Ladies Gaelic Football

56 | WINTER 2021 | www.ladiesgaelic.ie Today, Mary is one of the coaches for the U-6 group, and even though they are in an area where soccer and rugby are incredibly popular, while the Mungret club also provides camogie for players, they've reached a stage where numbers are solid, and they're all free to concentrate on working with their young stars. "We don't have to advertise or anything, word of mouth brings players down to the club and this year we had around 60 in our U-6 group. We also field two teams at U-12, two teams at U-14, and we won the U-14 'A' championship with our first team and reached the 'C' final with the second team. We had to put in a second team to meet demand, and while there's a lot of work attached to that, it's very rewarding and we're delighted to be able to do it," she said. Success has brought with it other challenges. Part of the celebrating of the club's 30 th anniversary has been a large- scale fundraising drive to finance further developments at Mungret St. Paul's, where the 'One Club' model has been completely followed and there is significant demand for facilities across the various sports. The aim is to have four pitches, including two full-size and two juvenile pitches, along with an astroturf pitch and a ball wall, which along with floodlighting and other associated groundworks, is projected to cost around €1,650,000. "I joined the club when I was ten and played until I was 16 or 17, when I had to make a call as to which one I was going to pursue" said Upton. "I'd say I was much better at football than hockey, but the opportunity to play internationally was a huge draw in terms of why I went for hockey. However I have a burning passion to get back playing for Mungret St. Paul's sat some stage, I definitely want to represent my club again!" "For me, the big thing about the Mungret club was the way they went above and beyond to support me playing. We had just moved house into Janesboro in Limerick and my neighbour was Trish Barry, who was involved in the club. She got me to come out and everything about the club gave me a love for the game. We enjoyed a lot of success at U-12, U-14 and U-16, I was part of the Cailíní Óga programme with Limerick and I remember beating Kerry in a final, and these are all great memories and a big part of why I fell in love with sport at a young age" she said. It's not just those who have been through the club that have been able to recognise the incredible work that's been done in the club either. Mary Murphy's mother, Kathleen won the GAA President's Award in 2012 for her life's work with the club, while earlier this year, Mary's sister Catherine matched that achievement, as she was recognised for her lengthy playing career with club and county, her efforts as a referee and official, and also her ongoing work with the club where she currently fills the role of secretary. At adult level, the club isn't where they'd like to be. They've been knocking on the door at intermediate level for some time now, losing finals in 2019 and 2020 and then getting knocked out by Oola after a performance that Mary described as "not quite up to the level where they can play", they are still at least a couple of years away from adding a fourth senior title. Yet by every other measure, Mungret St. Paul's continues to go from strength to strength. With dedicated and exceptional volunteers, numerous talented young players and the prospect of a base that would be the envy of any club, their return to the top table can't be far away. EVEN THOSE PLAYERS WHO DON'T GO ON TO ACHIEVE SUCCESS ON THE PLAYING FIELD TEND TO THRIVE IN OTHER SPHERES, IN NO SMALL PART BECAUSE OF THE PLAYER-CENTRED APPROACH THAT IS EMPLOYED IN THE CLUB." "Pitch slots can be hard to get at the height of summer, and while we currently have one pitch from the council, the plan is to be able to completely look after ourselves and to complete this project in five years" she said. However, while there is a huge amount of work to be done off the field, on it, the club is clearly moving in the right direction. Mungret St. Paul's has always been well- represented in Limerick county teams, and Olivia Giltenane, Martina Giltenane, Clíodhna Ní Cheallagh and Jenni O'Malley all picked up All-Ireland junior medals with their county in 2018, with Jim Moran as a coach and Roisin Moran as water girl. Even those players who don't go on to achieve success on the playing field tend to thrive in other spheres, in no small part because of the player-centred approach that is employed in the club. One of those former players who went on to achieve remarkable things in other sports is Róisín Upton, who was part of the Ireland Hockey team that reached the World Championship final in 2018. Yet for most of her teenage years, Upton was one of the brightest stars on the local scene, both for Mungret and for Limerick. Former players and international Olympic hockey stars Róisín Upton and Naomi Carroll, with two of the younger members. C LU B F O C U S : M U N G R E T ST. PAU LS

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