David Clifford facts for kids
David Clifford (left) with Seán Kelly in 2017
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Irish name | Daithí Ó Clúmháin | ||
| Sport | Gaelic football | ||
| Position | Full forward | ||
| Born | 22 January 1999 Tralee, County Kerry, Ireland |
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| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||
| Occupation | Secondary School Teacher | ||
| Club(s) | |||
| Years | Club | ||
|
2017 – Present
2018 – Present |
Fossa East Kerry (Divisional) |
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| Club titles | |||
| Kerry titles | 4 (Senior) 1 (Junior Premier) |
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| Munster titles | 1 (Junior) | ||
| All-Ireland Titles | 1 (Junior) | ||
| Colleges(s) | |||
| Years | College | ||
|
2017 – 2021
2021 – 2022 |
IT Tralee University of Limerick |
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| Inter-county(ies)* | |||
| Years | County | Apps (scores) | |
|
2018 – Present
|
Kerry | 35 (14–156) | |
| Inter-county titles | |||
| Munster titles | 5 | ||
| All-Irelands | 1 | ||
| NFL | 3 | ||
| All Stars | 5 | ||
| *Inter County team apps and scores correct as of match played 30 June 2024. | |||
David Clifford (whose name in Irish is Daithí Ó Clúmháin) was born on January 22, 1999. He is an Irish Gaelic football player. He plays as a forward for his local clubs, Fossa and East Kerry, and also for the Kerry county team. Many people think he is one of the best players in the game right now!
Contents
Early Career and School Days
Playing for His School
David first became well-known when he played for St Brendan's College, Killarney. In the Hogan Cup final in 2016, he scored an amazing 2 goals and 5 points! This helped his school win their first title in 24 years.
Playing Soccer Too
Besides Gaelic football, David also played soccer when he was younger. He played as a centre-half. He even played against future professional soccer players like Shane McLoughlin and Dara O'Shea!
Minor Team Success
At just 16 years old, David started playing for the Kerry minor (underage) team. He had two great seasons with them. He helped them win the Munster and All-Ireland titles two years in a row, in 2016 and 2017. In 2017, he was the team captain. He scored a huge 6 goals and 27 points in just six games! In the All-Ireland final against Derry, he scored 4 goals and 4 points. Because of his amazing performance, he was named the Minor Footballer of the Year in 2017.
Club Football Achievements
Junior Wins with Fossa
After his first All-Ireland win with Kerry, David continued to shine for his club, Fossa. In the 2022 club championship, he scored many points and goals in different matches. In the Junior Premier final, he scored an incredible 2 goals and 12 points, helping Fossa win!
Fossa then went on to win the 2022 Munster Junior club football championship. David scored 10 points in the final.
In the All-Ireland series, he scored 7 points in the semi-final. He then led Fossa to their first ever All-Ireland Junior win. In the final against Stewartstown Harps GFC, he scored 11 points and was named "man of the match."
Playing for East Kerry
David also plays for East Kerry, which is a team made up of players from different clubs in the East Kerry area.
With East Kerry, he won two Kerry Minor Football Championship titles in 2016 and 2017. He also won a Kerry Under-21 Football Championship title in 2018.
He has also played in the Kerry Senior Football Championship with East Kerry. He has won this championship four times, in 2019, 2020, 2022, and 2023. He scored many important goals and points in these winning campaigns.
Playing for Kerry (Senior Team)
Starting Strong in 2018
David made his first appearance for the senior Kerry team in the 2018 National Football League.
That summer, he won his first Munster Senior Football Championship title with Kerry. Kerry didn't make it past the group stage of the All-Ireland series that year, but David scored a lot of points and goals in those games.
At the end of 2018, he received an All Star award and was named GAA/GPA Young Footballer of the Year.
More Success in 2019
In 2019, David won another Munster Senior Football Championship with Kerry. He scored key points in the semi-final and final.
Kerry reached the All-Ireland senior final against Dublin. David scored 2 points in the first match, which was a draw. In the replay, he scored 5 points, but Dublin won the game.
He earned another All Star award for his great play that year.
