Now Team Ireland returns to a proud nation of hockey experts
Ireland’s hockey heroines beaten by mighty Dutch... but their achievement did the whole nation proud
TRIBUTES flowed in from across the sporting and political spheres for the Irish women’s hockey team yesterday after their brave defeat to the Netherlands in the World Cup final.
It was the first time in history that Ireland has made it to any senior sporting world cup final – and it was made all the more a feat by the fact our hockey heroines are largely self-funded.
Leading the tributes was our sport-loving President. Acknowledging how the underdog team had broken new ground, Michael D Higgins said: ‘I wish to offer my warmest congratulations to the Irish women’s hockey team on their historic achievement of winning the silver medal at the World Cup.
‘To reach the final was a fantastic accomplishment and to do so with such skill, dedication and team spirit is truly inspirational.’
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar was also among the team’s newest fans from the world of politics – as he hailed them legends of Irish sport.
Opposition leader Micheál Martin praised the coach, Graham Shaw, while Tánaiste Simon Coveney labelled the tournament ‘amazing’.
One of the more extraordinary accolades went to Ireland goalkeeper Ayeisha McFerran, who was named Best Goalkeeper of the tournament.
As the clock ran out for the Irish team in London yesterday afternoon, crowds who had crammed into midfielder Gillian Pinder’s local club in south Dublin erupted into applause of pride and support.
Supporters at the Pembroke Wanderers club in Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, had nothing but praise for the Girls in Green, who will receive a proper welcome home tonight at a celebration hosted by Dublin City Council.
The team’s success in the World Cup was special for the club as the national squad use the club’s pitch for training.
Emily Beatty – who flew to London just yesterday to be on hand as a substitute – also plays for the Pembroke Wanderers.
Fans who gathered at the club’s bar expressed pride and awe at the achievement in reaching the Hockey World Cup final for the first time in history.
‘This is a great achievement for hockey and for Ireland,’ said Olwen Scally, the club’s incoming lady’s captain.
‘To be recognised as a sport like this is a massive achievement. It’s very emotional.’
Lydia Healy, 19, from Drumcondra, who plays for the club, said: ‘It’s such an achievement. They’ve brought hockey to a whole new level. They’ve made sporting history.’
Sitting next to Lydia was Christina Connaughton, 23, who is from Bray, Co. Wicklow. A fellow Pembroke Wanderers player, she said: ‘Getting to the final is beyond their wildest dreams. After this week, Irish hockey is going to be on a different level.’
Carol Cromer, who plays cricket with Irish hockey team member Nikki Evans, said the heroics on the world stage have enthralled and enraptured the country.
‘This has captured the nation – the idea of triumphing over the odds,’ she said. ‘We always love the underdog.’
Many fans also spoke of the hard work and dedication that every team member has poured into the sport, and to getting to the World Cup. Men’s Olympic hockey team member Kirk Shimmins, 24, from Dundrum, south Dublin, who was watching the match from the Wanderers’ bar, paid tribute to the long hours the squad put into their training, and said they deserved to get to the final.
Meanwhile, outgoing manager for the women’s first team at the club, Olga Pigott, from Blanchardstown, said Gillian Pinder and Emily Beatty joined the club last year and brought an intensity to the team that helped them become even better. Both ladies made huge sacrifices, balancing work, college
‘They’ve made sporting history’
and family demands in order to get to frequent training sessions, she said. In yesterday’s final, emotions ran high in the third quarter of the match as the Ireland squad refused to go down without a fight, despite the masterful Dutch team’s repeated successes in the D.
‘We always knew it would be
‘It’s about living your dream’
tough to beat the Dutch,’ said Pembroke player Abbie Kelly, 23, from Clonskeagh, south Dublin. But to have reached the final is such an achievement.’
Hannah Watchorn, 20, from Dundrum, agreed. ‘Even though they didn’t win, they’ve still done the whole of Ireland proud. Losing doesn’t mean they’ve done us any less proud,’ she said.
Olympic men’s hockey team member Alan Sothern, 31, from Shankill, said: ‘Today was always going to be a tough ask but they can be proud of the way they fought. Irish hockey is continuing to break barriers and get results.’
Orla Mitton, from Ranelagh, who previously played hockey on the Lee Valley pitch in London, praised the achievements of the Irish team, but spoke of the unrelenting pressure the Dutch team put on Ireland throughout the entire match.
‘The Dutch were absolutely flawless,’ she said. ‘It was impossible to break through their midfield.’
Many fans pointed to the fact that the Irish team members remain amateurs, while in the Netherlands, women’s hockey is the national sport and the athletes are professionals.
In June, Irish software company SoftCo took over sponsorship of the team. A number of people spoke of the need for more Government grants and sponsorship and also of the financial strain on the players.
Olwen Scally said the national women’s team don’t have their own pitch to play on, and instead have to rent out the Pembroke Wanderers’ pitch, or one at another Dublin club.
Kirk Shimmins, who plays for the KHC Dragons club in Belgium, said the women’s team has raised the profile of the sport, while Olwen Scally hopes the team’s participation in the final, and the subsequent coverage, increase interest. ‘I would like to think you’ll see more young people becoming interested now, or older ladies who used to play will see this as a massive achievement and get back into the game,’ she said. ‘This is about living your dream.’
The team is due to fly home today to a rapturous welcome. Comment – Page 12
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