‘Only the kick of a ball between us’
TINAHELY Ladies GAA Club Chairman Paul Tyrrell will watch with a huge sense of pride as the talented Tinahely footballers he has watched grow and thrive since way back in 2007 take to the field in Kinnegad on Sunday evening at 5pm.
Tyrrell says that it was abundantly clear back in the early days of the club when they had just a Junior team and an under-12 team that there were some really talented footballers in the making.
‘A very new club, only established 2007, so to reach the Leinster final is just awesome. These girls are just tremendous girls, and not just this bunch, there’s been a bunch of girls since from when we first won the county final seven or eight years ago. And although you’d have a few retirees there’s young kids coming through and you’d have to give credit to the mentors and the work that’s being put in at underage level. It’s brilliant.
‘I moved back from Dublin around 2006/07, club was just formed. I think we had a Junior team and an under-12 team. And my first job was taking over the under-12 team. And you could see that they were just super talented little players. Jackie (Kinch) was probably playing Senior football at 16 and already a star. Then you had Lucy Mulhall, Emily, the Hogan sisters, Loretta Gilbert, fabulous footballers and they’re still with it, and their hunger and their dedication is just fantastic.
‘There were very good people over them. Back then, Martin Fitzgerald had a big impact on this team. He trained the team with Pat Mulhall and Kevin Byrne (Aine’s father). They were good GAA men, good footballers themselves, knew a lot about the game, passionate about the game. Then you had guys working with the underage behind them, feeding players through. Tom Kenny was involved, ‘Kitten’ O’Rourke was involved, brilliant, easy to work with.
Like many clubs, the sense of family is huge in Tinahely. There’s a real sense of belonging whether you’re coming from Aughrim, Annacurra or Knockananna or from Tinahely itself. When you play for Tinahely Ladies GAA Club you belong, simple as that.
‘You take the present management team that are there at the moment: Rory Stokes and John Byrne, both have daughters playing football, and both have sons playing football. Same with myself, I have a daughter and a son playing. Then when you get an influx from the likes of Annacurra, Aughrim, Ballymanus and Knockananna you have great social interaction between the parents and great friendship there and that’s what the GAA is all about,’ said Paul. Tyrrell says it will be close with the Offaly side. ‘They’re a physical team, a strong team. They have two young kids who have come through their underage ranks who are very strong and very fast. There’ll only be a kick of the ball between us.’