# 2024 Clare county hurling team season

The 2024 season was Brian Lohan's fifth year as manager of the Clare senior hurling team since taking over in October 2019.
Clare went on to win their fifth All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship after a 3–29 to 1–34 win against Cork in the final on 21 July.

## 2024 squad
### Management team

* Manager: Brian Lohan
* Selectors: Ken Ralph, Tommy Corbett
* Coaches: Shane Hassett, Brendan Bugler

### Panel

| No. | Player | Position | Club |
| 1 | Éibhear Quilligan | Goalkeeper | Feakle |
| 2 | Rory Hayes | Right Corner Back | Wolfe Tones, Shannon |
| 3 | Conor Cleary | Full back | Kilmaley |
| 4 | Paul Flanagan | Left Corner Back | Ballyea |
| 5 | Diarmuid Ryan | Right half back | Cratloe |
| 6 | John Conlon | Centre back | Clonlara |
| 7 | David McInerney | Left half back | Tulla |
| 8 | David Fitzgerald | Midfield | Inagh-Kilnamona |
| 9 | David Reidy | Midfield | Éire Óg, Ennis |
| 10 | Cathal Malone | Right half Forward | Sixmilebridge |
| 11 | Tony Kelly (C) | Centre forward | Ballyea |
| 12 | Shane O'Donnell | Left half Forward | Éire Óg, Ennis |
| 13 | Ian Galvin | Right Corner Forward | Clonlara |
| 14 | Peter Duggan | Full forward | Clooney-Quin |
| 15 | Ryan Taylor | Left Corner Forward | Clooney-Quin |
| No. | Player | Position | Club |
| 16 | Éamonn Foudy | Substitute | Inagh-Kilnamona |
| 17 | Paudie Fitzpatrick | Substitute | Sixmilebridge |
| 18 | Aron Shanagher | Substitute | Wolfe Tones, Shannon |
| 19 | Shane Meehan | Substitute | Banner |
| 20 | Aaron Fitzgerald | Substitute | Éire Óg, Ennis |
| 21 | Shane Golden | Substitute | Sixmilebridge |
| 22 | Darragh Lohan | Substitute | Wolfe Tones, Shannon |
| 23 | Cian Nolan | Substitute | Smith O'Brien's, Killaloe |
| 24 | Jack Browne | Substitute | Ballyea |
| 25 | Domhnall McMahon | Substitute | Tubber |
| 26 | Mark Rodgers | Substitute | Scariff |

## 2024 Munster Senior Hurling League

The 2024 Munster Senior Hurling League, known for sponsorship reasons as the Co-Op Superstores Munster Hurling League, was an inter-county hurling competition in the province of Munster, played by all six county teams in January 2024.
Clare played Limerick in their opening match of the competition on 10 January in Clarecastle on the AstroTurf pitch. Limerick won the game on a 2–21 to 1–19 scoreline. In the second match on 14 January, Cork defeated Clare by 1–24 to 0–24 at Páirc Uí Rinn. After the postponement of multiple games due to inclement weather, the tournament was unfinished.

### Group A

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Limerick | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 22 | +5 | 2 | Advance to final |
| 2 | Cork | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 24 | +3 | 2 | |
| 3 | Clare (E) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 46 | 54 | −8 | 0 | |

## 2024 National Hurling League

The 2024 National Hurling League (NHL), known for sponsorship reasons as the Allianz Hurling League (AHL), was the 93rd season of the National Hurling League, an annual hurling competition held in Ireland for county teams.
On 6 April, Clare defeated Kilkenny by 3–16 to 1–20 to win the final and a fifth league title. Conor Cleary was captain and lifted the cup as Tony Kelly was injured and missed the match.

