A NUMBER OF dual players from Ladies Football and camogie clubs in Meath and Cork face a hectic 24 hours this weekend, as the All-Ireland club competitions reach the semi-final stage.
On Saturday, dual players from the Na Fianna club will face Tyrone champions Eglish in the All-Ireland camogie intermediate semi-final. Their Ladies Football team will then travel to Mallow on Sunday for the All-Ireland intermediate semi-final against Cork champions Glanmire.
The Meath side have expressed their frustrations regarding the fixture congestion this week and were denied a request to push the football game back a week as the LGFA have said that teams “need a minimum of 10 days to prepare” for the All-Ireland finals on the weekend of 16/17 December.
Glanmire is a sister club of Sarsfields camogie also who have also reached the All-Ireland senior semi-final this weekend. They take on their namesake Sarsfields of Galway who are the reigning All-Ireland champions in what will be a double-header for the Glanmire-based outfits at Mallow.
Niamh O’Callaghan will be lining out with the Sarsfields camogie team this weekend and is not affected by the dual-code frustrations. But she she says that there are up to 10 players involved with both the Glanmire and Sars teams.
“I don’t play both but from chatting to the girls, they would share the same views as that team [Na Fianna],” says O’Callaghan. Last weekend, the Glanmire Ladies travelled to London on Saturday where they defeated Tír Chonaill. Their dual players then lined out in the Munster camogie final where Sarsfields prevailed against Drom/Inch the following day.
“They’re not exactly happy about it either but I kind of feel at this time of year, they seem to be just getting on with it. I know that’s not an answer either but they don’t see any other way of going about it.
“They’d be happy to agree with Na Fianna and what they’re trying to do. You keep banging on a door and don’t seem to be getting much success either. That can turn girls away from trying to kick up a fuss or fight for something that doesn’t seem to be coming down the tracks for them.
“They’re quite focused on what’s ahead of them and what they have to do. That’s the attitude they have shown since the Munster campaign and All-Ireland series has started.”
The area of Glanmire was badly affected by the recent flooding caused by Storm Babet, particularly the Sarsfields GAA complex. Footage showed the damage that was caused by the flooding after the club made a decision to open two large gates into their premises in order to turn the pitch into a flood plain, thus rescuing the surrounding homes and businesses from further water damage.
It was an upsetting time for the club who had ended a nine-year wait for Cork SHC glory just a few days before. O’Callaghan says the camogie team are grateful to the clubs nearby who have offered them the use of their facilities since the disaster.
“We have been up in Glenville GAA which isn’t too far from us and we were lucky to get that facility for a few evenings. Tomorrow night we’re going to Carrigtwohill and last week, we were down in Glanmire’s pitch in the Pike for one night. So, we’ve been here, there and everywhere but I suppose pitch availability is so limited and especially with the needing lights at night, that’s a big issue as well.
“It just shows the community spirit and the GAA helping each other out when needed. We’ve been lucky that people have offered their facilities and pitches to us and it’s been great because we would have been lost without it.”
Glanmire and Sarsfields will be hoping for back-to-back wins this Sunday. Galway’s version of Sarsfields are aiming to complete an All-Ireland three-in-a-row this year, which lays out the extent of the challenge that awaits the Cork club in the semi-final.
There might be similarity in their names, but O’Callaghan says there will be no confusion in the crowd as to who is supporting who on Sunday.
“When it comes to it, we’ll know who’s calling who.
“We’re under no illusions, [they're] an absolutely great side. It’s funny, one of the younger girls was saying that she was watching the [Galway Sarsfields] McGrath sisters coming up to the final, and is in awe of them. So, we’re under no illusions about the quality they have.
“But every game for us has been a stepping stone. We’ve never won a game in Munster so to even win a first game and taking each game as it comes to us. That’s all you can do.”
All-Ireland Intermediate Camogie Semi-Final
Eglish v Na Fianna – Saturday, 2 December, 3pm – Louth Centre of Exellence
All-Ireland Ladies Intermediate Semi-Final
Glanmire v Na Fianna – Sunday, 3 December, 2pm, Mallow
Sarsfields [Cork] v Sarsfields [Galway] – Sunday, 3 December 4pm – Mallow
AIB ambassador Niamh O’Callaghan was speaking at the launch of the Meet #TheToughest content series
