ÉIRE ÓG rallied around boss Paul Madden this week when he needed his club most.
Madden has been at the helm of the Ennis side’s senior footballers for eight seasons.
He has led ‘the Townies’ to three county titles in the last four years, their most recent coming three weeks ago with a facile victory over Kilmurry-Ibrickane in the Cusack Park showpiece.
But following the joy of being crowned champions again came heartbreak as Madden’s mother Vera passed away last Sunday.
His devotion to his club has never waned from when he first donned the red and white jersey more than 40 years ago as a nine-year-old.
He has been an ever-present for Éire Óg and the club was there for him as his mother was laid to rest on Wednesday.
Sunday’s Munster club semi-final clash against Loughmore-Castleiney will provide a welcome distraction.
And Madden has been moved by the support his family received this week.
He told SunSport: “The community feel and spirit in Éire Óg is huge.
“That’s what we are really. We’re a small community within the town. We love playing for our club.
“Nothing is ever too much to ask of a club member to come in and help out wherever they can.
“I certainly, personally, this week saw it in abundance with my mum’s funeral.
“So you’d be very proud to represent the club and very proud of the lads and everyone associated with the club.
“I said to somebody recently that Éire Óg is a small club in a big town.
“When we play teams from the country, the general perception is we’re ‘a big townie team’, and they’ve got more of a community spirit, but never would that be true.”
The players will be out to provide some solace for their manager when they welcome the Tipperary champions to Cusack Park.
Éire Óg have won 21 county titles but have never reached a senior football provincial final, with Kilmurry- Ibrickane the last Banner side to conquer Munster in 2009.
But as a dual club, fighting on two fronts presents its own challenges — as Sunday’s opponents know well too.
Eight of Madden’s side featured in their hurling quarter-final loss to Inagh-Kilnamona two months ago.
Skipper Aaron Fitzgerald, Niall McMahon, Oran Cahill, David McNamara, Ciarán Russell, Gavin Cooney, Darren O’Brien and Jarlath Collins have juggled both codes.
Loughmore-Castliney are champions in both codes in the Premier County, with 17 players who featured in their SFC win also seeing game-time in the subsequent hurling triumph.
Madden hailed his dual players for their commitment to the Ennis club.
He said: “For the last four or five years we’ve worked really well together on both codes.
“When you put on the Éire Óg jersey, whether you’re playing hurling or football, you’re representing the club and the community.
“The lads that play both want to play both and we facilitate it as best we can.
“We’re very similar to Loughmore-Castleiney in that regard. We haven’t got over the line in hurling.
“We’ve been there or thereabouts for the last five or six years and were unlucky maybe once or twice not to get over the line.
“So there’s a lot of similarities with ourselves and Loughmore.
“A couple of years ago we probably had 12 or 13 dual players, which is probably similar to them in that regard.
“As it turns out, a couple of the lads are football-only for various reasons. Still, nine or ten players every day go out.
“The hurlers were knocked out in the quarter-final stage in the county championship so we’ve had the lads exclusively playing football now for some time.
“We’re equally adept at going week on week hurling, football as well.”
SHANE’S SUCCESS
However, Madden is without the club’s shining light, as Shane O’Donnell quit club football in the wake of a serious concussion injury in 2021.
The recently crowned Hurler of the Year, 30, would be a valuable addition.
But he must manage his load after Brian Lohan’s Clare lifted Liam MacCarthy in the summer.
Madden said: “Shane has played a lot of football over the years.
“I think he has two, if not three, Under-21 football medals and he played senior football for us.
“But since his bad concussion injury a couple of years ago, he hasn’t played football.
“That’s not out of fear of picking up an injury, it’s more just that you’re exposing yourself to more games.
“It’s been a couple of years now since he played.
“That’s not to say he wouldn’t come back and play again in the future.
“He’s a great lad. He’s a very talented footballer actually.
“We manage the dual load quite well and it’s important that if lads want to play for the club in both codes, we find a way to make that happen.
“Most lads at this stage now don’t even really have a preference on codes.
“As long as they’re playing matches, whether it’s hurling or football, they’re delighted.”
COUNTY ACES
But Madden still has plenty of stars in his ranks despite O’Donnell’s absence.
Banner footballers Cooney, Ikem Ugwueru and Ronan Lanigan are vital cogs in the Townies’ machine.
Captain Fitzgerald played for his county in both codes and was in Lohan’s hurling squad for three seasons.
Fitzgerald hit the net when the Townies defeated Loughmore-Castleiney in the 2021 Munster quarter-final.
And Madden hailed his talismanic defender ahead of Sunday’s rematch with the Tipp champions.
He said: “Aaron is our club captain this year, he’s a brilliant guy.
“He leads by example on and off the pitch and the players all really look up to him.
“He’s played hurling and football for Clare and I would nearly argue that he’d still be good enough to play for Clare. He’s a brilliant leader.
“Leaders don’t have to be the oldest guys with the most experience on the day. Aaron certainly is a brilliant captain.
“But we don’t just look at the lad with the armband — and Aaron would say that himself.”
