By John Harrington

St. Breckan’s Holy Well is likely to be visited by pilgrims from Lisdoonvarna, Doolin, Kilshanny and Toovahera this week.

52 years ago the well gave its name to the newly founded St. Breckan’s GAA club which was the amalgamation of junior clubs from Lisdoonvarna and Doolin.

Locals who believe in the power of prayer will surely say a few imprecations at it for the club’s footballers between now and the Clare SFC Final with Cratloe on Sunday.

It’s only the third time in the club’s history St Breckan’s have reached the final, and the first time they’ve done so in 27 years.

They’ve never won a Clare senior championship, but there’s cautious optimism in this corner of north Clare that they’re ready to take that step.

Having lost two semi-finals in the last three years their improving young team has applied the lessons of those experiences to raise their game to a new level and reach this Final.

“At the start of the year four lads emigrated, we lost two more to ACLs, and there was a bit of a threat to the group. But they knuckled down even better and were really focused,” says St. Breckan’s club chairperson, Aidan MacDermott.

“It’s definitely been a factor that our manager Declan O’Keeffe has been with the team for the entire year, prior to this year he would have been involved with Clare until they were knocked out of the championship.

“We got an additional coach this year too who has been very helpful, Odhran O'Dwyer. He brought in new opinions and ideas.

“And it's also been the culmination of four years of really hard work by the previous manager who was Donie Garrihy.

“He brought a dietician in to us for a couple of years and a strength and conditioning coach which we didn't continue with this year, but the lessons had been learned.

“So we have quite a good structure and two great coaches. We've a great goalie and defence coach in Declan. And then you have a forwards coach and a fitness guy in Odhran. So I think it's a great combo.

“I think it's a bit of maturity among the players too. They're a year older and a year wiser and hopefully they're wise enough to go all the way.”

St. Breckan’s will go into Sunday’s Final as underdogs against a Cratloe team that still includes some players from their 2013 and 2014 championship winning teams and played in a final as recently as 2020.

Cratloe actually beat St. Breckan’s by two points in the semi-final that year, which the north Clare side will surely take some encouragment from.

Back then a young St. Breckan’s team had just won promotion from the Intermediate ranks the previous year and weren’t nearly as seasoned an outfit as they are now.

Tight in defence, competitive in midfield, and with a nicely balanced forward unit that attacks with great pace, St. Breckan’s will come into this game with a lot of belief they can cause an upset.

And if they were to win the club’s first ever senior football championship, how would that feel for everyone wearing maroon colours on Sunday?

“It would just be savage,” says MacDermott. “It would be unbelievable. I was out of the country for a good few years and an awful lot of people did an awful lot of work for this club while I was away.

“This group of players, they're a lovely bunch of young men and a fiercly dedicated and tight group. They spend their time together and they enjoy one another's company. They go off swimming and climbing mountains together and whatever else.

“So for them and their families, and this isn't just cliched stuff, really they are all very tight. And it would be unbelievable if they could win this match.

“It would so much to everyone involved in all the different layers of the club. There’s a great buzz around the place. The parish will empty on Sunday, we just can’t wait for it.”