Clonkill are the toast of Westmeath following their magnificent triumph in the All-Ireland intermediate club hurling championship final. Here, we take a look back at a memorable campaign which culminated in a famous Croke Park victory for Pat O'Toole's charges. Clonkill's heroic hurlers wrote themselves into the history books at Croke Park on February 9 last when they captured Westmeath's first All-Ireland club title in either hurling or football. It was an unforgettable occasion for the Loughegar-based club and their supporters, and for Westmeath hurling in general. And it was a victory few could have predicted last summer when defeats to St. Oliver Plunkett's and Lough Lene Gaels left Clonkill facing an uphill task to stay in the Westmeath senior hurling championship. But a five-point win over Castletown-Geoghegan in the quarter-final marked a major turning point in Clonkill's season. They subsequently reversed their earlier defeats to Plunkett's and the Gaels to land their first county title in six years and, not content with that, they went on to lift the Leinster and All-Ireland intermediate club crowns in spectacular fashion. "I'm over the moon," declared an elated Clonkill manager Pat O'Toole following the All-Ireland final victory over Tommy Larkin's of Galway. "This is absolutely brilliant and it should lift the game now in Westmeath. We're long enough looking at the big guns playing here so it's nice to have a slice of it too. "We spoke to the lads during the week and said that we wanted to go out and hurl this final. I think we did that. It was a great game with some absolutely brilliant scores taken on both sides." Clonkill chairman Jimmy Fitzsimons was also brimming with pride after the historic win under the Croke Park floodlights. "I'm very proud of this club and it's a wonderful club. We started small but continued through the hard road and I'm so proud to be chairman," he said. "I was nervous before the match and I was nervous during the match because when Tommy Larkin's togged out they looked a bigger team than we did and they were favourites, but we hurled very well." Wing forward Enda Loughlin, who played a starring role in Westmeath's Christy Ring Cup wins of 2005 and 2007, admitted that it was a dream come true to win national honours with his club. "Did anyone ever, ever think that Clonkill would be All-Ireland champions, maybe county champions, but not All-Ireland champions?" he asked. "We can't go any further unless we do it in senior next year. It's one of the best games I've played in and to be out there in an All-Ireland final playing with my friends and some of the lads I've played with since I was under 12. The only downer was Sean, my brother, wasn't playing and I feel a bit sorry for him right now, but we won and won it for him and we won it for Paddy Hallinan and the other lads that are injured on the team. "I'm so proud to be a part of this win and with my father (Peter) as a selector, it just couldn't be any better." When the Leinster Council decided to re-grade the Westmeath senior hurling champions, along with the champions of other counties of a similar standing, to the Leinster intermediate club championship in 2006, it was met with some scepticism. But the thinking behind it was to give teams like Clonkill a realistic chance of winning silverware. Raharney, who were the first Westmeath senior champions to enter the provincial intermediate championship in 2006, reached the Leinster final, only to lose narrowly to Ardclough of Kildare. And last year, Clonkill went one better en route to claiming Westmeath's first All-Ireland club hurling title. Emphatic county final winners over Lough Lene Gaels, Clonkill entered the provincial arena full of confidence. And they showed they meant business when they travelled to Clara in Co. Kilkenny and inflicted an impressive 12-point defeat on the home side. Inspired by their county stars Andrew Mitchell, Brendan Murtagh and Enda Loughlin, who scored 1-9 between them, Clonkill proved much too strong for the Kilkenny intermediate winners. The sides were evenly-matched in the early stages, but a goal from a Brendan Murtagh free late in the first half gave Clonkill a 1-4 to 0-4 lead at the interval, and a second major from substitute Christy Austin ended the game as a contest. Clonkill maintained their impressive form in overcoming Meath's Kiltale by 2-15 to 1-5 in the Leinster semi-final at Loughegar. The green and golds were always in control, taking a 1-7 to 0-2 lead into the break, and full forward Larry Donoghue's second goal midway through the second half ensured another comfortable win. Clonkill also had home advantage for the provincial final against Wexford intermediate champions St. Aidan's. The Ferns men proved to be a totally different proposition to Clara and Kiltale, and Clonkill had to pull out all the stops to win by two points and, in doing so, become only the second Westmeath winners of a Leinster club hurling title, following on from St. Oliver Plunkett's triumph in the 2001 junior championship. Clonkill made a poor start and trailed by 0-2 to 2-1 early on, but a 22nd minute goal from Daragh Ayres brought them back into contention and they went on to lead by 1-9 to 2-4 early in the second half. When St. Aidan's swooped for their third goal which gave them a 3-7 to 1-11 lead with five minutes remaining, it looked as if Clonkill were heading for defeat. But points from Brendan Murtagh and Christy Austin brought them level before further efforts