Addiction’s far too strong a word... but you have to love it
“My husband and family have always supported me”
LEONA TWISS laughs out loud at the suggestion that, as Kerry PRO, she can be said to hold the keys to the Kingdom.
From an early age, she knew she was never destined to feature in any updated version of a Kerry Golden Years video, that she was never going to be a Gaelic football pin-up. She’s more than happy to leave that to the likes of David Clifford and Sean O’Shea.
But her skillset was perfectly suited to another aspect of Gaelic games, especially in a family entwined with the history of Kerry GAA. From cultural officer to county PRO, she has the sort of effervescent personality that makes her perfectly for the role.
A buzz of energy and ideas and can-do, there’s a good reason why Kerry have been at the vanguard of the pivot to digital in recent weeks, gaining plenty of kudos for the speedy implementation of an e-ticketing system for all games since the government kept the crowd limit at 200, a live streaming set-up with Nemeton featuring key games, and the production of online teamsheets for all the club games.
If she speaks in the breathless manner of someone with a million other things to do, it’s because she has. ‘I certainly don’t hold the keys or the keyring to the Kingdom!’ she says.
‘It’s a privilege to be a Kerry GAA officer. In our family, we’ve always been steeped in the GAA. I knew from a very young age I was never going to kick a ball or play hurling — I had no skills. But I love administration, organisation and technology. So initially the position that attracted me was that of oifigeach cultura — as a teacher and múinteoir I was very interested. I was elected and it’s gone from there.
‘I love being a Kerry GAA officer. The highs and the lows, the rollercoaster. You have to very much buy into it. It requires the amount of hours of a full-time job. You need the back-up support. My husband and family have always been there to support me.
‘Addiction is too strong a word but you have to really love it.’ Vocation is probably more apt. This series may be entitled One Day Like This but for Twiss, a single Saturday or Sunday of club action basically takes in the scope of the entire week. Round One of the Kerry championship last weekend being a good example.
‘For me, round one, the weekend would have started for me on the Tuesday. We had 20 games at neutral venues, eight games at home. So for the 20 neutral games, it was my job to produce the digital teamsheet. On Tuesday, I’d contact all the PROs and look for the teamsheet to come in by Wednesday. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday is putting those together and uploading them before the weekend games.
‘Also on Tuesday, when the tickets became available, media had to be catered for and e-tickets allocated.
‘With all the match-day changes, I normally have one slot on Radio Kerry but had to do Terrace Talk and a few other segments as we were introducing the concept of “don’t turn up without a ticket!”
‘We will be adopting e-ticketing until the end of our games this year. It has worked well. You can bring your phone and scan it.
‘Friday was our first streaming. I got a ticket for that game. Templenoe and Dr Crokes.
‘It’s usually commentator and co-commentator. Unfortunately, Gary O’Sullivan’s dad passed away. The team was down to one so my job was to keep track of the scores, be a second pair of eyes for Conall [Ó Ciobháin] who was commentating. On my phone then, watching all the other games and tweeting on them.
‘We’re giving updates on all the games. And there were 28 games going on last weekend.
‘I was at a virtual meeting then of the CCC on Sunday, to set all the fixtures, get them circulated. Monday is quiet enough before it starts all over again!
‘I also have a brilliant PR and marketing committee. There’s a gang of six on my committee — it sounds like an awful lot of work but it is very much shared.’
Anyone would need a deep breath after a week like that. That’s all apart from her day job. Being a principal in a pandemic brings its own challenges.
And things are ramping up in her day job at Cullina National School as the back to school countdown ticks louder.
But she wouldn’t have it any other way. Social media branding is such a powerful tool for counties. The platforms are far-reaching, which has just reinforced the value of the PRO position.
Since being elected to the Kerry county board, there are a couple of moments she’ll always remember.
‘As an officer, there are two days. The first was when I was cultural officer, in 2014, when we won the All-Ireland. I had my two children, my new girl [Méabh] was six weeks old and my boy [Seán] was two years of age.
‘I guess you know that photo, synonymous with the day, where you put the baby into the Sam Maguire — I was so delighted to have that moment with my two children in 2014.
‘The second one was the first AllIreland last year, my first time as PRO to experience an All-Ireland. All the euphoria that it brings. The crazy amount of work in the lead-up.’
As for the lessons from lockdown? ‘Of my various jobs, the most important one is I’m a mother of two beautiful small children! ‘For me, the biggest commitment as an officer is the evening time, having to go to all the meetings. So I have found the Zoom or the Teams to be a blessing. That I can go into my office and log on. ‘It has been equally as effective as before lockdown. ‘Everyone can talk and we have the icon to raise our hand if you want to come in. That is a huge timesaver in terms of travelling into Tralee for meetings.’ Zoom meetings, e-ticketing, live streaming, online teamsheets — the future has arrived for Gaelic games in Kerry and Twiss (left) has been there to do her bit to help make it all happen.