WHEN KERRY DEFENDER Eilís Lynch stood before the crowd to perform Amhrán na bhfiann through sign language, she was happy for the distraction from the nerves that were bubbling within.
She was in Austin Stack Park, preparing to face Meath with a place in the league final on the line. Reaching a third consecutive league decider was vital for the All-Ireland champions after losing their Division 1 crown to Armagh last year. They could also do with another competitive game ahead of their Munster opener against Cork on 26 April. But before Lynch could attend to that business, she had another important job to check off before throw-in.
The primary school teacher was joined on the field by her students from the Kilmurry school near her home in Castleisland. And as they performed the lyrics through the silent communicative gestures they had been practicing, she was able to take some respite from the pre-game anxiety.
“I wasn’t a bit nervous doing it,” she recalls. “I was nervous for the game but not for the signing. We had practiced it so much and I knew they’d be excellent.
“They’re top-tier Kerry supporters so I knew they’d be thrilled to do it.”
A fabulous moment before Kerry’s clash with Meath in the @LadiesFootball@lidl_ireland National League. Kerry’s Eilís Lynch leads her pupils from Kilmurry NS to sign our National Anthem. Bualadh bos 👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/1Jqf3KMFAG
Kerry are under new management this year, with Mark Bourke taking over from the All-Ireland winning duo of Darragh Long and Declan Quill. They were happy for Lynch to play the conductor role for the sign language proceedings. Her teammates were equally enthused by Lynch’s endeavour.
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“They thought it was a nice touch and I suppose it wouldn’t be any noise or distraction to me. And if I thought it would be, I wouldn’t have done it. It was nearly a nice distraction in a way. The girls loved it and were like, ‘We need to learn it.’ I don’t know if I’d be able to teach the whole team now. I’d need to take them on a foreign holiday or a training camp to teach them. But they loved it, they thought the children were so cute.”
It was the Kerry chairperson Nora Fealey who first proposed the idea of Lynch signing the national anthem with her class. She has been teaching in the school’s special class for the deaf and hard of hearing since it was first sanctioned in 2020. She took some night classes and summer courses to train for the role. But even after five years, Lynch still wouldn’t describe herself as fluent.
“I have my own tutor who I meet still just to be improving as well. We have a lovely deaf teacher who comes to the school every week. I’m still learning.”
Five of her students have challenges with hearing, but through Lynch’s influence, the entire school community is learning to speak through sign language.
“They all embrace it and we have lovely activities going on every week. They all buy into it and none of them question why we’re doing sign language.
“I was on yard duty and some kids came up to me telling me they were playing a game where they were practicing their Irish and their sign language. They don’t think twice, it’s just normal for them and they love it.
“I’m learning about how children embrace it and seeing the impact it has on my students, and how nice it is to have friends and classmates being able to sign. They’re a credit to themselves to want to stand for something. I’m embracing what a world could look like if everyone embraced everyone for whatever differences they have.”
The Kerry panel has undergone significant change since lifting the Brendan Martin Cup. 12 players have left through a combination of retirement and unavailability. Among the more the notable departures are Lorraine Scanlon, Ciara Butler, Ciara Murphy, Hannah O’Donoghue and Emma Dineen while long-serving forward Louise Ni Mhuircheartaigh retired in December after a glittering 17 years of service. Kayleigh Cronin has signed a deal with the AFLW but has been available for Kerry’s league campaign. With those losses in mind, Bourke has introduced 13 new players to the camp.
Managing that transition to win five of their seven regulation games is pleasing for Lynch, even if one of their defeats was a 3-11 to 1-13 result against their league final opponents — and reigning champions — Armagh.
“I suppose Armagh was our first game,” Lynch continues. “It was very fresh for management and some players got their first time with Kerry. A lot of learning has happened from that and if we had won that game, maybe we wouldn’t have learned so much.”
Eilís Lynch before last year's All-Ireland final. Leah Scholes / INPHO
Leah Scholes / INPHO / INPHO
Kerry may be the reigning All-Ireland champions but a league title is important to Lynch. Ending a 31-year famine for the top prize has sharpened her appreciation for every piece of major silverware that comes before them.
Exposing their newcomers to the unique surroundings of Croke Park will be beneficial too.
“It is a national competition and any competition we enter, we do try to win it. We definitely want the silverware. There’s been a drought for silverware for so many years in Kerry. So we definitely want to capitalise and get as much as we can.
