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FEATURE www.ladiesgaelic.ie | AUTUMN 2019 | 31 "To finish the year with a bit of silverware (7s) was nice – it's been a while since we were fit to celebrate!" 2020 will mark Ciara's 14 th season as a Monaghan senior player. She's played in three TG4 All-Ireland Finals in 2008, 2011 and 2013, but the Farney County came up short against Cork in all of them. Ciara would love the chance to line out at Croke Park again, but she concedes: "We're a long, long way from that but it definitely would be lovely. To play in Croke Park is any person's dream." But, for now, Emyvale can bask in the glory of another job well done in the LGFA All-Ireland Club 7s. And she explains: "We all met up in Emyvale on the Saturday morning, and came up to Dublin by car. It was a 7 o'clock start but we were up there for about 9. "A few of us stayed over and we went to the All-Ireland Ladies Finals on Sunday. "They were good and there was a great crowd there. It was nice to be involved in that, the great numbers and the good atmosphere." And Ciara, who works in Tru Beginnings, a pre-school between Emyvale and Truagh, admits that Emyvale's third All-Ireland Senior Club 7s title, following on from previous successes in 2015 and 2009, was satisfying. "After losing last year's Final against Banner, we were disappointed, and we wanted to get one over on them," Ciara says. "All the girls were focused on the Final and it was great to get the cup back. "We met Donaghmoyne in the semi-final and that's always a tough game. "They had beaten us the week before in the county championship final and we knew coming into the 7s that it wasn't going to be easy. We had to dig deep – there was only a point in it. "Any medal you win is nice but to win an All-Ireland 7s is a very special one – we were delighted with it. "And to have five sisters on the team was extra-special." In the Final against Banner, captain Ciara helped herself to five goals, as her side led by 5-4 to 1-5 at the break. Grainne McNally also found the net twice in the opening half, with Nicola Fahy registering her side's fifth goal. Yvonne Nolan hit the net for The Banner just before the interval, but the Clare outfit found it tough. They registered the opening point of the second half through Louise Henchy, but Emyvale powered back with 3-1 unanswered inside a three-minute spell, including two McAnespie goals. The Banner only managed three further points, with Emyvale continuing to prove goal hungry. McAnespie brought her tally of 'green flags' to five; before Alex Mulligan grabbed their tenth goal late on. Claregalway retained the Senior Shield title, in a titanic encounter, with a 1-16 to 3-9 win over Bryansford after extra-time in the final. The Galway side booked their place in the decider following a 4-11 to 3-4 win over Kinsale; while Bryansford reached the final for the second time in four years, following an 8-7 to 4-8 win over Maigh Cuilinn. The final produced end-to-end football, with the sides dead-locked at 0-5 apiece at half-time in normal time, and again inseparable at the end of normal-time. This was after Yvonne Boushel fired an equalising goal deep in injury-time, to ensure the score read: Claregalway 1-10 Bryansford 2-7. Bryansford were strongest in the first period of extra-time, and led by 3-9 to 1-12 at the break, but they failed to score on the restart. Claregalway fired four unanswered points in the closing period, including an injury-time winner from Captain Deirdre Brennan. Abbeyside became the first Waterford club to claim the Intermediate Cup title since 2002, with a 10-8 to 2-2 win over Templemore in the final. O'Neill Shamrocks ensured Intermediate Shield honours were going to Monaghan for the first time, thanks to a 5-4 to 1-8 final win over John Mitchels from Liverpool. Junior Championship success went to Cork side Douglas, after a slender 5-10 to 6-6 final win over Grattan of Longford. Naomh Columba, Donegal were crowned Junior Shield champions, after beating 2018 champions Ballyboughal, Dublin by 5-9 to 3-7 in the decider. FINAL RESULTS Senior C'ship: Emyvale (Monaghan) 10-6 The Banner (Clare) 1-10 Senior Shield: Claregalway (Galway) 1-16 Bryansford (Down) 3-9 AET Inter C'ship: Abbeyside (Waterford) 10-8 Templemore (Tipperary) 2-2 Inter Shield: O'Neill's Shamrocks (Monaghan) 5-4 John Mitchels (Liverpool) 1-8 Junior C'ship: Douglas (Cork) 5-10 Grattan (Longford) 6-6 Junior Shield: Naomh Columba (Donegal) 5-9 Ballyboughal (Dublin) 3-7 Above: Emyvale, Co Monaghan players with the Senior Championship Final trophy after they beat The Banner, Co Clare.