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It took Clare 81 years to banish the ghost of Biddy Earley, but one of The Banner’s clubs has been waiting even longer for its next title.
O’Callaghan’s Mills, an East Clare country club based in the village of the same name and nearby Kilkishen, was a powerhouse in the early days of the county pitching championship.
The Mills won eight crowns between 1904 and 1937, but have been waiting for a ninth ever since.
They have lost six decision makers in that time: 1938, 1954, 1977, 1986, 1990 and ’93, most recently against opponents and neighbors in today’s county final, Sixmilebridge.
The rivalry has not been such a feverish local derby, as The Bridge has racked up 14 titles to zero for the Mills since breaking through in ’77 against Kilkishen, who has since merged with The Mills.
Donal Cooney, now a coach with first-year manager and former Limerick coach Donach O’Donnell, played and lost those three most recent finals for O’Callaghan’s Mills.
“I only have one memory,” he says of facing The Bridge in 93. “They beat us!
“It was four or five points. We had a young team. Our paths haven’t crossed so much in years. We have played them in the Championship for a long time.
“In 1990, I think it was two points, against Éire Óg. We were well beaten at Carron on a small field in ’86 by a very strong Clarecastle team.
“We were winning leagues at the time, we thought we were doing well, but we didn’t go overboard.”
Cooney has three sons, Gary, Ciarán and Darren, Clare’s only senior at the club, and three nephews on the panel, but he doesn’t think the hand of history weighs heavily on the youngsters.
“I would say they wouldn’t know just because I told them,” he insists. “They wouldn’t bother about it anyway.
“I was only 17 or 18 when I played in my first county final. When you’re young you don’t pay attention to it.
“It would be great to finally do it, but it’s all in the day.
“The Bridge is a very good team. They have five or six intercountry pitchers. Cathal Malone, Jamie Shanahan …
Sixmilebridge, led by Tim Crowe and led by Wexford boss Davy Fitzgerald, are the reigning champions and big favorites.
But O’Callaghan’s Mills, which only narrowly avoided falling to the intermediate grade last year, is well worth its place in the final, having beaten 2018 champions Ballyea in the semi-finals.
“We are the weakest, but we are going to go out and give it a try. We have nothing to lose,” club president Joe O’Gorman told RTÉ Sport.
“We were lucky to beat Tulla last year in a relegation final. We got some late-game touchdowns to stay that way.
“It’s an incredible change this year. We have Donach O’Donnell as manager and he seems to have fitted everything together, it’s going pretty well.
“The players realized they were better than being in a relegation match and they sank this year.”
The quarterfinal victory over Ballyea was sweet, given that Tony Kelly’s team had dispatched them at the same stage on the road to winning the title two years ago.
The former Hurler of the Year scored 1-08 in the game against The Mills, who lost by three in injury time, but won the game after a goal from handball champion Colin Crehan and a safe point from Captain Pat. Donnellan.
“Colin Crehan is a super corner forward, always looking for a goal. We have Gary Cooney, who is in the Clare setup, Pat Donnellan is still there and Pat’s brother Bryan is the captain of the team,” said O ‘Gorman. .
“But we don’t have a really outstanding player as such. They are all good genuine club pitchers who keep cheering each other on.
“We don’t have Tony Kelly winning a game on his own, it’s a real team effort.”
“All the hype is gone, so they can just duck and pitch.”
The downside to reaching a first final in almost 30 years is that few fans will be there to cheer on their team.
Covid-19 restrictions mean the club had just 100 tickets to distribute to 380 members, with around 40 remaining for a draw after the players, including the championship-winning Junior A panel who trained with the seniors, and the officials got one each. Everyone else will have to watch the broadcast on Clare TV.
It’s a headache for O’Gorman, but he hopes there’s a glimmer of light for a team less used to the big stage.
“It’s an almost impossible task,” he said of meeting the demand for tickets. “We’re going to have a lot of people fairly disappointed, but there’s nothing we can do about it.
“In saying that, perhaps the small crowd could be suitable for the underdog team.
“They wouldn’t be used to playing in front of big crowds or marching behind bands, which isn’t there on Sunday either.
“All the hype is gone, so they can just duck and pitch.”
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