'An Ever present'
December 31, 2000
Tom Claire arrived in Wilkinstown in the early seventies from his native Ashbourne via Duleek. Since then he has been an integral member of the Wolfe Tones club and is one of their most dedicated clubmen.
When contact was made with Wolfe Tones secretary Maureen Harrington asking her to suggest someone in the club who would be a suitable candidate for an interview, Maureen replied that Tom Claire would be the man for the job. "A tireless worker and ever-present" was how Maureen described his contribution to the club.
Indeed, a delve deeper reveals that Tom has many strings attached to his GAA bow. In the year just coming to an end, for example, he was a selector on the Tones' junior team and was also vice-chairman of the club's juvenile section.
That's not to mention his groundsman duties and anyone who visited the Kilberry grounds this year for a game will agree that the pitch was always in tip-top shape, the grass well manicured, the field always clearly marked out and lined, ready for play.
Tom was keen to point out, however, that Wolfe Tones GAA club is by no manner or means a one man show.
"As far as I'm concerned the chairman we have here at the moment, Sean Power is the greatest thing since the sliced pan. Since taking over the job three or four years ago he has done tremendous work.
"Our secretary too, Maureen Harrington, is a great worker and organiser for the club. She was secretary of the underage section before taking on her present job.
"There's a lot of other people I could mention also but I'd be afraid of leaving someone out. We've plenty of people who have dedicated a lot of their spare time to the club, whether it be playing, coaching a team or involved on the committee."
Tom reserves special praise for the players of the club who he says invested a lot of time and energy into their bid to gain the JFC title in the twelve months just coming to an end.
Tom was, as previously stated, a selector along with Gerry Thompson and Paddy Diamond. Tony Kearney was coach. Tony McDonnell, Mickey Carr and Johnny Doggett were, incidentally, over the club's second string.
Unfortunately, 2000 wasn't to be the Tones' year in the junior championship - St Ultan's proved to be the rock on which their aspirations perished at the quarter-final stages - but the ex-club chairman is confident that with the same high levels of enthusiasm and commitment from the players it won't be too long before there's a championship success to celebrate around Kilberry, Wilkinstown and Gibbstown.
"I'm very happy with the way things are going for the club and I am very happy with the attitude of the players this year. The lads gave 120% throughout the year but unfortunately St Ultan's got the better of us.
"That was a game which we could have, and probably should have, won. We were a point up with about seven or eight minutes remaining but we made a couple of silly mistakes which gifted them soft scores."
He continued: "We played nine or ten of last year's minors on the junior team this year and they came through with flying colours. These youngsters, who would have experienced success at underage levels in recent years, are a credit to the club. They have now got their first taste of junior championship football so hopefully that will stand to them in the future.
"In saying that, it's getting harder and harder to win the junior championship with teams coming down from the Intermediate championship. All you can do is keep on working and hoping that the next year will be your year."
Though not directly involved in the hurling side of things within the Wolfe Tones, Tom says that hurling is progressing from strength to strength in the club and adds that this has a lot to do with the hard work of hurling chairman Owen Heaney, Tom McKeown and the hurling club's hard-working committee.
Another aspect of Tom's GAA involvement which was not mentioned previously is the umpiring duties he carries out for fellow clubman Peter Fox. Along with other regulars Paddy Martin, Darkie Browne, Joe McKeown, Brendan Muldoon and Jack Carry, Tom ensures the Peter always arrives for games with his own officials.
"The one thing you have to say about Peter, no matter where, or what game he is refereeing, he always has his own umpires with him. Other referees should take a leaf out of his book. There's nothing worse than seeing a referee arriving at a game and then looking for linesmen and umpires. That's only asking for trouble."
Tom was born and reared in Ashbourne and played underage football with the local club before moving on to Duleek with whom he won an Intermediate championship medal in 1971.
On marrying, he settled in Wilkinstown in 1972 and was a member of the St John's, Kilberry panel which captured the Intermediate championship in 1974, the year before they amalgamated with Gibbstown to form Wolfe Tones.
Last year the club, with the help of then President of the GAA, Joe McDonagh, celebrated its Silver Jubilee with a dinner dance in the Headfort Hotel in Kells and the members of the St John's team of '74 were honoured with special presentations.
"That was a powerful night, certainly one to remember," recalls the affable Claire.
Tom's eldest son, Jeremy, who is presently away in Jersey, is the holder of a Leinster JFC medal which he won in 1997 while the youngest, Daryll currently lines out with the Tones' U13s, in both football and hurling.
Like the rest of us, Tom was bitterly disappointed with Meath's early exit from the Leinster SFC against Offaly although he says that it wasn't totally unexpected.
"Losing to Offaly was a major disappointment but I have to say that I wasn't too surprised by it. I was more surprised when I heard people saying we were going to win by at least nine or ten points because if you look back to when we played them in 1999 it was a very close game up until we got a couple of breaks which resulted in a goal.
"The two games against Derry took their toll and Graham Geraghty, the leader of the attack, was a big loss. On the day we looked a tired team so the rest won't do them any harm and I believe they'll be back with a bang next year when the Hogan Stand is fully finished."
Fingers crossed Tom, fingers crossed!
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