Ladies Gaelic Football

"WE DIDN'T PANIC, WE HAD A BIT OF TALKING TO AT HALF-TIME AND WENT OUT AND DROVE ON. WE ALL JUST KEPT OUR HEADS. IN FAIRNESS, THE EXPERIENCE IS REALLY AFTER STANDING TO US WITH THE LONG SEASON." Images: 1. In attendance at a photocall ahead of the currentaccount.ie All-Ireland Junior, Intermediate and Ladies Senior Club Football Championship is Ellen Twomey of Glanmire, Cork, with the Intermediate Cup. 2. Glanmire captain Ellen Twomey lifts the cup after her side's victory in the currentaccount.ie LGFA All-Ireland Intermediate Club Championship final match between Ballinamore-Seán O'Heslin's of Leitrim and Glanmire of Cork at Croke Park in Dublin. 3. Ellen Twomey of Glanmire in action against Sarah McLoughlin of Ballinamore-Seán Heslin's during the currentaccount.ie LGFA All-Ireland Intermediate Club Championship final match. 4. Glanmire players Ciara Brennan, right, and Ellen Twomey celebrate after their side's victory in the currentaccount.ie LGFA All-Ireland Intermediate Club Championship final match between Ballinamore-Seán O'Heslin's of Leitrim and Glanmire of Cork at Croke Park in Dublin. knew that we had a really good chance if we got our heads straight. It was probably a nice surprise in that sense, that we didn't really look at it as one of our goals at the start of the year, but we ended up winning it then in the end." Whereas a powerful first half paved the way for Glanmire to ease themselves to victory against Ballinamore, Glanmire were regularly put to the pin of their collar en route to All-Ireland final day. After having a single point to spare over Naomh Aban in the Cork decider (0-11 to 1-7), Glanmire once again dug deep to earn a 0-8 to 1-3 win in their provincial showdown with Monagea. They had the same margin of success (2-5 to 0-9) in their All-Ireland quarter-final triumph away to London's Tir Chonaill Gaels at McGovern Park, Ruislip on November 25 and they subsequently came from behind to overcome Meath's Na Fianna by four points (1-7 to 0-6) in a last-four clash at Mallow eight days later. "I keep going back to the county final, but I do think playing that really tough game in Cork really did stand to us. As did the last couple of county finals. We went behind in the game, we were reduced to 14 in the county final and I don't know was it an attitude that we just refused to lose this year or was it just the experience from the last couple of years stood to us," Twomey remarked. "We kept our heads, we knew to stick to the game plan. We really just pressed on their kick-outs and we just stuck to our game plan, and the forwards popped over a couple of points for us. Which were the difference in the end. I think then after that, we knew that was our toughest game all year and we went behind in it. "In fairness, from 1 to 20 in any given game that we have, it has been our never- say-die attitude. We keep going to the final whistle. There was certain games, even Na Fianna in the All-Ireland semi-final, we didn't score from play in the first half I don't think. "We didn't panic, we had a bit of talking to at half-time and went out and drove on. We all just kept our heads. In fairness, the experience is really after standing to us with the long season." It would have been something to store in the memory bank in any event, but what made Glanmire's remarkable run of 2023 all the sweeter for Twomey was the fact that her cousins Niamh and Aishling McAllen were also part of the club's journey to the promising land. Niamh was selected at centre-forward and chipped in with one of the five goals that Glanmire registered against Ballinamore, while Aishling was introduced off the bench as a 47th minute substitute. In fact, as Ellen explains, the Twomey and McAllen families have been ubiquitous presences around the Glanmire club for quite some time - making it very appropriate that three of them had such a big part to play in last December's All-Ireland win. "Those cousins are like sisters to me as www.ladiesgaelic.ie | SPRING 2024 | 29 CLUB FOCUS well. We're very, very close, the McAllens. We've Niamh and Aishling, who'd be playing. They'd be on the panel and then Olivia is on the sideline. She did her cruciate last year. She's back playing, but she's camogie and football. If she went back playing the two, she'd only be asking for trouble!" Twomey added. "I think it is really, really special to be involved with cousins. Our uncle, the McAllens' Dad, is the chairperson of the club. Their Mom is involved in the committee and my Mom is involved in the committee. Everyone is involved family wise and even then we've cousins, because my Dad [who sadly passed away in 2016] has a huge family. "They play with different clubs around the county and they're all asking about how the matches are going. We have a small bit of a GAA mad family, which is a good thing. The fact that a couple of us are involved in the same club makes it all the nicer then when we're winning big games like this as well."

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