The final brush strokes of preparation are being meticulously placed this week at handball clubs across the county as excitement builds ahead of the most important festival of the sport in Clare since the before the millennium, the Irish Nationals.
Some 150 male and female handballers from across Ireland, including a number of Clare’s finest, will descend on nine venues as the county hosts its biggest handball event since the World Championships came to Clare in 1989.
Nine host clubs have been building up to the Nationals for weeks, with significant investment and volunteer time dedicated to getting the venues right for the event – the second most important competition of the year after the All-Irelands, which will be held in March.
Venues have been painted, courts sealed and varnished, viewing areas have been given a make-over and so much more besides in the build-up as Clare handball looks to put its best foot forward.
The Nationals commence on Friday night and run right through to Sunday. Over 150 adult players in all, from Senior ranks to the over 55’s, will participate in the nine venues – Tuamgraney, Tulla, O’Callaghan’s Mills, Kilkishen, Clooney-Quin, Clarecastle, Newmarket-on-Fergus, Toonagh, Broadford. The finals will be held in Newmarket, Clarecastle and Kilkishen from 9:30am on Sunday, with the last of these due to start from 1-1:30pm. It’s on then to Tuamgraney, the spiritual home of Clare handball, for the Senior men’s and women’s finals that afternoon.
The Nationals, Clare Handball Secretary Orla Considine said, are a brilliant opportunity for the promotion of the game in Clare. “Getting to host the nationals is a great opportunity to promote handball in our own county and to promote the county’s strength in and passion for the game nationally. There’s such a great tradition of handball in Clare and we’re hugely competitive as a county but events like this really give the game here a boost.
“It’s super for those already involved in the game in Clare and it’s a super for promotion of handball among children, as well as an opportunity for those curious about the game to go and see some of the top players in the country, in fact in the world, playing against each other. Any sports fan will instantly recognize the skill level of the game, the discipline, the focus and the weekend will see all this on show at the highest level.”
Orla said that there’s an open invitation to people to come and watch the action live. “There will be 175 games in total over the weekend and while seating capacity in courts is tight by nature, there’s plenty of options as the games will run from Friday evening through to Sunday afternoon when the men’s and women’s finals will be held in Tuamgraney.”
The Clare Secretary said that a particularly pleasing aspect of the Nationals is the growth of female participation. “There’s been a big push to promote the women’s game, including in Clare. This year’s Nationals will have the highest female participation to date, with 27 in total participating and four of those are from Clare, including Catriona Millane, who is in her first year of senior ladies having won intermediate last year,” she said.
There will be huge Clare interest in the men’s senior ranks, with Colin Crehan defending the title he won last year in a gripping final against his doubles partner, Tuamgraney Handball Club’s 2022 All-Ireland champion Diarmaid Nash.
Nash warmed up for this weekend’s Nationals by making it to the final of the prestigious Golden Gloves competition in Belfast where he was eventually defeated by five-time All-Ireland champion Robbie McCarthy of Westmeath. McCarthy will travel to Clare next weekend to renew his great rivalry with Nash, who beat him in the 2022 men’s senior title decider only to overturn it and regain the title in March of this year, and others.
On the ladies side, players of the calibre of Caitriona Casey, Fiona Tully and current All-Ireland champion Ciana Ní Churraoin will be competing for honours. The host county will be well represented, with local players taking part in almost all grades. For more information, follow Clare Handball Facebook and local club pages.