Conlon and Clonlara hurlers playing part in Truagh odyssey 

Truth be told, getting past Gailltir after an AIB Munster club camogie final epic, that went to a 45s contest at the end of a replay which contained double extra-time, wasn't a whole pile of fun for Roisín Begley.

Truagh/Clonlara only won their first Clare senior title in 2023 and here they were last month, duking it out to the bitter end in a provincial decider.

Begley missed her 45 the first time around and when it went to sudden death, the shooting order was changed up, to let others go ahead of her.

It came down to her puck in the end though and, as good as dark at that stage at the Moycarkey-Borris grounds in Tipperary, she held her nerve to slot the winner.

"I was hoping it wouldn't come back around to me but lo and behold it did, I wasn't the most confident," said Begley, a club and county attacker. "It's not something that I thoroughly enjoyed. Just really, really nerve-wracking stuff. You just hope you can do it for your team and you also hope that it doesn't fall back on your shoulders if it goes against you. It was tough. It's the most nerve-wracking thing I've ever had to do, sporting-wise."

That's just how Truagh/Clonlara seem to roll though. Last year, when they beat Scariff-Ogonnelloe to win that first Clare title, it took a late Áine O'Loughlin goal from a free won by Begley to secure a one-point win. 'A finish worthy of a Spielberg epic' was how Clare FM reported it.

More recently, when they overcame St Vincent's of Dublin to become the first ever Clare team to reach an AIB All-Ireland club senior final, they reeled off the last three points of the game to win by two.

"Every time that has happened, it has stood to us," said Begley of the arm wrestle encounters they've won. "We are coming out the right side of them, by the skin of our teeth, but we are doing it. It has made us a bit more resilient as we go along."

If Truagh/Clonlara can do it just once more, and make history for not just themselves and the club but Clare camogie, local legend John Conlon can take some of the credit.

He isn't involved with them this year as Ryan Morris is the coach - Morris planned to be on honeymoon in New York this weekend initially - and Bob Caulfield is manager but Conlon has been heavily involved over the years.

According to Begley, the most experienced player on Clare's All-Ireland winning team this year has 'brought us to another level' with his input.

"Obviously he has so much experience playing with Clare and playing with Clonlara," said Begley. "We owe him a lot and it just shows the bond between ourselves and the hurling club in Clonlara.

"Even though John is not involved with us this year, we've had other Clonlara hurlers getting involved. We have Clonlara hurlers on the sideline doing water for us every week. It's something that you don't see in every club and it's really special. We don't take it for granted."

A few weeks ago, when Begley sensed fatigue within the group after a long season, she piped up. Croke Park was high on her mind.

"I remember saying to the group, 'Just remember that we're only three matches away from playing in Croke Park'. I think a few lightbulbs went off in the group, I don't think others had maybe thought about it like that. It ended up being four matches with the replay but it's definitely something I'd thought about as a target. We're here now and hopefully we can make the most of it."