Captain in 2020
David was chosen as the Kerry captain in 2020 because his club, East Kerry, had won the Kerry Senior Football Championship.
Kerry won the 2020 National Football League, which was David's first national league title.
In the 2020 championship, Kerry had a surprising loss to Cork in the semi-final, which was their only championship game that year due to the straight knock-out format.
Sharing the League Title in 2021
In 2021, David scored three goals against Galway in the first round of the 2021 National Football League. Kerry ended up sharing the National League title with Dublin, giving David his second league title.
He won his third Munster Senior Football Championship that year. Kerry reached the All-Ireland semi-final against Tyrone. David scored 8 points, but an injury meant he couldn't play in extra-time, and Tyrone won.
He received another All Star award.
All-Ireland Champions in 2022
David started 2022 by winning his third National League title with Kerry. He scored 1 goal and 6 points in the final against Mayo.
He won his fourth Munster championship, though an injury kept him from playing in the final.
David returned from injury for the All-Ireland quarter-final against Mayo, scoring 1 goal and 3 points. He then scored 6 points in the semi-final win over Dublin.
In the 2022 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, David scored 8 points and helped Kerry win their first All-Ireland Senior Football Championship title! He was named "man of the match" for his amazing performance.
He won his fourth All Star award and was named GAA/GPA Footballer of the Year and The Sunday Game Footballer of the Year.
Captain Again in 2023
David was chosen as captain for the 2023 season.
He played in 5 league games as Kerry finished 5th in Division 1. He scored 2 points in their Munster semi-final win against Tipperary.
In the Munster final against Clare, David was named "man of the match" after scoring 2 goals and 6 points. He played in this match alongside his brother Paudie as a tribute to their mother, who had passed away the day before.
In the All-Ireland group stage, David scored many points and goals, helping Kerry reach the quarter-finals. He scored 5 points in the quarter-final win over Tyrone. He then had another "man of the match" performance in the All-Ireland Semi-Final, scoring 9 points.
In the All-Ireland Final, Dublin won against Kerry. David scored 3 points in that game.
He won his fifth All Star award and was named GAA/GPA Footballer of the Year for the second time!
Personal Life
David Clifford and his girlfriend, Shauna O'Connor, have a son named Óigí, who was born in September 2021.
His brother, Paudie Clifford, also plays for the Kerry team and has won an All-Ireland title with him.
David studied at the Institute of Technology, Tralee and earned a degree in health and leisure. In August 2022, he completed a Masters degree in PE teaching at the University of Limerick.
He has also worked for the Bank of Ireland. Today, David is a teacher at his old school, St Brendan's College, Killarney.
He is a fan of the Scottish soccer team, Celtic.
Honours and Awards
David Clifford has won many awards and championships throughout his career:
- St Brendan's College
- Hogan Cup (1): 2016
- Corn Uí Mhuirí (1): 2016
- Fossa
- All-Ireland Junior Club Football Championship (1): 2023
- Munster Junior Club Football Championship (1): 2022
- Kerry Premier Junior Football Championship (1): 2022
- East Kerry
- Kerry Senior Football Championship (4): 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023
- Kerry Under-21 Football Championship (1): 2018
- Kerry Minor Football Championship (2): 2016, 2017
- Kerry
- All-Ireland Senior Football Championship (1): 2022
- Munster Senior Football Championship (6): 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023 (c), 2024
- National Football League (3): 2020 (c), 2021 (jc), 2022
- All-Ireland Minor Football Championship (2): 2016, 2017 (c)
- Munster Minor Football Championship (2): 2016, 2017 (c)
- McGrath Cup (1): 2022
- Individual Awards
- All Star (5): 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023
- GAA/GPA Footballer of the Year (2): 2022, 2023
- GAA/GPA Young Footballer of the Year (1): 2018
- GAA Minor Star Footballer of the Year: 2017
- Minor All-Star Award (1): 2017
- All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final Man of the Match (1): 2022
- The Sunday Game Team of the Year (4): 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023
- The Sunday Game Footballer of the Year (1): 2022
- Higher Education Rising Star Footballer of the Year (1): 2022
- Sigerson Cup Team of the Year (1): 2022