from Luke Folan and Murtagh gave them an historic win. Clonkill travelled to Ballybay, Co. Monaghan after the Christmas break to take on Ulster champions Keady. The Westmeath representatives led by 0-5 to 0-4 at half-time after playing against a strong wind, but the dismissal of Sean Loughlin in stoppage-time (he was subsequently suspended for the All-Ireland final) left them with a real fight on their hands in the second half. A Paul McCormack goal made Clonkill's task all the more difficult, but Brendan Murtagh's three points steadied them and helped them to a 0-10 to 1-4 lead with time almost up. However, the match had a dramatic finale when first Clonkill goalkeeper Eoin Price made a brilliant save to deny Gerard Enright an equalizing goal and then Shane Owens netted at the opposite end to ensure a 1-10 to 1-4 victory. Several busloads of Clonkill supporters left the Cloughan Inn for Croke Park on the evening of Saturday, February 9 for the biggest game in the club's history. And what a performance they were treated to by Pat O'Toole's fired-up charges against their much-fancied Galway opponents. Rocked by Declan Garvey's 13th minute goal, Clonkill responded with similar scores from Brendan Murtagh and Larry Donoghue to lead by 2-8 to 1-7 at half-time. Daragh Ayres supplied a third goal seven minutes into the second half after Luke Folan's effort had bounced back off an upright, and Clonkill supporters were dreamland when Larry Donoghue blasted home a fourth goal with 17 minutes remaining. Nine points to the good, Clonkill looked to be coasting but late goals from Tommy Larkin's substitute Barry Shiel and Eamonn Hayes, from a penalty, ensured a nail-biting finish. However, the Westmeath men were not to be denied and, after Alan Dowdall and Damien Kelly traded scores, the outstanding Brendan Murtagh secured the coveted All-Ireland crown with a nerveless free four minutes into injury-time. Clonkill's history-making team was: Eoin Price; Stephen Cleary, Adam Price, Fergal Fagan; Mark Healy, Andrew Mitchell, John Fagan; Conradh Reilly, Paddy Dowdall (captain); Alan Dowdall, Brendan Murtagh, Enda Loughlin; Daragh Ayres, Larry Donoghue, Luke Folan. Subs used: Christy Austin, Shane Owens and Shane Power. Classy Clonkill cruise to 10th title The Examiner Cup is back in the hands of Clonkill after a six-year lapse following one of the most one-sided county senior hurling finals in many years. Here, 'Maroon and White' reviews a magnificent year for Pat O'Toole's charges. Clonkill were crowned senior hurling champions for the first time since 2001 and a 10th time in all on October 14 last following a dream final performance against former kingpins Lough Lene Gaels. While it wasn't always plain sailing for the Loughegar men in 2007, they hit top form when it mattered most to blow the Gaels away and exact revenge not only for their earlier championship defeat to the same opposition, but for their 1998 county final loss as well. All the pre-match predictions suggested that it would be a close affair, but a fired-up Clonkill dominated throughout to win by a whopping 13 points, 1-15 to 0-5. Since 2001, when they defeated parish rivals Cullion to end a 32-year wait for senior honours, Clonkill have consistently been among the top four hurling clubs and were desperately unlucky to lose both the 2003 final to Castlepollard and the 2006 semi-final to eventual champions Raharney after a replay. But the emergence of talented young players such as Eoin and Adam Price, Conrad Reilly, Luke Folan and Christopher Austin made all the difference last season, a fact acknowledged by chairman Jimmy Fitzsimons who hailed the victory as reward for the club's policy of investing in their underage structure. "We have put an awful lot into the youth down through the years and perhaps should have won more than we have but it's starting to happen now with an under 16 title this year and now our first senior title in six years," he said after the Examiner Cup's long-awaited return to Loughegar. Fitzsimons also pointed out that Clonkill's success was far from an overnight achievement and many of their players have had to accept defeat at the semi-final stage along the way. In fact, 2007 was the green and golds' 10th consecutive year to contest a semi-final. As in 2001, Clonkill's triumph was masterminded by Pat O'Toole who, along with his selectors Peter Loughlin and Mick Murtagh, got a tremendous response from every player. Having achieved great things with many of the same players at underage level, it came as no surprise to see him steer them to victory once again. "I'm glad we were able to win in style and although it feels like a new era for Clonkill, it is also just reward for some of the players who have been around for a while. Our game-plan worked very well, but what was more important is that all the players were really up for this game," the winning manager remarked. Clonkill didn't enjoy a smooth passage through to the final and their defeats to St. Oliver Plunkett's and Lough Lene Gaels threatened to ruin their chances of championship glory. But by the end of the campaign, Clonkill had avenged those losses and no one could say that they weren't worthy champions. Drawing 2006 runners-up Castletown-Geoghegan in the first round, the Loughegar men needed to hit the ground running to avoid the losers' group. As it transpired, Clonkill got the result they were looking for, putting the black and ambers to the sword on a 3-11 to 1-7 scoreline. Castletown were short