AIB All-Ireland Camogie Junior Club Final: Bridini Oga, Glenravel (Antrim) v Knockananna (Wicklow) (2pm today, Coralstown/Kinnegad GAA, Westmeath)
THE celebrations before their All-Ireland semi-final were pretty memorable, so if Bridini Oga win the AIB Junior Club Camogie crown today (2pm) then the party might last until February.
At least captain Kirsty Laverty may be able to ease any hangovers, given that she works as a pharmacy manager in Dunloy, while her sister Nicole, the team doctor, can also offer medical advice.
It was the latter’s wedding at which the Glenravel ladies let their hair down four weeks ago. A ‘dry wedding’ for the players was averted because the semi-final, having been pushed back to the next day, was then postponed at late notice due to icy weather.
“My sister had asked me to give a speech, because I was her maid of honour,” recalls Kirsty. “We weren’t going to be drinking anyway, obviously, because we had the match the next day.
“The speech was about half six and it was around that time that the news came through that the match was postponed.
“It wasn’t just me and my sister [Bronagh]; there were a lot of other girls on the team, it was two families from Glenravel getting married, so there six more girls at the wedding going to be affected.
“When the news came through we were all delighted. God love her, my sister [Nicole] was the happiest of us all, she was crying, saying ‘Best day ever’.”
With more than a dozen dual players, who also won the Antrim Intermediate Ladies Football title in 2022 under Kirsty’s captaincy, Glenravel are well used to hectic schedules.
However, Laverty is convinced that the extra week was a significant factor in their hard-fought semi-final success over Adare of Limerick:
“It was a blessing that it was postponed because the match would have been completely different. Although we were prepared for that clash, and always had been, I think there would have been a lot of tired heads just from the travel. And a wedding kills you anyway, it’s a long day.
“All us girls would have had to travel down to Newry to meet the others at the Carrickdale and go on to the match; it would have been an absolute nightmare. Thank God it happened the way it did.”
Game off, Laverty admits it was ‘party on’, with some drinking done: “Well, we did,” she laughs. “We were allowed to! We got the go-ahead, got the green light – that was it, went straight into the bar.”
Bridini Oga now take on Leinster champions Knockananna of Wicklow, at Kinnegad in Westmeath – a venue where the Glenravel girls won a Feile blitz six years ago.
This is obviously a very different level, one at which Leinster sides have dominated in recent seasons, and the Wicklow opponents comfortable disposed of Roscommon outfit St Dominic’s by nine points in their last four encounter.
Even winning Ulster was a first for Bridini Oga, and although Laverty and clubmates have enjoyed national successes at various levels with Antrim, she insists that it’s special on the club front:
“We’re going into unknown territory for our club. Although a lot of players have been involved in county teams, getting to All-Ireland Finals, it’s something that’s never happened before for our camogie club.
“Going into the schools, the children look at you like you’re famous. Like, you know them from taking their age groups in Cul Camps, and they know you, but they look at you in a completely different way, like ‘Wow!’.
“It’s not just in Glenravel. Going into town, Ballymena, they all want to talk to you about the final. You can hardly escape it at the minute. It’s mad.
“A lot of our team have been involved with the county and All-Ireland titles – but when it’s with you club and it’s something that’s not been done, it’s hard to compare to anything else. Everyone in the club is just so behind us, it’s crazy.”
Not just in Glenravel either, as Laverty notes with delighted wonderment: “Honest to God, there’s been absolutely mental generosity from everybody, the surrounding clubs, Cushendall, Loughgiel, everywhere in Antrim, even teams we played in Ulster wishing us well – it’s lovely. You get a real sense of how the GAA can bring people together.
“We’ve been taken aback, we did not expect it to be that way at all. Obviously we need to raise funds for buses and so on; we were thinking ‘There aren’t that many local businesses…’ – but it came to the stage that people were throwing sponsorship money at you.”
This outlet’s own esteemed camogie correspondent, Seamas McAleenan, has been a driving force at Bridini Og, building and encouraging involvement in the game, to the extent that Laverty says with a smile: “Once you’re in it, you really can’t get out of it!”
The commitment shown includes pharmacist Laoise McKenna regularly travelling up from Galway to train, and others travelling over from England, or getting involved with the team again not long after giving birth.
Today, Glenravel travel hopefully, with Laverty excited for the challenge: “We’ve been looking forward to it over Christmas, we’re all very determined. Training in minus degrees on the dark nights is not as exciting, but it’s a great goal to aim for.”
Get that Champagne on ice…
