Iggy Clarke
(born 1952 in
Mullagh,
County Galway
County Galway ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region, taking up the south of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. The county population was 276,451 at the 20 ...
) is an Irish former
hurler who played for his local club
Mullagh and at senior level for the
Galway county team from 1972 until 1984. Clarke is regarded as one of Galway's greatest-ever players.
Playing career
Club
Clarke played his club hurling with his local
Mullagh club. He experienced little success with the club and never won a senior
county title during his playing days.
Fitzgibbon Cup
A Student at
St Patrick's College, Maynooth
St Patrick's Pontifical University, Maynooth (), is a pontifical Catholic university in the town of Maynooth near Dublin, Ireland
Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mou ...
, he represented them in the
Fitzgibbon Cup alongside
Sean Silke (Galway) and
Sean Stack (Clare), in an era when Maynooth won the Cup twice, and was runners up twice.
Inter-county
Clarke first came to prominence on the inter-county scene with the
Galway
Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...
minor team in the late 1960s. In 1970 Clarke's side reached the All-Ireland final; however, Galway were defeated by
Cork on that occasion.
Clarke subsequently joined the county under-21 panel and enjoyed more success. In 1972 Galway reached the All-Ireland final in that grade.
Dublin
Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
provided the opposition on that occasion; however, victory went to Galway and Clarke collected an
All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship medal.
By this stage Clarke had already made his debut with the Galway senior team. He first experienced major success in 1975 as Galway won the
National Hurling League
The National Hurling League is an annual Inter county, inter-county hurling competition featuring teams from Ireland and England. Founded in 1925 by the Gaelic Athletic Association, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation within the l ...
title. It was a sign of things to come for the team. Later that summer Clarke's side trounced
Westmeath
County Westmeath (; or simply ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It formed part of the historic Kingdom of ...
and shocked Cork to book their place in the All-Ireland final.
Kilkenny
Kilkenny ( , meaning 'church of Cainnech of Aghaboe, Cainnech'). is a city in County Kilkenny, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region, Ireland, South-East Region and in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinst ...
, the reigning champions, provided the opposition on that occasion. Galway got off to a good start and took a 0–9 to 1–3 lead at half-time. Kilkenny, inspired by marvelous displays by
Eddie Keher and
Liam 'Chunky' O'Brien, powered on to win by 2–22 to 2–10. In spite of this defeat Clarke was later presented with his first
All-Star
An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry.
Sports
"All-star" as a sport ...
award.
Galway faced a series of defeats at the penultimate stage of the championship for the next few seasons; however, Clarke captured a second All-Star award in 1978. The following year Galway shocked Cork in the All-Ireland semi-final for the second time of the decade. Once again the All-Ireland final saw Galway play Kilkenny. In one of the least exciting finals of the decade Galway continued their losing streak and capitulated to 'the Cats' by 2–12 to 1–8. In spite of the defeat Clarke claimed a third All-Star.
In 1980 Galway defeated
Kildare
Kildare () is a town in County Kildare, Ireland. , its population was 10,302, making it the 7th largest town in County Kildare. It is home to Kildare Cathedral, historically the site of an important abbey said to have been founded by Saint ...
and
Offaly
County Offaly (; ) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe. It was formerly known as King's County, in honour of Philip II of Spain ...
to reach a second consecutive All-Ireland final. However, disaster struck for Clarke in the game as he sustained a serious shoulder injury that meant he would miss the final. On that occasion
Limerick
Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...
provided the opposition. Galway got off to a good start with two goals and led by 2–7 to 1–5 at the interval. Limerick fought back in the second-half; however, Galway secured the victory by 2–15 to 3–9. It was Clarke's first
All-Ireland
All-Ireland (sometimes All-Island) is a term used to describe organisations and events whose interests extend over the entire island of Ireland, as opposed to the separate jurisdictions of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. "All-Irelan ...
medal and Galway's first since 1923. Despite missing the game, Clarke certainly wasn't forgotten and when captain
Joe Connolly's memorable acceptance speech, delivered in Irish, referenced Clarke, the Galway crowd chanted his name until Connolly called him to hoist the Liam MacCarthy Cup with his 'good' right arm. The celebrations at
Croke Park
Croke Park (, ) is a Gaelic games stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Named after Archbishop Thomas Croke, it is referred to as Croker by GAA fans and locals. It serves as both the principal national stadium of Ireland and headquarters of the Gaelic At ...
on that occasion surpassed anything that had ever been seen before. Clarke capped off the year by collecting a fourth All-Star award.
In 1981 both Galway and Limerick met in the All-Ireland semi-final; however, it took a replay to find a winner. Galway emerged to take part in their third All-Ireland final in-a-row. Offaly, a team that Clarke's side defeated on the way to the championship the previous year now provided the opposition. In another close encounter Galway looked set to make history as they took a six-point lead after the interval. The team, however, failed to score for the last twenty-three minutes and Offaly took their first All-Ireland title.
The next three seasons saw Galway defeated at the All-Ireland semi-final stage. Clarke retired from inter-county hurling in 1984.
Provincial
Clarke also lined out with
Connacht
Connacht or Connaught ( ; or ), is the smallest of the four provinces of Ireland, situated in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, C ...
in the inter-provincial hurling competition. He captured his first
Railway Cup
The GAA Interprovincial Championship () or Railway Cup (''Corn an Iarnróid'') is the name of two annual Gaelic football and hurling competitions held between the provinces of Ireland. The Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster GAA teams are co ...
title in 1980 as Connacht defeated
Munster
Munster ( or ) is the largest of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the south west of the island. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" (). Following the Nor ...
. Clarke captured further Railway Cup medals in 1982 and 1983.
References
* Corry, Eoghan, ''The GAA Book of Lists'' (Hodder Headline Ireland, 2005).
;Notes
External links
Galway GAA honours
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clarke, Iggy
1952 births
Living people
All Stars Awards winners (hurling)
Alumni of St Patrick's College, Maynooth
Connacht inter-provincial hurlers
Galway inter-county hurlers
Hurling backs
Mullagh hurlers
20th-century Irish sportsmen