### Results

| 4 February 2024 Round 1 | Clare | 1-25 - 2-19 | Cork | Cusack Park Attendance: 7,380 Referee: M Kennedy (Tipperary) |
| 4 February 2024 Round 1 | M Rodgers 0-13 (0-10 f, 0-1 65), S Morey 1-1, D Fitzgerald, D Reidy, R Mounsey, C Malone 0-2 each, D McInerney, S Meehan, G Sheedy 0-1 each. | Report | P Horgan 1-7 (0-7 f), S Kingston 0-3, T O’Connell 1-0, C Lehane, S Barrett 0-2 each, S Twomey, R O’Flynn, C O’Brien, S O’Donoghue, C Joyce 0-1 each. | Cusack Park Attendance: 7,380 Referee: M Kennedy (Tipperary) |
| 11 February 2024 Round 2 | Waterford | 1-16 - 0-20 | Clare | Walsh Park Attendance: 3,951 Referee: L Gordon (Galway) |
| 11 February 2024 Round 2 | Stephen Bennett 0-6 (6fs), S Walsh 1-1, P Curran, C Ryan, Shane Bennett (2fs) 0-2 each, J Prendergast, P Leavy, D Lyons 0-1 each. | Report | A McCarthy 0-8 (6fs), S Rynne, I Galvin, C Galvin, P Crotty 0-2 each, C Malone, D Fitzgerald, D Reidy, S Meehan 0-1 each. | Walsh Park Attendance: 3,951 Referee: L Gordon (Galway) |
| 25 February 2024 Round 3 | Wexford | 1-13 - 0-16 | Clare | Chadwicks Wexford Park Attendance: 4,386 Referee: T Walsh (Waterford) |
| 25 February 2024 Round 3 | S Casey 1-4 (1-0 penalty, 0-2 frees), L Chin 0-3 (1 free), C Hearne, C Dunbar, C Byrne-Dunbar, M Fanning (free), J Doran, J O’Connor 0-1 each | Report | D Fitzgerald 0-5, A McCarthy 0-4 (3 frees), M Rodgers 0-2 (1 free), I Galvin, P Crotty, R Mounsey, S Meehan, P Duggan 0-1 each | Chadwicks Wexford Park Attendance: 4,386 Referee: T Walsh (Waterford) |
| 10 March 2024 Round 4 | Clare | 0-19 - 0-16 | Kilkenny | Cusack Park Attendance: 6,824 Referee: J Owens (Wexford) |
| 10 March 2024 Round 4 | A McCarthy (0-6, frees); D Fitzgerald (0-5); K Smyth (0-2); P Duggan (0-2); C Leen (0-1); D Reidy (0-1); M Rodgers (0-1 free); D Ryan (0-1). | Report | TJ Reid (0-9 frees); J Donnelly (0-3); P Deegan (0-2); D Blanchfield (0-1), E Cody (0-1). | Cusack Park Attendance: 6,824 Referee: J Owens (Wexford) |
| 16 March 2024 Round 5 | Offaly | 1-19 - 0-23 | Clare | Grant Heating St Brendan's Park Referee: C Flynn (Westmeath) |
| 16 March 2024 Round 5 | E Cahill 0-10 (0-8f, 1 ’65), J Clancy 1-0, L Watkins and S Bourke 0-2 each, D Nally, L Fox, D King, E Kelly and D Maher 0-1 each. | Report | D Conroy 0-5 (0-3f), I Galvin 0-4, P Crotty and D Reidy (0-2) 0-3 each, S Meehan, K Smyth (0-2f) and S Morey 0-2 each, R Hayes and P Donnellan 0-1 each. | Grant Heating St Brendan's Park Referee: C Flynn (Westmeath) |
| 24 March 2024 Semi-final | Clare | 1-24 - 2-13 | Tipperary | Laois Hire O'Moore Park Referee: L Gordon (Galway) |
| 24 March 2024 Semi-final | A McCarthy (0-8, 6 frees, 1 65); D Fitzgerald (1-3); M Rodgers (frees), D Reidy (0-3 each); K Smyth (0-2); D Ryan, D Lohan, A Hogan C Malone, C Galvin (0-1 each). | Report | J Forde (0-6, 5 frees); J Morris (1-2); S Hayes (1-0); D McCormack, A Tynan, W Connors, S Kenneally, S Ryan (free) (0-1 each). | Laois Hire O'Moore Park Referee: L Gordon (Galway) |
| 6 April 2024 19:15 Final | Clare | 3-16 - 1-20 | Kilkenny | FBD Semple Stadium Attendance: 12,307 Referee: J Murphy (Limerick) |
| 6 April 2024 19:15 Final | A McCarthy (2-10, 0-9 frees); D Fitzgerald (1-0); M Rodgers (0-2); D Lohan, D Ryan, I Galvin, C Malone (0-1 each). | Report | E Cody (1-4, 0-3 frees); M Keoghan (0-4); A Mullen (0-3); C Kenny (0-2); B Drennan (free), S Murphy, B Ryan, L Blanchfield, R Reid, J Molloy, J Donnelly (0-1 each). | FBD Semple Stadium Attendance: 12,307 Referee: J Murphy (Limerick) |

## 2024 Munster Senior Hurling Championship

The 2024 Munster Senior Hurling Championship was the 137th edition of the Munster Senior Hurling Championship since its establishment by the Munster Council in 1888 and is the highest-tier of Hurling for senior county teams in Munster. It is contested by five Munster GAA county teams ranked 1–5 in the 2024 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship.
Limerick retained the title for a record sixth year in a row after a 1–26 to 1–20 win against Clare.

