Was this the Second Coming or a brief if fantastic remembrance of things past? Clare have probably yet to discover that answer themselves. KeithDuggan at Croke Park

But yesterday, in Croke Park, they exploded upon the Guinness hurling championship with the soul and raging belief that they regularly summoned during their unforgettable epoch.

It must have been Galway's deepest fear, that their neighbours could unleash one more hour of pure heart.

Yet, when they dispersed across the plains of east Galway last night, there could have been no avoiding the fact that they contributed to their demise.

After coasting into a 0-6 to 0-1 after 15 minutes, Galway faltered and gave Clare a glimmer of hope.

It was enough.

Despite an appalling first half, the Banner county trailed by just three points at the break and gradually took a psychological grip upon the game.

The pattern and purpose of Galway's game plan disintegrated, and despite isolated pockets of relentless brilliance, they went down in a way that again leaves question marks as to their temperament.

The only goal of the game was as significant as it was dubious. It came from a free that should never have been - Diarmuid Cloonan was dragged by Clare forward Tony Carmody before he returned the favour.

Referee Willie Barrett witnessed only the conclusion of the tangle and whistled for an inward free.

With the Galway defence still organising a goal-mouth wall, Niall Gilligan - in what he later would describe as desperation - delivered an opportunist's shot from 23 yards and hit the netting.

It was a crucial moment of poor luck for Galway, albeit partially balanced by the awarding of a point to Richie Murray that was definitely wide just before half-time.

But Clare, having managed just a single score from play in the first half, were blessed to get off the field trailing by as little as four.

What followed, however, was down to the familiar Clare intangibles. This team thrives on the electricity of great days and they relished such raw theatre. As ever, it was the magnificent seven that led the charge.

After dispatching four successive first-half wides, Jamesie O'Connor fell into a half-hour of perfect poise and energy, landing two beautiful scores from play and a pair of frees.

Clare's Brian Lohan and Eugene Cloonan renewed a colourful and personal series of exchanges and, despite walking the borders of discipline on a few occasions, Lohan finished as the utterly dominant figure.

Cloonan reminded the stadium of his genius with a wonderful score early on, but became distracted as the day went on.

It was frustrating to see him standing uselessly on the edge of the square for ball that never looked like coming in. The Clare mentors must have been thankful they didn't try to bring Cloonan to where the front line was.

Elsewhere, Galway were in equal difficulty. David Tierney ran exhaustively trying to find a suitable role, but was always a second out of synchronicity.

The absence of Mark Kerins was painfully felt, with Seanie McMahon enjoying a fine afternoon at centre-half back for Clare.

Despite landing beautiful scores and tormenting the Clare defence at times, the diminutive Galway forwards left the final impression that physique mitigated against them.

After a tense and slow-burning period that established parity between the teams on no less than four occasions, the match entered a thrilling closing phase that was always likely to be decided by Clare's force of spirit.

All afternoon, they had been discovering oblique passages through. Gerry Quinn roved forward to fire the county's only live first-half point. Gilligan gambled with the goal and later would land a brave free to leave it at 1-12 to 0-15.

Seanie McMahon swung over four 65s. Tony Griffin stepped up for his first and only score in the 68th minute, giving Clare their first lead.

In every sequence, it was Clare questioning Galway, demanding more and more of their opponents. And Galway can never be accused of bottling it. Ollie Canning and Gregory Kennedy gave phenomenal displays. Liam Hodgins won untold ball. Alan Kerins and to a lesser extent Kevin Broderick kept Galway's attack together in the second half. Young Ger Farragher struck a wonderful equalising score in the 70th minute that might have had the county a draw.

But it always looked like Clare's day. You could smell it in the atmosphere. With Davy Fitzgerald rising the crowd, with the Lohan's ultimately immovable, with Seanie McMahon pistol-cracking 65s, with Ollie Baker back on the field with the sleeves rolled, with Jamesie raising the standards up front, it just had that feel about it.

So, although it was breathtaking, it was really no surprise when Colin Lynch scooped on to a knock-on from Baker and sent home a high and brilliant winning point.

Galway had no time to respond. This is a significant setback for the western game. For all the tinkering with the system, they still came into this stage of the All-Ireland with less hurling played than any team.

At a critical stage of the match, with Clare steadily chipping down the lead, they abandoned their collective sense of belief and purpose. The arrival of the Rabbitte failed to restore composure.

Galway had the potential to blow Clare out of the park early on and failed to take it.

Clare were calm and watchful and, when the occasion demanded, furious and unstoppable.

Only the timing, years after Clare's splendour was believed to have waned, makes it one of their classic days. They beat a Galway team who gave a comparatively hollow account of themselves. But the fact is they beat them.

Clare are in the last four now and another great day beckons against Waterford.

It will be difficult to watch, but impossible to look away.

WHAT THEY SAID: CROKE PARK REACTION

'We started well but the goal was a setback. The circumstances were

a bit dubious but no sour grapes on that front. It is a setback for us. In terms of an All-Ireland, they say you have to lose one to win one and we were hopeful that we could get back to that stage.

- Galway coach Noel Lane

'Cyril Lyons has taken some fierce and undeserved criticism since he

came in. And he took on an awfully difficult job. Sure who in their right mind would want to follow on from Loughnane. But this was a fantastic win for Clare. To come out of a tight one like that.'

- Clare goalkeeper Davy Fitzgerald

'At half-time, we felt we had an awful lot of bad hurling out of our system and that we could only impove. We decided that we would just give it

30 minutes of hell. And we finally came to grips with Galway's attack and

came into our own and perhaps could have won it by more.

- Clare coach Cyril Lyons

'Eugene (Cloonan) is a big strong lad and he is well able to take

his score when the ball comes his way. He popped a couple over today as

well. There was a time in the first half when we could have been blown out

of it. The goal was huge, fair play to Niall Gilligan."

- Clare full back Brian Lohan

CLARE: 1. D Fitzgerald, 2. B Quinn, 3. B Lohan, 4. F Lohan; 5. D Hoey, 6. S McMahon, 7. G Quinn, 8. J Reddan, 9. C Lynch; 10. J O'Connor, 11. T Griffin, 12. N Gilligan; 13. D Forde, 4. T Carmody, 15. A Markham. Subs: 21. O Baker for D Hoey, 22. C Earlie for A Markham (both half-time); 19. C Plunkett for J Reddan (54 mins); 23. G Considine for C Earlie (58); 24. A Quinn for D Forde (67).

GALWAY: 1. M Crimmins; 2. G Kennedy, 3. D Cloonan, 4. O Canning; 5. D Hardiman, 6. L Hodgins, 7. D O'Brien; 21. P Walsh, 9. R Murray; 8. A Kerins, 10. D Tierney, 12. K Broderick; 13. D Hayes, 14. E Cloonan, 15. F Healy. Subs: J Rabbitte for P Walsh (56 mins); B Higgins for D Hardiman (61); G Farragher for D Tierney (63); R Gantley for F Healy (66).