“Hopefully it won’t be our only day in Croke Park this year.”
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'They're top-tier Kerry supporters so I knew they'd be thrilled to do it'
WHEN KERRY DEFENDER Eilís Lynch stood before the crowd to perform Amhrán na bhfiann through sign language, she was happy for the distraction from the nerves that were bubbling within.
She was in Austin Stack Park, preparing to face Meath with a place in the league final on the line. Reaching a third consecutive league decider was vital for the All-Ireland champions after losing their Division 1 crown to Armagh last year. They could also do with another competitive game ahead of their Munster opener against Cork on 26 April. But before Lynch could attend to that business, she had another important job to check off before throw-in.
The primary school teacher was joined on the field by her students from the Kilmurry school near her home in Castleisland. And as they performed the lyrics through the silent communicative gestures they had been practicing, she was able to take some respite from the pre-game anxiety.
“I wasn’t a bit nervous doing it,” she recalls. “I was nervous for the game but not for the signing. We had practiced it so much and I knew they’d be excellent.
“They’re top-tier Kerry supporters so I knew they’d be thrilled to do it.”
Kerry are under new management this year, with Mark Bourke taking over from the All-Ireland winning duo of Darragh Long and Declan Quill. They were happy for Lynch to play the conductor role for the sign language proceedings. Her teammates were equally enthused by Lynch’s endeavour.
“They thought it was a nice touch and I suppose it wouldn’t be any noise or distraction to me. And if I thought it would be, I wouldn’t have done it. It was nearly a nice distraction in a way. The girls loved it and were like, ‘We need to learn it.’ I don’t know if I’d be able to teach the whole team now. I’d need to take them on a foreign holiday or a training camp to teach them. But they loved it, they thought the children were so cute.”
It was the Kerry chairperson Nora Fealey who first proposed the idea of Lynch signing the national anthem with her class. She has been teaching in the school’s special class for the deaf and hard of hearing since it was first sanctioned in 2020. She took some night classes and summer courses to train for the role. But even after five years, Lynch still wouldn’t describe herself as fluent.
“I have my own tutor who I meet still just to be improving as well. We have a lovely deaf teacher who comes to the school every week. I’m still learning.”
Five of her students have challenges with hearing, but through Lynch’s influence, the entire school community is learning to speak through sign language.
“They all embrace it and we have lovely activities going on every week. They all buy into it and none of them question why we’re doing sign language.
“I was on yard duty and some kids came up to me telling me they were playing a game where they were practicing their Irish and their sign language. They don’t think twice, it’s just normal for them and they love it.
“I’m learning about how children embrace it and seeing the impact it has on my students, and how nice it is to have friends and classmates being able to sign. They’re a credit to themselves to want to stand for something. I’m embracing what a world could look like if everyone embraced everyone for whatever differences they have.”
The Kerry panel has undergone significant change since lifting the Brendan Martin Cup. 12 players have left through a combination of retirement and unavailability. Among the more the notable departures are Lorraine Scanlon, Ciara Butler, Ciara Murphy, Hannah O’Donoghue and Emma Dineen while long-serving forward Louise Ni Mhuircheartaigh retired in December after a glittering 17 years of service. Kayleigh Cronin has signed a deal with the AFLW but has been available for Kerry’s league campaign. With those losses in mind, Bourke has introduced 13 new players to the camp.
Managing that transition to win five of their seven regulation games is pleasing for Lynch, even if one of their defeats was a 3-11 to 1-13 result against their league final opponents — and reigning champions — Armagh.
“I suppose Armagh was our first game,” Lynch continues. “It was very fresh for management and some players got their first time with Kerry. A lot of learning has happened from that and if we had won that game, maybe we wouldn’t have learned so much.”
Kerry may be the reigning All-Ireland champions but a league title is important to Lynch. Ending a 31-year famine for the top prize has sharpened her appreciation for every piece of major silverware that comes before them.
Exposing their newcomers to the unique surroundings of Croke Park will be beneficial too.
“It is a national competition and any competition we enter, we do try to win it. We definitely want the silverware. There’s been a drought for silverware for so many years in Kerry. So we definitely want to capitalise and get as much as we can.
“Hopefully it won’t be our only day in Croke Park this year.”
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