Seir Kieran players and one Lusmagh player were suspended for six months. In spite of the eventual outcome, Seir Kieran took heart from the clear progress that was being made, including in terms of representation on the Offaly hurling panels. Kieran Mooney had been Offaly's top scorer (0-8) in their narrow loss to Dublin in the Leinster U-21 Hurling Final of 1972. Kieran Mooney along with Sean Bergin also represented the club in 1974, when an Offaly side managed by Brother Denis Minehan and captained by a young Pádraig Horan recorded a first-ever win over Dublin in the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship. The Semi-final against Kilkenny took place at Croke Park, where Mooney put Offaly's opening goal past Noel Skehan. (Despite Damien Martin's heroics in the Offaly goals, however, Kilkenny advanced without undue trouble.) Schools hurling and underage hurling Even more encouraging for the Club's future was the organized effort being made at primary school level, led in Clareen's case by successive Principals of Seir Kieran National School: Mr. Frank McNamara; Mr. Tony Hogan; Mr. Damien White; Mrs. Majella Gibbons; and Mr. Jonathan Dunne in the present day. In 1974, a team captained by Joe Dooley won Seir Kieran's first Bord na Scol hurling championship. This feat was emulated in 1976, when Mick Mulrooney captained the Bord na Scol team. Seir Kieran went on to claim the Offaly U-14 'B' hurling title for 1976 – an achievement indeed for a club that had waited 40 years to win an under-age championship. The school teams were mentored by Damien White N.T., Canon Seán Collier, and Tony Murphy; while the U-14s were looked after by Club chairman Paddy Guinan, Canon Collier, Seamus Mulrooney and John Joe Coffey. There was also a big input from the parents and many others in the parish community. Although ultimately unsuccessful, Seir Kieran had also won through to both the Minor 'B' and the U-21 Hurling Finals of 1974. Of the Minor 'B' Final against much-fancied Killeigh, the Midland Tribune reported that "At no stage was full back Eugene Coughlan allowed to relax his most extraordinary talents". Future stalwarts such as Paddy Mulrooney, Noel Bergin, Jimmy Connor, Mick Coughlan, Johnny Abbott and Joe Mooney also featured. Johnny Abbott played in goals that year for the U-21 team, coached by Tony Murphy. He was kept busy in the U-21 Final against Kinnitty, where much of the Minor panel,