KATE WALL IS looking forward to the spaghetti bolognese.
The Cork and St Finbarr’s player’s father cooks a mean one up before big games, a mixture of fine dining and carb loading.
And the big games are coming thick and fast just now for the Wall household. On Sunday, Kate will play with her adopted St Finbarr’s in the AIB All-Ireland club camogie final against Athenry at Croke Park.
The following Saturday, her twin brother, Philip, will captain Kilbrittain in the AIB All-Ireland junior club hurling semi-final in Clonmel. His journey could yet end in Croke Park too.
Their older sister, Ellen, is flying in from Boston for what amounts to a pre-Christmas festival of hurling. Their elder brother again, Jamie, you may know of as the former Cork minor and U21 player who has more recently forged an impressive coaching career.
But back to the bolognese.
“If anyone wants some, Dad always makes loads of it,” smiled Kate. “There’ll be enough for the whole parish I’d say.”
Kate Wall celebrates a Munster final goal. Tom O'Hanlon / INPHO
Tom O'Hanlon / INPHO / INPHO
The Wall parents had a tricky decision to make late last month when both of the twins were in championship action on the same day. Philip captained Kilbrittain to Munster final success in Mallow while, three hours up the road in Ashbourne, County Meath, Kate was digging deep against Loughgiel Shamrocks in an All-Ireland semi-final that the Barrs only won after extra-time.
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“I should actually lie and say that one (parent) went to each but Philip got them, they went to Mallow,” said Kate.
That was a Munster final and ours was a semi so we said that finals take precedence, and he was captain. I was the nice twin that day and let them!
“It happened for our graduation as well. I’m a nurse and Philip’s a teacher and we had the graduation the same day. So I got Mom that day and he got Dad.”
They must be proud parents because these are rare occasions for two of their children to be involved in.
“We’re all delighted, I think they don’t know what to be doing at home, there’s so much success,” said Kate.
Kate Wall says she's like an 'adopted sister' in the Barrs' dressing room. Tom O'Hanlon / INPHO
Tom O'Hanlon / INPHO / INPHO
It hasn’t all been garlands and high fives though. The last time Kate played at Croke Park, in August’s All-Ireland senior camogie final with Cork, she coughed up the stoppage-time free that presented Carrie Dolan with the opportunity to strike the winning point for Galway, from beneath the Cusack Stand canopy.
Dolan, of course, took that chance and here they are now, four months to the day later and many of the same players preparing to face off again this weekend as the Cork and Galway club champions clash.
“Anyone that loses a big game knows there’s a lot of hurt, and there’s a lot of sacrifice that goes into it,” said Wall of the All-Ireland loss.
It’s a hard thing but you’ve your clubmates that bring you back in. You’re back training a week later and you’ve got best friends in there with the club team and they just bring you along with them.
“Credit to them for that because, yeah, there were a few wounded soldiers coming back in.”
Like Cork in that agonising one-point defeat, St Finbarr’s will go the distance on Sunday, for better or for worse. The club’s remarkable journey to the camogie decider has included extra-time wins – against Newcastlewest in Munster and Loughgiel last time out – as well as a late winning goal from Wall herself in the provincial final win over De La Salle of Waterford.
Wall celebrating the Barrs' Munster success Tom O'Hanlon / INPHO
Tom O'Hanlon / INPHO / INPHO
“It gives huge confidence,” she said of coming through those gruelling encounters. “It really did stand to us, probably not physically, as in the bodies were sore after that, but mentally to go through that. God, you can’t buy that. It’s brilliant, it’s such grit, it’s heart. There’s no skill involved in winning those kinds of games – it’s pure work rate and pure heart and when we won that game against Newcastlewest, it just gave us such confidence.”
Jamie, the oldest of the Wall siblings, rolled out the template a good while ago for how to display true grit and determination. A terrific underage dual player with Cork teams, a spinal injury in 2014 left him unable to walk. It didn’t halt his GAA career and he has coached and managed a series of successful teams since, most notably Fitzgibbon Cup winners Mary Immaculate College.
Jamie guided his native Kilbrittain too, though sister Kate made the difficult decision to join St Finbarr’s three years ago.
“I was nursing up in Cork and living up in Cork, so I moved,” she explained. “As a nurse, you don’t have that much time so I made that decision to move to St Finbarr’s and they’ve taken me in with open arms. They’re an excellent club and I’m like an adopted sister in there.”
Cork colleague and former Down star Sorcha McCartan is in the same boat.
“She joined two years before me, the two of us live together in Wilton,” said Wall. “I’d be best friends with Sorcha.”
Between them all they’ve lifted the Barrs to the brink of a landmark achievement. A maiden All-Ireland title is within arm’s reach.
“There’s loads of experience in our team of being in Croke Park and playing on big days,” said the versatile forward. “The main thing is just trying to manage your energy. Because it’s really exciting and you want to be in the buildup and in the hype but it’s trying to focus on the actual game and not getting caught up with all the excitement.
