Aaron makes move to the champions
AARON Barry has called time on his four-year stint at Derry City to join Premier Division and FAI Cup champions Cork City.
Barry had been linked with a switch to Turner’s Cross in 2017 but injury scuppered that.
The 24-year old has penned a two-year deal and he is eagerly anticipating the new challenges that will face him with the Munster club.
“I am delighted to sign for Cork City. I am coming into a winning environment and John’s signings are all of the same ilk; they are players who are at a good age and are hungry for success, and I fall into that bracket too.”
“The winning mentality at the club has impressed me. There’s experience, there are leaders, there is youth, there is a bit of everything in the squad but, more than anything, it is about that winning mentality. I want to come in, fight for my place and play as many games as possible. I want to win something here.”
City boss John Caulfield is said to be a long-term admirer of the Arklow man and he feels that Barry’s best years will be spent at the Rebel County.
“Aaron has a lot of experience in our league, he has been with Derry for the last four seasons. He is a left-sided centre back, he is very good on the ball and strong in the air. With Ryan Delaney going back to Burton, we needed to bring in another defender.”
“He has been a tremendous player, playing week-in, week-out for the last four seasons. He is coming to us at a prime age, so his strengths tick all the boxes for us. Alan Bennett brings massive experience to the side, but Aaron brings a lot of experience with him as well. He is at a good age, he has a great attitude and he is really looking forward to it.” TO have 110 caps for your country in any sport is a phenomenal achievement. To have those 110 caps split across two sports is a mind-boggling achievement. To have done it all before your 20th birthday is a mind-blowing achievement.
Is this even possible? Step forward Elena Tice. English-born Elena spent three years in her father’s homeland before settling in Glenealy at the age of nine after some time in the USA and Austria. Their losses proved to be our gain.
Just four years after setting up shop in Glenealy - where her mother Scarlett was born and raised - Elena was receiving the first of her 60 senior Ireland cricket caps at the tender age of 13. Fast-forward 59 more caps and Elena swapped the cricket oval for the hockey field.She recently earned her 50th cap despite her international career not even reaching its second anniversary yet. Despite standing for Amhrán na bhFiann 110 times already, it has lost none of its magic on the UCD student who kisses her teen years goodbye tomorrow (Thursday, November 16).
“It’s actually a bit surreal! You rack up caps quicker in hockey. I played cricket for about five years and got 50 caps. I’m absolutely delighted but there’s girls on the team with 250 caps so it seems like a very small amount compared to them but obviously I’m delighted and to get it before my 20th birthday was a bit special I guess.
“Every time that you put on the jersey, it’s special. You don’t know when the last time could be. You have to really appreciate it every time and I think I definitely do. It never gets old. It doesn’t matter what kind of game it is, whether it’s a key World Cup qualifier or a game against Scotland, you have to appreiciate it every single time.”
Despite having a birthday tomorrow, celebrations will be low-key. She will most likely enjoy a nice dinner but she will also have training and a big match on Sunday to plan for so there’ll be no night-out for her, something her loyal friends have become accustomed to.
“I’ve been doing it for a while now so I guess they’re kind of used to it. They’re all extremely supportive and they’d kind of rock out and watch it every now and then which is nice but it is a different lifestyle I guess!”
Having accrued 50 caps in 18 months, if Tice could theoretically continue this pace she would manage to reach 500 caps in 13 and a half years - something not