### Final Table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | SF | SA | Diff | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Limerick | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 8-98 | 6-78 | +26 | 6 | Advance to Munster Final |
| 2 | Clare | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 9-89 | 8-89 | +3 | 6 | Advance to Munster Final |
| 3 | Cork | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 11-107 | 9-98 | +15 | 4 | Advance to All-Ireland preliminary quarter-finals |
| 4 | Waterford | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 9-86 | 6-103 | -8 | 3 | |
| 5 | Tipperary | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2-90 | 10-102 | –36 | 1 | |

### Munster Final

* Limerick advanced to the All-Ireland semi-finals and Clare advanced to the All-Ireland quarter-finals

## 2024 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship

The 2024 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship was the 137th staging of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, the Gaelic Athletic Association's premier inter-county hurling tournament, since its establishment in 1887.
The All-Ireland final was played on 21 July at Croke Park in Dublin, between Clare and Cork. Clare won the game by 3–29 to 1–34 to claim their fifth title.

### Results

* RTÉ 2 BBC Two
* 21 July 2024 (2024-07-21) 15:30 IST (UTC+01:00) Final
* Report
| Clare | 3-29 (38) – (37) 1-34 (a.e.t.) | Cork |
| (HT: 1-12 – 1-12) (FT: 3-21 – 1-27) |||
| Gls: A McCarthy 1, T Kelly 1, M Rodgers 1 Pts: A McCarthy 7 (3fs, 1 '65'), T Kelly 4, M Rodgers 3, D Ryan 3, D Fitzgerald 3, P Duggan 2 (1s/l), D Reidy 2, S O'Donnell 2, R Taylor 1, I Galvin 1, S Meehan 1 | | Gls: R Downey 1 Pts: P Horgan 12 (10fs), S Harnedy 4, T O'Mahony 4, M Coleman 3, B Hayes 2, S Barrett 2, D Fitzgibbon 2, S Kingston 2, E Downey 1, A Connolly 1, C Joyce 1, R O'Flynn 1 |
* Croke Park, Dublin Referee: Johnny Murphy (Limerick) Attendance: 82,300

### Summary

Cork had two points scored in the first minute and added another before Mark Rodgers scored for Clare in the fifth minute. In the 12th minute Rob Downey won the ball on his own 65 and got away from Peter Duggan on the left before firing the ball high to the net straight off his hurl to put Cork into a seven-point lead. In the 18th minute Shane O’Donnell won the ball out on the left before passing to Peter Duggan and retaining the ball again before passing to Aidan McCarthy who scored with a finish to the right corner of the net past the advancing goalkeeper. The scores were level at half-time on 1–12 each.
Clare got a second goal in the 40th minute when Mark Rodgers picked up a breaking ball before stepping inside Mark Coleman from the right and scoring with a low finish to the net. In the 52nd minute, Tony Kelly ran in on goal from the left before flicking the ball over Seán O'Donoghue’s head, touched it on the Hurley before flicking it past Patrick Collins into the right corner of the net to put Clare into a 3–15 to 1–18 lead. Clare were still leading by three with two minutes to go before Cork came back with Patrick Horgan sending the match to extra-time by scoring a free in the 76th minute.

### Trophy presentation

Clare captain Tony Kelly accepted the Liam MacCarthy Cup from GAA president Jarlath Burns in the Hogan Stand and the team then did a victory lap around Croke Park with the trophy.

### Reaction

Highlights of the final were shown on The Sunday Game programme which aired at 9:30pm that night on RTÉ2 and was presented by Jacqui Hurley with match analysis from Brendan Cummins, Jackie Tyrell, Ursula Jacob, Joe Canning, Shane Dowling, and Anthony Daly. On the man of the match award shortlist were Tony Kelly, Conor Leen and Rob Downey with Tony Kelly winning the award which was presented by GAA president Jarlath Burns at the post match Clare function at the Inter-Continental Hotel in Dublin.
The Observer's architecture critic Rowan Moore wrote in praise of hurling, though also suggested it was "unexportable" and, were this not so, then it would be "a global sport".

### Homecoming

The Clare team arrived back in Ennis at 9pm on the day after the game on an open top bus. There was a reception held at Tim Smyth Park in Ennis with an attendance of over 35,000 people. They had previously visited Wolfe Tones GAA club grounds in Shannon, before going thru Clarecastle on the way to Ennis. The players and manager were introduced on stage by RTÉ's Marty Morrissey.