A Glen Dimplex All-Ireland senior camogie finalist with Galway this weekend, she is married to St Thomas’ hurler Darragh Burke. They have two young children – baby Pippa will be four months old tomorrow – and both Mammy and Daddy train on the same night. A disaster, surely?
“The grandparents have been roped in so we’re lucky to have them,” said Healy, a multiple All-Star who returned to the Galway camp midway through the Championship.
She is surprisingly matter-of-fact about it all, pointing to the example set by numerous female rugby and soccer players who returned to activity relatively quickly after child birth.
“What else would I be doing?” she shrugged, noting too that Roscommon footballer Laura Mannion won an All-Ireland IFC title at Croke Park last Sunday seven months after having her baby.
“It’s like anything, when you’re so used to it, and when you’re so used to being in a routine, it’s really hard to be at home all the time.
Advertisement
“When the opportunity arose, I was like, ‘Sure, why not?’ I have good support around and when I got the backing of them at home I said, yeah, ‘Why not?’”
Cork's Saoirse McCarthy with closed down by Siobhán Gardiner and Shauna Healy of Galway during last year's final. Tom O’Hanlon / INPHO
Tom O’Hanlon / INPHO / INPHO
Healy’s personal situation and later return to duty this year means she has a solid excuse for not fielding questions about Galway’s 1-8 to 0-18 loss to Cork when they met in the opening round of the Championship.
“Wasn’t there, can’t answer it, sorry,” she responded.
It is no great surprise that the two counties will meet again in Sunday’s Croke Park final.
At this stage, they are the best of enemies. This weekend’s decider will be the seventh time that the counties have met in national finals between 2021 and 2026, three League deciders and three All-Ireland so far.
For the record, Galway won two of the three League finals and two of the All-Ireland finals.
Although the fact that it took a 63rd-minute Carrie Dolan point from a free somewhere down near Finglas to win last year’s All-Ireland final for Galway tells you all you need to know about just how little separates the teams in reality.
“I turned around and I just said, ‘I hope to God she sticks it over the bar’,” said Healy, recalling that game-clinching score. “Ah she’s brilliant, she’s class.”
Shauna Healy. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
A year on, a lot of the same players will pitch up again at Croke Park but retirements have hit Cork hard while Galway appeared to be suffering from an injury crisis immediately after their semi-final win over Kilkenny.
Aside from Sabina Rabbitte, who is definitely out after thumb surgery, Aoife Donohue, Niamh Mallon, Dolan, Dervla Higgins, and Niamh McPeake have all been mentioned as concerns in various injury reports.
“They’re fine, yeah,” assured Healy. “Clean bill of health, no worries there.”
Meanwhile, Camogie Association President Brian Molloy is hoping for a bumper crowd of over 30,000 at Sunday’s triple header of finals. The semi-final double-header in Thurles drew a record crowd of 10,311.
“I think the full house will take time,” said Molloy. “I think somewhere between 30 and 40 (thousand) is where we’re hoping to get up to. Mid-30s hopefully is where we’re going for.”
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Close
Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic.
Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy
here
before taking part.
'Why not?': Shauna Healy juggling family life and camogie ahead of All-Ireland defence
THESE ARE BUSY days for Shauna Healy.
A Glen Dimplex All-Ireland senior camogie finalist with Galway this weekend, she is married to St Thomas’ hurler Darragh Burke. They have two young children – baby Pippa will be four months old tomorrow – and both Mammy and Daddy train on the same night. A disaster, surely?
“The grandparents have been roped in so we’re lucky to have them,” said Healy, a multiple All-Star who returned to the Galway camp midway through the Championship.
She is surprisingly matter-of-fact about it all, pointing to the example set by numerous female rugby and soccer players who returned to activity relatively quickly after child birth.
“What else would I be doing?” she shrugged, noting too that Roscommon footballer Laura Mannion won an All-Ireland IFC title at Croke Park last Sunday seven months after having her baby.
“It’s like anything, when you’re so used to it, and when you’re so used to being in a routine, it’s really hard to be at home all the time.
“When the opportunity arose, I was like, ‘Sure, why not?’ I have good support around and when I got the backing of them at home I said, yeah, ‘Why not?’”
Healy’s personal situation and later return to duty this year means she has a solid excuse for not fielding questions about Galway’s 1-8 to 0-18 loss to Cork when they met in the opening round of the Championship.
“Wasn’t there, can’t answer it, sorry,” she responded.
It is no great surprise that the two counties will meet again in Sunday’s Croke Park final.
At this stage, they are the best of enemies. This weekend’s decider will be the seventh time that the counties have met in national finals between 2021 and 2026, three League deciders and three All-Ireland so far.
For the record, Galway won two of the three League finals and two of the All-Ireland finals.
Although the fact that it took a 63rd-minute Carrie Dolan point from a free somewhere down near Finglas to win last year’s All-Ireland final for Galway tells you all you need to know about just how little separates the teams in reality.
“I turned around and I just said, ‘I hope to God she sticks it over the bar’,” said Healy, recalling that game-clinching score. “Ah she’s brilliant, she’s class.”
A year on, a lot of the same players will pitch up again at Croke Park but retirements have hit Cork hard while Galway appeared to be suffering from an injury crisis immediately after their semi-final win over Kilkenny.
Aside from Sabina Rabbitte, who is definitely out after thumb surgery, Aoife Donohue, Niamh Mallon, Dolan, Dervla Higgins, and Niamh McPeake have all been mentioned as concerns in various injury reports.
“They’re fine, yeah,” assured Healy. “Clean bill of health, no worries there.”
Meanwhile, Camogie Association President Brian Molloy is hoping for a bumper crowd of over 30,000 at Sunday’s triple header of finals. The semi-final double-header in Thurles drew a record crowd of 10,311.
“I think the full house will take time,” said Molloy. “I think somewhere between 30 and 40 (thousand) is where we’re hoping to get up to. Mid-30s hopefully is where we’re going for.”
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
all-ireland camogie final All-Ireland Final Camogie Cork V Galway