FROM CHINA TO Ballyhaunis via Ardara.
Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT) won the Lagan Cup last Saturday at the ladies third-level O’Connor Cup weekend, and Rosa Kelly helped her side to All-Ireland glory between the posts.
Originally from Chongqing in China, Kelly was adopted when she was eight months-old and she now lives in Ardara in Co. Donegal.
The first year Sport and Exercise Science student couldn’t be happier in the Hills.
“It’s [Ardara] a wee village but it’s full of festivals and sound people,” she told Jerome Quinn after the match. “So it’s nice to play football in a place where you can enjoy football with good people.
“It’s a real heritage town, there’s a lot of culture and stuff involved. There’s a lot of farming, of course we’re all culchies up there.”
“There’s a fair few amount in China. I don’t know because I haven’t been back, but I’d say there is quite a difference.”
“I have friends that were born and raised in Donegal and I have a stronger accent than them. Everyone kind of laughs. Whenever I play Ulster teams, they’d be like ‘hmm’.
It’s kind of odd getting a Chinese goalkeeper in Donegal now.
“But there’s more Chinese and different nationalities in Donegal now from adoption or people immigrating. It’s better to see more of a diversity anyway.
Kelly started playing gaelic football at a young age, but then she quit and picked up soccer. It wasn’t long before she was back though.
“I don’t know why I quit, I just didn’t like training in the rain when I was younger — and then I played soccer with school.
“I played a blitz and school for gaelic and they were like ‘oh, you’ve a decent kick, why don’t you come to training?’ So I went to training and I really liked it.
So I stopped soccer, picked up the gaelic and that was when I was 11. I probably did start it a bit late, but I love it ever since. I couldn’t get enough of gaelic football.”
Kelly’s GMIT side hosted the weekend tournament, and beat Cavan Institute in the semi-final on home turf before seeing University of Ulster Coleraine (UUC) off by 4-11 to 0-8 in the final.
She finds football to be a much-needed release from education, and it’s evidently something she really enjoys too.
“It’s kept my head in the studies. It’s a good break from the study, it keeps me going, it keeps me motivated. It’s good to keep active — mental health, even your own fitness and well-being — it just helps you so much.”
“Sure how would I know? I’m from Donegal”
The sooner the next generation come through that don’t recognise race as much the better.
That interview is hilarious; “so you’re clearly a Donegal woman?” Is it such a novelty to look a little different!? This entire article and video is on an Irish website because she has Asian looking eyes! Fr Ted has nothing on this
Think it’s time to build a wall in Donegal