four key players, but an early Robbie Jackson goal enabled them to stay in touch in the opening quarter. However, Clonkill took control in the second quarter with Adam Price's goal helping them to a 1-8 to 1-2 interval lead. Castletown resumed with three quick points to leave just a goal between the sides, but with Brendan Murtagh giving an outstanding display at centre back, Clonkill got on top again and they never looked back after Sean Loughlin grabbed their second goal. That made it 2-8 to 1-5 and Adam Price's second major in the closing stages wrapped up the win. Pat O'Toole's charges suffered their first setback when they lost their second outing to St. Oliver Plunkett's by 3-13 to 2-12. Goals from county stars Andrew Mitchell and Enda Loughlin looked like giving Clonkill some breathing space at the break until Sean O'Leary goaled on the stroke of half-time to leave Plunkett's just a point adrift. The introduction of Michael Curley and Aidan Lyons strengthened the Mullingar side for the second half and when Lyons belted home a vital goal in the 43rd minute, the game turned decisively in their favour. Following the long break caused by Westmeath's involvement in the Christy Ring Cup final, Clonkill got back to winning ways with a 5-18 to 0-11 hammering of parish rivals Crookedwood. The Loughegar side led by 1-11 to 0-4 at the interval and it got a lot worse for the 'Wood after the restart as further goals from Andrew Mitchell, Luke Folan and Christopher Austin eased Clonkill to a big win. The green and golds were brought crashing back to earth when they lost their third and final group match to Lough Lene Gaels by 2-7 to 0-15. After an evenly contested first half, the Gaels assumed control early in the second half when they scored six points without reply. But Clonkill refused to throw in the towel and a brace of late goals from Mitchell and Alan Dowdall left the Collinstown side hanging on for the win. Clonkill's second defeat left them facing a difficult quarter-final rematch with Castletown-Geoghegan. Castletown flew out of the starting blocks and had 1-2 on the board before Brendan Murtagh opened Clonkill's account in the sixth minute. Clonkill continued to struggle for the rest of the half and went into the break trailing by 0-8 to 1-9. Clonkill's season was now hanging by a thread, but they responded to Pat O'Toole's half-time promptings with a brilliant second half display. Four quick points brought them level before Alan Dowdall gave them the lead in the 42nd minute. Castletown regained parity entering the final 10 minutes, but Clonkill produced a big finish with Adam Price's 54th minute goal proving to be the decisive score in their 1-19 to 1-14 victory. In the build-up to their semi-final showdown with St. Oliver Plunkett's, much of the discussion had been about the Mullingar side and the prospect of them reaching the county final for the first time. But they failed to fire against a no-nonsense Clonkill who conceded just one point from play in a comfortable 1-13 to 0-9 win. Plunkett's actually led by 0-7 to 0-6 at half-time, but Clonkill showed their intent as corner forward Darragh Ayres pointed them on level terms just 15 seconds after the restart. Five minutes later, the game took a decisive twist when bustling centre forward Brendan Murtagh crashed home the only goal from a free he won himself. It took Plunkett's 21 minutes to add their half-time tally, by which time Clonkill had opened up a five-point advantage, and they eventually won by seven after Adam Price saved James Coyle's penalty in stoppage-time. The county final at Cusack Park brought together what many believed were two evenly matched teams. Lough Lene Gaels, who were appearing in their ninth decider since 1996, had high hopes of victory, having dethroned the holders Raharney in a classic semi-final and taken care of Clonkill before that. But showing a vast improvement from their earlier meeting, Pat O'Toole side's produced a masterful display to wallop the Gaels in one of the most one-sided hurling finals seen in years in Westmeath. Displaying high levels of skill, strength and craft, Clonkill totally bossed the game and their dominance in every sector was reflected in their margin of victory. After an evenly contested opening period, Clonkill gradually gained the upper hand and with Brendan Murtagh to the fore, they had opened up a 0-7 to 0-2 lead by the 25th minute. Two minutes later, Alan Dowdall scored the only goal from 20 metres to give the Loughegar men an eight-point half-time advantage, 1-7 to 0-2. Lough Lene Gaels manager Mick Cosgrave made a number of positional changes for the second half, but they failed to have the desired effect as Clonkill continued to dominate. The closest the Gaels came to finding the net was when Derek McNicholas' free came back off the crossbar in the 39th minute. Following that let-off, Clonkill responded with a flurry of points from Andrew Mitchell, Enda Loughlin and Christopher Austin to seal the most emphatic of victories and move one title ahead of Raharney and Ringtown on the Westmeath SHC roll of honour. The Clonkill team that won the 2007 Westmeath SHC title was: Eoin Price; Stephen Cleary, Adam Price, Fergal Fagan; John Fagan, Andrew Mitchell, Sean Loughlin; Paddy Dowdall (captain), Alan Dowdall; Conrad Reilly, Brendan Murtagh, Enda Loughlin; Darragh Ayres, Larry Donoghue, Luke Folan. Subs used: Christopher Austin, David O'Reilly and Shane Owens. Tweet

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