Weekend Sport Irish Examiner Saturday, 19.05.2018 6 THE BIG INTERVIEW THE JOHN FOGARTY INTERVIEW Twenty years ago, there were the three shadowy priests who, it was claimed, had knowledge of Colin Lynch’s suspension before the Munster Council had even met to decide his faith. In Liam Doyle, Seánie McMahon, and Anthony Daly, meanwhile, Clare had the three wise kings, forming one of hurling’s greatest half-back lines. Two decades on from the Banner’s last Munster SHC success and the All-Ireland title that got away, the trio recall that tumultuous summer of ’98, from Lynch’s ban to Jimmy Cooney’s bad time-keeping The one that got away from Banner brothers John Fogarty: Twenty years on, how ship. Did you feel unstoppable after win- anyway. We were a small bit hit and miss. I SM: It was when you consider (Michael) does that season and Clare’s last Munster ning Munster? remember saying to you (nods to Daly) Duignan drew straight (across David SHC success sit with you? LD: After the first day against Water- after the first Waterford game that I wasn’t Forde). It (Lynch’s ban) was the greatest Liam Doyle: The three-game saga with ford, you could say we were lucky to get a anyway nervous or anxious and that was disappointment. Whatever happened hap- Offaly is what sticks out the most. My one second day. We knew in training the fol- maybe because we were a bit flat having pened but who was giving the evidence disappointment is that we could have lowing week, it was fairly rammed into us, been so up for the Cork game. That was the was fairly ridiculous. participated in another All-Ireland final. that the replay wasn’t too far off being an Clare captain way we were, Jekyll and Hyde, but back up AD: Sure, even Jimmy Cooney said it Anthony Daly: We were in it, sure. For All-Ireland final. We were told that we had Anthony Daly for the second Waterford game. We had in- himself —and I’ve nothing against Jimmy about four hours! to stand up and be counted. juries and suspensions for the Offaly Cooney for blowing the whistle, that was a LD: And the pints were for four hours JF: How much did Ger protect the shields the ball games. mistake — but he said he would ruin the too! players from the controversies, deflect like from Offaly’s John LD: I still regret to this day that I played game if he sent off Michael Duignan we AD: Your man (Ger Loughnane) saying, Jose Mourinho? Ryan in the but… I tore ligaments in my ankle in the were so far ahead. Who gives you the right “Get up to bed, you’re playing again next SM: The thing got so big it wasn’t a case controversial replay. Brian Lohan was missing too (hav- not to ruin the game? week”. of protecting the players; it was all around 1998 All-Ireland ing been sent off in the replay against SM: That was caught on the telly after- JF: Long before all that, there was a us. You couldn’t avoid it, really. I always SHC semi-final, a Waterford) but when Colin got sus- wards. Lynch’s thing was totally post the league semi-final against Cork, where remember the Friday night before the first pended… I had a fitness test where we met match. We all have the best of time for Clare were accused of taking a fall know- game against Offaly, the night that (Colin) game that had to up beforehand and I got the go-ahead. But I Duignan but where was the parity? ing you had to play them again in Lynch got the three-month suspension. I be replayed after regret playing because I didn’t give myself AD: It was for Colin more than our- Munster. didn’t sleep a wink that night, I was so a time-keeping enough time to recover. selves. We had a good panel and fellas were Seánie McMahon: That was always the mad. We were all of the view that we were error by referee JF: Jamesie O’Connor spoke before going well in training and the likes of story when we lost a league game, that we being hard done by. You couldn’t avoid Jimmy Cooney. about the off-field developments sapping Rusty (Christy Chaplin) could come in and trained savage that morning. We never, that. I would feel that year we played our Picture: Ray energy — did they? do a job, no bother, but he was a huge loss. ever trained the morning of a game. We best hurling and had we got to the final AD: Everybody is different. Personally, It was for him as a person that we felt for probably fed off a lot from Loughnane and there was no possibility that we wouldn’t McManus it didn’t bother me. I never got off on that him; he had given up so much for hurling. it wasn’t a case of ‘lads, don’t win today’ have won it; Kilkenny weren’t that great sort of stuff. I was fucking loving it when You couldn’t be at training before Lynch. If but we didn’t have that extra bit of drive. everybody was you were there at 5.50pm for 7pm training, Around about that time, the league was yapping about us. he’d be there out on the field. gone nearly crazy. All the games were But as a unit, JF: When you hear Seán Kelly, then savage and we probably came to the real- there’s no doubt it Munster Council chairman, expressing re- isation that the league wasn’t the be-all was a huge dis- gret about Lynch’s suspension on the RTÉ and end-all. I always felt when you won an traction. I also re- Scannal documentary about Clare’s 1998, All-Ireland, winning the league after that member that Fri- does it ring hollow? didn’t matter. The priority for us was day night of the LD: I only saw the documentary on always the first round in Munster against meeting in Limer- YouTube three weeks ago. It probably does Cork. We were well beaten, we didn’t go ick. It came on the (ring hollow). Dalo said it affected players out to play badly but it wasn’t a goal. late news, I was differently and he’s right. Who decided to AD: The booze-up in Liscannor was sitting at home bring Lynch to court? You can say that be- good that Sunday. with the mother, cause it was so much in the media. In that JF: Was that the last of the drink before and “There’s way, it would be disappointing because he facing Cork again? Mikey Palmer,” I was no doubt a loss to us with the amount AD: That was it. We swore to a man that says. He was of energy he gave us and the amount of nobody would have another until then. working with ground he’d cover. I would have been When you think of it now, they’re banning Lynch’s crowd, covering the two boys anyway but he’d them (from alcohol) for eight months Lynch’s father give me a hand-out at times. Colin took it AD: I remember coming back to Power’s doing the coal and to another level from his own personal (in Clarecastle) but I don’t remember the briquettes. A preparations. much of the match, really. I do remember big Clare crowd AD: Thank God, there wasn’t social coming back and meeting an awful sound had gone into the media back then. It would have been an- fella from Clarecastle, Peter Cosgrove. A Limerick Inn. other day’s work. Around the time of the dead-on GAA fan, a Clarecastle fan, a Then it was (er- documentary, Christy O’Connor and my- Clare fan. He said to me, “Dalo, will you roneously) said self were going down to the Munster club ever stop wasting my money? Will ya let Lynch’s grand- final and Seán Kelly was going in the same me know when you’re not trying in these mother was dead gate as us. We got chatting but I said: “We league matches? I’m after bringing the to make it worse. I won’t mention ’98. At least you came to kids and the wife to Thurles and spent on was a bit dis- (Munster) medals presentation after- petrol, grub, and a couple of pints — will tracted going to wards”. ya ever just let us know so I could stay at bed that night. I He said: “We got that one a bit wrong al- home and wait for the Championship?” felt more for Colin right.” I said, “Cossy, I didn’t realise we were than anything JF: How did Colin take it at the time? off either! I was trying anyways!” Nobody else because we SM: Lynch would be a man’s man, like. was going out to play bad, like. He (Lough- were all wired for He wouldn’t have let on. He was disap- nane) didn’t ramp it up. He didn’t do what that replay pointed but he wasn’t going around cry- he would do the week of a Championship against Water- ing. He would still have been thinking of match, into the goalmouth and savage us ford.