Mike McNamara
Encyclopedia
Michael "Mike" McNamara (born 1949 in Scariff, County Clare
) is a retired Irish
hurling
manager
and former player. He played hurling with his local club Scariff
from the 1960s until the 1980s. McNamara is also a publican and night club owner in Scariff and served as manager of the Offaly
and Clare
senior inter-county teams.
senior hurling team in November 2002. In his first season in charge, his team lost to Wexford
in the Leinster semi-final on a scoreline of 0-16 to 1-12. In the subsequent qualifying campaign, Offaly overcame Dublin
and Limerick
to qualify for an All Ireland quarter final against Tipperary
. They lost this match 2-16 to 2-11 after a relatively poor display.
The following year, 2004, Offaly reached a Leinster final, only to be beaten by Wexford for the second successive year on a scoreline of 2-12 to 1-11. They were later knocked out of the qualifiers by Clare. Following a strike by the Offaly footballers which resulted in the resignation of their manager, Gerry Fahy on the grounds of lack of support by the county board, McNamara quit his post as Offaly hurling manager for the same reasons.
campaign, Clare were drawn to meet Waterford
in the quarter-final of the Munster Championship
and were installed as underdogs. An intriguing game developed, however, at the full-time whistle Clare had won by 2-26 to 0-23. The provincial semi-final pitted Clare against Limerick. While more was expected of the Shannonsiders McNamara's side had another relatively comfortable 4-12 to 1-16 victory. This win allowed Clare to advance to a first Munster final since 1999. Tipperary provided the opposition on this occasion, with Clare being regarded as underdogs once again. A close game developed in the second-half as Clare ate into Tipp's lead, however, in the end victory went to Tipperary by 2-21 to 0-19. In spite of this defeat McNamara's side were allowed to advance to the All-Ireland quarter-final. Cork provided the opposition on this occasion, however, Clare went seven points ahead at one stage. Cork slowly fought back to eventually clinch a 2-19 to 2-17 victory. Thus ended Clare's involvement in the championship.
Division 2 next year against the likes of Antrim
and Carlow
. On the 19th of April Clare lost their last game of the NHL against Galway the score was 0-19 4-16.
had been left out of the Clare Hurling Panel. On 20 March 2009 Gerry Quinn went to visit the Clare Team Doctor Dr Paraic Quinn in Gurteen because he had been laid low with a virus. According to Quinn he rang Mike Mc on the way and informed him about the situation regarding his illness and his desire to meet Paraic Quinn. Quinn then claimed that Mike Mc cut loose at him on the phone. Nevertheless Quinn was hopeful that things could be worked out when he arrived at the session and after asking McNamara whether the doctor was around, Quinn was informed that he was off the panel. On TG4
the day of the match Mike Mc was asked was Gerry Quinn still on the panel, McNamara gave no comment and when he was asked was there a drinking ban he gave no comment.
On 1 November 2009, the hurling panel produced a vote of no confidence in McNamara to continue as manager. After a Clare County Board meeting in Ennis on 10 November 2009, McNamama made a stirring address, confirming his desire to stay in place as manager of the Banner hurlers, reflecting on the progress made in 2009 and outling his plans for next season. He spoke to delegates present for close to 30 minutes after members of the media had been asked to leave the room. A letter from the 27 player panel was read out at the meeting explaining that only one squad member had sided with McNamara in the vote of confidence on November 1. In spite of the opposition, the Clare County Board stood standing behind McNamara with County Board officials pledging to work with him to iron out any problems they could.
On 6 December, following several postponements, a meeting took place between the players, the county board and the manager, which was described as 'constructive'. However, on 15 December 2009, McNamara tendered his resignation to the Clare county board, which they accepted.
County Clare
-History:There was a Neolithic civilisation in the Clare area — the name of the peoples is unknown, but the Prehistoric peoples left evidence behind in the form of ancient dolmen; single-chamber megalithic tombs, usually consisting of three or more upright stones...
) is a retired Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
hurling
Hurling
Hurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. Hurling is the national game of Ireland. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years, and...
manager
Manager (Gaelic games)
In Gaelic games, a manager or coach is an individual involved in the direction and instruction of the on-field operations of a team. Managing, or coaching, entails the application of sport tactics and strategies during the game itself, and usually entails substitution of players and other such...
and former player. He played hurling with his local club Scariff
Scariff GAA
Scariff is a Gaelic Athletic Association club in Scariff, Clare, Ireland.-History:There is very little record of the first few years of Scariff Hurling Club, but it has almost certainly always been a senior club. Not until 1907 did Scariff play in their first senior county final...
from the 1960s until the 1980s. McNamara is also a publican and night club owner in Scariff and served as manager of the Offaly
Offaly GAA
The Offaly County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Offaly GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Offaly...
and Clare
Clare GAA
The Clare County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Clare GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Clare. The county board is also responsible for the Clare inter-county teams....
senior inter-county teams.
Offaly
McNamara was appointed manager of the OffalyOffaly GAA
The Offaly County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Offaly GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Offaly...
senior hurling team in November 2002. In his first season in charge, his team lost to Wexford
Wexford GAA
The Wexford County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Wexford GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Wexford. The county board is also responsible for the Wexford inter-county teams.-History:Hurling has been played in...
in the Leinster semi-final on a scoreline of 0-16 to 1-12. In the subsequent qualifying campaign, Offaly overcame Dublin
Dublin GAA
Dublin County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association , or Dublin GAA, is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Dublin. The county board is also responsible for the Dublin inter-county teams...
and Limerick
Limerick GAA
The Limerick County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Limerick GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Limerick...
to qualify for an All Ireland quarter final against Tipperary
Tipperary GAA
The Tipperary County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or C is one of over 30 regional executive boards throughout the world. These executive boards are known as County Boards even though some no longer correspond to the area under the jurisdiction of the counties from which their names...
