Ladies Gaelic Football

50 | AUTUMN 2019 | www.ladiesgaelic.ie FEATURE N ot many people know the name Johhny Duhan but he wrote the iconic songs The Voyage and Don't Give Up til Its Over. The latter has proven to be a motivational cog to the very successful Cork Ladies Football Team for well over a decade. As the Cork bus turned the corner onto Jones' Road on the last Sunday of September, the words of this phenomenal song hit the ears and hearts of every player on that panel. Coming to the final stop under the Hogan Stand the collective mantra was always clear. During a decade of dominance, manager Eamonn Ryan took it upon himself to write to Johnny Duhan to inform him of the profound impact that his song and in particular, its words, had on the team. What started out as a motivational song before exiting the bus in 2005, became so much more as the years rolled on. In fact, it became more like their game plan, and every player embraced it to the utmost. A relationship developed over the years between Eamonn and Johnny, so much so that when Johnny recently launched his book 'The Voyage' in Waterstones bookshop in Cork, it was fitting that he invited Eamonn and members of the teams to come reminisce on a great song and its powerful impact. So what made Eamonn initially get involved with a team that had never gotten out of Munster Don't Give Up Til It's Over championship, let alone have aspirations for All Ireland success? "I had been sick and was at a loose end towards the end of 2003". What started as helping out with a few sessions, developed into an involvement for a phenomenal eleven years. "After a few sessions it was very obvious that people were very interested, enthusiastic and genuine. No one told me go and I guess I wanted to stay on". Although predominantly involved in coaching male teams, Eamonn didn't identify any major initial obstacles. The main barrier was not knowing many of the players, but, trial games and observations meant he identified quickly the type of players he was dealing with: "They were very enthusiastic, co-operative and respectful. The skill level was ok. There were things to work on but as there is with any team". The effort of the players wasn't the only thing that made this team attractive to be involved with. "This wont make me very popular but I found, even years ago when I trained camogie teams, I always found ladies very receptive to help or to advice or to correction more so than their Former Cork player Bríd Stack speaks to her former manager Eamonn Ryan, a man who shaped the modern game of Ladies Football.

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