor [in 2017] and he’s equally at home as a half-back as his in the forwards. When we brought him in, he would have done a lot of his hurling as a half-back and won that All-Star as a wing back with Clare. He played U20 as a half-back with Clare and he played underage as a wing forward so we put him straight in as a wing forward.
“At senior club, you get a lot of rough house treatment, particularly when you’re a young lad. But he was well able to stand up and look after himself.”
McCarthy is also a proficient footballer and plays with local side Kilmurry-Ibrickane. In 2021, he helped his hurling and football clubs reach the senior county final along with his brother Jason. For Inagh-Kilnamona, its was their first time to reach a senior county final appearance after a thrilling semi-final win over Éire Óg.
Neither side were successful in their respective finals, but McCarthy’s athleticism allows him to thrive in the workload. He was also an accomplished cross-country runner in his schooldays and would be seen running lap after lap in the local field.
“He did a lot of cross country as a kid,” says Hegarty. “If you went to the pitch, you were as likely to see him doing the laps of the field barefooted, as you were to see him with a ball.
“If you look at a picture of him a couple of years ago compared to now, he has transformed. A lot of muscle there.”
David Fitzgerald was also involved in that charge to the county final for Inagh-Kilnamona. And similar to McCarthy, he can excel in a few different positions. Having utility players in the deck means Clare boss Brian Lohan always has options to play around with.
“Davy primarily played as a wing back for the club,” Hegarty explains. “A lot of people see that as probably his best position. When he came onto the Clare panel initially, that’s where he would have played under Davy Fitzgerald. He was an attacking sort of half-back.
“[They were] hugely influential with the club getting to the county final. He had a bad knee injury in the semi-final and was lucky to play in the final, but still got a couple of points. He’s an extremely athletic, pacey guy. When he gets a full head of steam up, it’s very hard to stop him, particularly when’s coming from deep in a wing back position.
“He wears number 8 or 9 for Clare but plays wing forward. Some people haven’t copped that yet. Ryan Taylor and [Cathal] Malone play in midfield. But he comes back deep to collect the ball and when he comes running, he’s very hard to stop. He’s 6ft 5′ or so, and built accordingly. I think he was one of the major reasons why Clare beat Limerick the last day.”
It was early January 2022 when news of McCarthy’s injury in an accident at work first circulated. Having been nominated for Young Hurler of the Year in 2021, it was a devastating blow for such an emerging talent, as well as a loss for the wider Clare fanbase.
According to Hegarty, the accident involved a concrete product which fell and left McCarthy with a serious injury to his ankle.
“It really did a lot of damage to his ankle and he had a couple of different surgeries to put it back together again. He had screws put in.
“He came back last year and tried to come back for Clare but it was probably a bit soon. He just wasn’t fully right, I think you could visibly see he wasn’t right. He did play with the club and seemed to be moving a lot freer. He was getting better and better and he’s shown no ill effects this year. He’s moving perfectly again. He was very disciplined with his rehab and he’s back perfect now.
“He’s a very strong willed young fella and would get that from his parents. If anyone was going to come back from it, it would have been him. There wouldn’t be any feeling sorry for himself. He would get up and get at it to make the best of the situation.”
Defeating the reigning Munster and All-Ireland champions is a major boost to Clare’s march in 2023. Given the troubles that Waterford are experiencing in the round-robin, Brian Lohan’s side will hope to keep their winning momentum going this weekend.
McCarthy running with a full engine is another huge plus for Banner fans. And after reaching the provincial final as well as the All-Ireland semi-final last year, the 2023 targets are clearly laid out for them.
“Clare have been there or thereabouts for the last couple of years,” says Hegarty.
“To win a Munster championship gives you a lot of confidence, but to beat Limerick and the powerhouse that they are, I think that’s worth more than just a victory. It’s a huge morale boosting win. Looking at the moment, Clare are in a great position. They have exceptional forwards and not as reliant on Tony Kelly as they have been in the past. It’s looking very positive but there’s a long way to go.”
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