HER 21ST NATIONAL title, but perhaps the sweetest one of all.
A 21st championship one across club and county that is — 11 All-Ireland senior crowns with the Cork footballers, seven with the camógs, two senior and now one junior with Donoughmore. Then there’s also 11 football league honours, three with the camogie, and two college titles. Insane.
Rena Buckley was the star of the show for her club Donoughmore yesterday as they were crowned All-Ireland junior champions.
Cool, calm and collected as ever, the legendary Cork dual star accounted for 0-7 of her side’s 1-12 as they edged out Mayo kingpins CL McHale Rovers by the minimum after extra-time. It was an epic battle in Ballinsaloe, and one in which Buckley made her impact felt from start to finish.
“Everyone knows Rena is a legend,” as manager Donal Dineen said of the Player of the Match afterwards.
She is a fantastic role model for the younger girls. You would see her in the car park coaching them after training. That is the type of player and person she is.
Yesterday marked the end of an unforgettable 2019 for this rising Donoughmore side.
Years ago, they were a ladies football powerhouse — winning All-Ireland senior titles in 2001 and 2003, and reaching deciders in 2004 and 2009 — but in 2017, they couldn’t field a team.
“We have a team again, that’s hugely important to me,” Buckley noted ahead of the showdown, while her captain Eileen Lyons echoed her words. “If we capped it off with a win it would be very, very sweet.”
How sweet it must have been.
What a revival.
“Ah look, it’s very, very special,” Buckley herself, an 18-time All-Ireland senior inter-county football and camogie champion, told Jerome Quinn afterwards.
“Donoughmore have a very strong and proud history of ladies football. Over the last couple of years we probably slipped back a little bit, and to now come back with a junior team… I suppose the most important thing is for the girls to really buy in and give it their all, and to play football for Donoughmore.
“That’s the most satisfying thing. With that came success in the games. To get all the way to today and to get over the line by the skin of our teeth, Jesus, it’s been an outstanding year.”
The 32-year-old, who also still stars for her camogie club Iniscarra, later added in the interview:
Everybody loves the top level sport but club stuff, it’s raw, it’s emotional, we love it. It’s fantastic to be a part of it.
“It’s outstanding. It’s fantastic for Ladies Football, it’s fantastic for women’s sport, and it’s great for sport. Sport is brilliant!”
- With reporting from Daragh Small and Jerome Quinn for the Ladies Gaelic Football Association
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Let’s hope Scotland bottle it like they did in their independence referendum.
To be honest I’ll be disappointed enough if, atleast a handful of lads don’t moon em shouting freedom!
this is a proper game
okay deflection but I still think a decent keeper would have saved it
what’s he takin Wes off for?!!
I’m sorry but where was the f*cking urgency in those last 5 to 10 minutes
One word-drab
Not the team I would have picked but I am not the manager. Here’s hoping MO’N knows something the rest of us don’t! COYBIG!
No anya in Scotland team!!
not confident at all to be honest. n ire, Scotland and Wales all on the rise while we seem to be gettin worse, or at least not progressing much
we reap what we sow, total lack of support & investment in our league
Anyone else agree that Ronnie Whelan shouldn’t have the commentary gig for such an important match? I think every second thing he says makes me grind my teeth. Why couldn’t they have given the job to Giles?
Playing with a diamond midfield I think, 1-0 Ireland win. COYBIG
Rte player down. What the hell do I do???
watch porn instead
Is there a more unlikeable player around than Naismith?
Ronaldo. At least he’s a great player though
Looked like offside, 5 million to Scotland
You have stay positive #COYBIG
COYBIG
Scottish jersey looks like someone puked on it
That Naismith is an awful pr*ck. He’d also give Tom Daley a run for his money in the diving stakes.
This game is made for McClean & Long
And walters…. G’won
Nice start, keep it up! COYBIG
why is shane long still sitting on the bench?baffling.
C’mon Ireland! 1 more now!
And no dirty stuff!!!!
Get McCarthy off now. The lads head isn’t in the game at all. looks like he’s trying to get himself sent off
Mon now Ireland ta f**k! doesn’t even have to be pretty. grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr just feckin do it lads
Great atmosphere. The fans are really noisy. The team are playing with great attitude. And it’s 1-0… This game reminds me of Irl v Holland in 2001 when we won 1 nil courtesy of McAteer and we went on to qualify for the World Cup. It was a Saturday too if I remember correctly.. More of the same please!!!!!!!!
Really hoping for an Ireland and a Laois win!!
Scotland have this won from the National Anthem. We are a disgrace.
it’s the euros Ryan, not the eurovision
Given, whyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
Deflected in fairness to him. O.G.
Deflected
Yes I know this,but as a keeper myself he really should have gotten something on that playing at international level
Also, does Given know he’s allowed throw the ball to one of his defenders?
given should have readjustd simple as
Cant believe Shane Long not starting, he’s a proven scorer at premier level. Murphy ok, but scoring in lower league,
Proven scorer? Once every 4 games or so?
Really hope Ireland wins.( support Celtic after all) green`s my favorite colour ) Dunno what colour scotland’s strip supposed to stand for? Great goal from Ireland.
I’ve been prepared for the thumping we’re going get since the Poland game and this lineup offers no hope.
That’s the spirit!
O’Neill and Keane will get plenty of criticism after this but it’s time for the likes of McCarthy, Wilson, and Whelan to stand up in games like this. They are all playing for top half premier league clubs and their influence on the game today was negligible. It was poor, but I don’t think any other manager could have conjured up a performance from that group of players. Just a complete lack of leaders on the pitch when they were needed.
Is O Neill waiting for us to go 2-1 down before making a change.Murphy hasn’t done a thing
And bizarre decision to take Hoolahan off for Keane. Agree, should have been Murphy off
thought Murphy played well actually
Sorry, Murphy did play well, but faded later
Anyone else think we should have kept Trappatoni?
no.
Route 1 football on show,hoof it up and hope for the best,pure dogged effort,it’s like watching a mix between afl and tennis.Whelan and Walters thriving on it
Robbie Brady’s left foot should be made a patron saint #COYBIG
In my drunken state I have appointed him Fed Ex Brady because of his great delivery.
his delivery was brutal, don’t get that
It’s great to see Ireland winning, another home nation at the euros next year !
Home nation?
Ireland are a home nation like Wales
‘There were estimates that around 20,000 fans would travel over for the weekend — let’s hope that they don’t all have tickets’ – what a dreadful unsporting comment to make.
Well shut up about it
Murphy was terrible, look disinterested in the game, no urgency to get across defenders to try and get a header in, don’t know how o’neill and co could leave him on for 80mins and take-off Holohan. actually at half time o’neill must have told them relax Folks we have won because as a team they had no desire in that second half.
So are we out or what??