. They lost this match 2-16 to 2-11 after a relatively poor display.
The following year, 2004, Offaly reached a Leinster final, only to be beaten by Wexford for the second successive year on a scoreline of 2-12 to 1-11. They were later knocked out of the qualifiers by Clare. Following a strike by the Offaly footballers which resulted in the resignation of their manager, Gerry Fahy on the grounds of lack of support by the county board, McNamara quit his post as Offaly hurling manager for the same reasons.
2008: Munster final appearance
McNamara's first season in charge was a reasonably successful one. After a relatively lacklustre National Hurling LeagueNational Hurling League
The National Hurling League is an annual hurling competition between the county teams of Ireland. Contested by 35 teams , it operates on a system of promotion and relegation between four different divisions, with Division One...
campaign, Clare were drawn to meet Waterford
Waterford GAA
The Waterford County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Waterford GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for all levels of Gaelic games in County Waterford. The County Board is also responsible for the Waterford inter-county teams. The county...
in the quarter-final of the Munster Championship
Munster Senior Hurling Championship
The Munster GAA Hurling Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1888 for the top hurling teams in the province of Munster in Ireland....
and were installed as underdogs. An intriguing game developed, however, at the full-time whistle Clare had won by 2-26 to 0-23. The provincial semi-final pitted Clare against Limerick. While more was expected of the Shannonsiders McNamara's side had another relatively comfortable 4-12 to 1-16 victory. This win allowed Clare to advance to a first Munster final since 1999. Tipperary provided the opposition on this occasion, with Clare being regarded as underdogs once again. A close game developed in the second-half as Clare ate into Tipp's lead, however, in the end victory went to Tipperary by 2-21 to 0-19. In spite of this defeat McNamara's side were allowed to advance to the All-Ireland quarter-final. Cork provided the opposition on this occasion, however, Clare went seven points ahead at one stage. Cork slowly fought back to eventually clinch a 2-19 to 2-17 victory. Thus ended Clare's involvement in the championship.
Allianz National Hurling League 2009
On the 8th of February 2009 Clare started their NHL campaign they lost to Limerick 1-18 to 3-13. On the 15th of February they lost to Waterford 0-13 to 0-20. On the 1st of March they lost to Tipperary 0-16 to 0-23. On the 22nd of March Clare lost to the Cork panel who were just back from being on strike the final score was 0-16 to 2-14. On the 29th of March they played Kilkenny and lost 1-09 to 3-16. On the 5th of April Clare drew with Dublin 0-15 to 0-15 because of this it meant that Clare were relegated. On Drivetime Sport the following Monday Mike McNamara said that Clare will not play NHLNational Hurling League
The National Hurling League is an annual hurling competition between the county teams of Ireland. Contested by 35 teams , it operates on a system of promotion and relegation between four different divisions, with Division One...
Division 2 next year against the likes of Antrim
Antrim GAA
The Antrim County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Antrim GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Antrim. The county board is also responsible for the Antrim inter-county teams...
and Carlow
Carlow GAA
The Carlow County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Carlow GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Carlow and the Carlow inter-county teams.-Gaelic football:...
. On the 19th of April Clare lost their last game of the NHL against Galway the score was 0-19 4-16.
Gerry Quinn Saga
Gerry QuinnGerry Quinn
Gerry Quinn is an Irish sportsperson. He plays hurling with his local club Corofin and was a member of the Clare senior inter-county team since 2000.-References:...
had been left out of the Clare Hurling Panel. On 20 March 2009 Gerry Quinn went to visit the Clare Team Doctor Dr Paraic Quinn in Gurteen because he had been laid low with a virus. According to Quinn he rang Mike Mc on the way and informed him about the situation regarding his illness and his desire to meet Paraic Quinn. Quinn then claimed that Mike Mc cut loose at him on the phone. Nevertheless Quinn was hopeful that things could be worked out when he arrived at the session and after asking McNamara whether the doctor was around, Quinn was informed that he was off the panel. On TG4
TG4
TG4 is a public service broadcaster for Irish language speakers. The channel has been on-air since 31 October 1996 in the Republic of Ireland and since April 2005 in Northern Ireland....
the day of the match Mike Mc was asked was Gerry Quinn still on the panel, McNamara gave no comment and when he was asked was there a drinking ban he gave no comment.
2009 Player Opposition Crisis
In October 2009, McNamara's tenure as Clare hurling manager looked to be under threat after it emerged the players had sent a letter to the County Board seeking his removal from the post. It appears that the players were disappointed with the county's lack of progress in 2009. The panel requested that the unsigned letter be read out at a County Board meeting on 27 October 2009. At the meeting on the 27 October 2009, the Clare county board gave McNamara their full backing despite the growing opposition from some players.On 1 November 2009, the hurling panel produced a vote of no confidence in McNamara to continue as manager. After a Clare County Board meeting in Ennis on 10 November 2009, McNamama made a stirring address, confirming his desire to stay in place as manager of the Banner hurlers, reflecting on the progress made in 2009 and outling his plans for next season. He spoke to delegates present for close to 30 minutes after members of the media had been asked to leave the room. A letter from the 27 player panel was read out at the meeting explaining that only one squad member had sided with McNamara in the vote of confidence on November 1. In spite of the opposition, the Clare County Board stood standing behind McNamara with County Board officials pledging to work with him to iron out any problems they could.
On 6 December, following several postponements, a meeting took place between the players, the county board and the manager, which was described as 'constructive'. However, on 15 December 2009, McNamara tendered his resignation to the Clare county board, which they accepted.