“But you have to enjoy it too. It’s something that might never happen again in your career. So there’s no point blocking all that fun part of it away either. It’s kind of a balancing act really between the two.”
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The Barrs' 'adopted sister' Kate Wall relishing All-Ireland chance, and her dad's spag bol
KATE WALL IS looking forward to the spaghetti bolognese.
The Cork and St Finbarr’s player’s father cooks a mean one up before big games, a mixture of fine dining and carb loading.
And the big games are coming thick and fast just now for the Wall household. On Sunday, Kate will play with her adopted St Finbarr’s in the AIB All-Ireland club camogie final against Athenry at Croke Park.
The following Saturday, her twin brother, Philip, will captain Kilbrittain in the AIB All-Ireland junior club hurling semi-final in Clonmel. His journey could yet end in Croke Park too.
Their older sister, Ellen, is flying in from Boston for what amounts to a pre-Christmas festival of hurling. Their elder brother again, Jamie, you may know of as the former Cork minor and U21 player who has more recently forged an impressive coaching career.
But back to the bolognese.
“If anyone wants some, Dad always makes loads of it,” smiled Kate. “There’ll be enough for the whole parish I’d say.”
The Wall parents had a tricky decision to make late last month when both of the twins were in championship action on the same day. Philip captained Kilbrittain to Munster final success in Mallow while, three hours up the road in Ashbourne, County Meath, Kate was digging deep against Loughgiel Shamrocks in an All-Ireland semi-final that the Barrs only won after extra-time.
“I should actually lie and say that one (parent) went to each but Philip got them, they went to Mallow,” said Kate.
“It happened for our graduation as well. I’m a nurse and Philip’s a teacher and we had the graduation the same day. So I got Mom that day and he got Dad.”
They must be proud parents because these are rare occasions for two of their children to be involved in.
“We’re all delighted, I think they don’t know what to be doing at home, there’s so much success,” said Kate.
It hasn’t all been garlands and high fives though. The last time Kate played at Croke Park, in August’s All-Ireland senior camogie final with Cork, she coughed up the stoppage-time free that presented Carrie Dolan with the opportunity to strike the winning point for Galway, from beneath the Cusack Stand canopy.
Dolan, of course, took that chance and here they are now, four months to the day later and many of the same players preparing to face off again this weekend as the Cork and Galway club champions clash.
“Anyone that loses a big game knows there’s a lot of hurt, and there’s a lot of sacrifice that goes into it,” said Wall of the All-Ireland loss.
“Credit to them for that because, yeah, there were a few wounded soldiers coming back in.”
Like Cork in that agonising one-point defeat, St Finbarr’s will go the distance on Sunday, for better or for worse. The club’s remarkable journey to the camogie decider has included extra-time wins – against Newcastlewest in Munster and Loughgiel last time out – as well as a late winning goal from Wall herself in the provincial final win over De La Salle of Waterford.
“It gives huge confidence,” she said of coming through those gruelling encounters. “It really did stand to us, probably not physically, as in the bodies were sore after that, but mentally to go through that. God, you can’t buy that. It’s brilliant, it’s such grit, it’s heart. There’s no skill involved in winning those kinds of games – it’s pure work rate and pure heart and when we won that game against Newcastlewest, it just gave us such confidence.”
Jamie, the oldest of the Wall siblings, rolled out the template a good while ago for how to display true grit and determination. A terrific underage dual player with Cork teams, a spinal injury in 2014 left him unable to walk. It didn’t halt his GAA career and he has coached and managed a series of successful teams since, most notably Fitzgibbon Cup winners Mary Immaculate College.
Jamie guided his native Kilbrittain too, though sister Kate made the difficult decision to join St Finbarr’s three years ago.
“I was nursing up in Cork and living up in Cork, so I moved,” she explained. “As a nurse, you don’t have that much time so I made that decision to move to St Finbarr’s and they’ve taken me in with open arms. They’re an excellent club and I’m like an adopted sister in there.”
Cork colleague and former Down star Sorcha McCartan is in the same boat.
“She joined two years before me, the two of us live together in Wilton,” said Wall. “I’d be best friends with Sorcha.”
Between them all they’ve lifted the Barrs to the brink of a landmark achievement. A maiden All-Ireland title is within arm’s reach.
“There’s loads of experience in our team of being in Croke Park and playing on big days,” said the versatile forward. “The main thing is just trying to manage your energy. Because it’s really exciting and you want to be in the buildup and in the hype but it’s trying to focus on the actual game and not getting caught up with all the excitement.
“But you have to enjoy it too. It’s something that might never happen again in your career. So there’s no point blocking all that fun part of it away either. It’s kind of a balancing act really between the two.”
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Camogie Cork GAA kate wall