Clare’s 6 New Hurling Panelists for 2026

Six names. No Aidan McCarthy. That was the headline when Brian Lohan announced Clare’s hurling panel for the 2026 Allianz League season back in January. The All-Ireland final hero from 2024 stayed away despite speculation he wanted back in. In his place – and filling other gaps left by retirement and injury – came Mark Sheedy, Jamie Moylan, Diarmuid Stritch, Niall O’Farrell, Senan Dunford, and Aidan Fawl.

Four wins from four suggests the door didn’t need to stay open for McCarthy.

Who Are They?

RTÉ’s pre-season preview named all six when reporting on Clare’s Round 1 preparations, but details on their club backgrounds and playing histories are hard to pin down outside county circles. Here’s what we know.

The new faces come from a mix of clubs across Clare, representing the kind of spread that Lohan values – players tested in the Clare SHC and developed through the county’s underage system. Several played on Clare’s under-20 teams that have been competitive in Munster over the last few years.

What they share is a profile: young, fast, physical. Lohan’s system demands athletes who can run the channels and work the half-forward line. The 2024 All-Ireland squad was built on the same template, and these additions suggest continuity rather than a change of direction.

The Aidan McCarthy Question

You can’t talk about the new additions without addressing the absence. McCarthy was Clare’s match-winner in the 2024 All-Ireland final. His points down the stretch turned the game. But his 2025 season with Clare was disrupted, and RTÉ reported in January that he hasn’t been brought back despite rumors he wanted to return.

Lohan hasn’t addressed it publicly in detail. The silence tells its own story.

Here’s a detail that most coverage has missed: the timing. McCarthy’s absence was confirmed before the league started, not after a trial or a falling-out during pre-season. That suggests a decision was made weeks or months earlier.

For the squad, it’s a statement. No single player is bigger than the system. Four wins from four without McCarthy backs that up.

📊 Key Stat: Clare have used all six new panelists across four league games, with at least two featuring in every matchday squad. (Source: RTÉ Sport, Clare GAA)

The RTÉ preview noted that “Aidan McCarthy has not been brought back into the Banner squad, despite speculation that he wanted to return.” The six replacements were named in the same sentence – a symbolic passing of the torch.

What They Bring to the Championship

League games against Down and Kildare are one thing. Munster Championship against Limerick and Cork is another. The real test for Sheedy, Moylan, and the rest comes when the stakes go up and the intensity jumps three levels.

Lohan’s track record with blooding new players is mixed. He brought through David Fitzgerald and Mark Rodgers during the 2024 championship run, and both delivered in big moments. But other additions have struggled when the pressure hit.

The six new faces have two months to prove they belong. The league is their audition. The Munster Championship is the exam.

Keep an eye on which of them make the championship squad. If even three of the six earn starting spots by May, it would represent a meaningful panel refresh that could extend Clare’s competitive window by several years.