Glaslough native Gerry McQuaid has played a major role in Wexford's dominance of the All-Ireland camogie scene, having trained the Model County to back-to-back O'Duffy Cup successes in the last two years.

Monaghan may not be a hurling or camogie stronghold, but it can lay claim to double All-Ireland winning camogie trainer Gerry McQuaid who has made quite a name for himself with Wexford over the past couple of years.
Now living in Rathgarogue, which is just outside New Ross, and working as a behavioural support teacher in St. Paul's Community College in Waterford city, the Glaslough native has trained the Model County to two All-Ireland senior, one All-Ireland intermediate, two National League Division 1 and one National League Division 2 titles in the past two seasons. Last September, Wexford made history when they became the first county to win both the All-Ireland senior and intermediate crowns following their respective final wins over Galway and Antrim on an unforgettable day for the Slaneysiders at Croke Park.
Gerry is part of a management team which also includes JJ Doyle (manager), Tommy Roche, Joe Brennan, Geraldine Murphy and Ger O'Reilly.
"We've won every senior competition we've taken part in since we took on this job two years ago," he proudly explains.
"We've had fantastic success and we're going to stay on for one more year and go all out for the (All-Ireland senior) three-in-a-row. Between the senior and intermediate panels, we had 48 girls involved this year and they were the most committed group I've ever worked with. They train just as hard as any men's inter-county team and it's a privilege to work with them.
"It's a huge commitment also for the management team, but you don't mind when you're successful. I have to be at training 45 minutes before the players to set up the drills and so on. The least those girls deserve is a professional set-up. Their fitness levels are the same as any 100 or 200-metre runner in this country."
Having seen at first hand the sacrifices inter-county camogie players make, Gerry cannot understand why more media coverage isn't afforded to them.
"The All-Ireland senior and intermediate double was a huge thing for the people of Wexford. Over 10,000 turned out for the homecoming in Wexford town and you had thousands more coming out to welcome home the girls in other parts of the county as well," he says.
"It's brilliant for ladies sport in Wexford because the dropout rate after girls leave school is a lot higher than in men's sport. Eight new camogie clubs have been formed around the county on the back of the county teams' success.
"But it's crazy to think that nationally women's sports only get two per cent of the overall coverage. Following his recent appointment as Wexford's new hurling manager, Liam Dunne talked about the players needing to take inspiration from local sporting heroes like Kevin Doyle, Grainne Murphy and Billy Walsh, but he never mentioned the camogie players which is something I was obviously disappointed about."
After a successful career in athletics, it has only been in recent years that Gerry has returned to his GAA roots. Along with his three brothers Johnny, Shane and Paul who now live in Australia (Johnny won a New South Wales SFC medal a few years ago), he played underage football with Emyvale before concentrating on athletics. During his time at St. Macartan's College in Monaghan town, he excelled in middle distance running under the watchful eye of Niall Moyna, who is nowadays heavily involved with the DCU Sigerson Cup football team.
"I was a member of the Glaslough Harriers Athletics club and won a number of titles for them and for St. Macartan's all over the country and abroad. I got into running in a big way after winning the Community Games U14 800 metres at Mosney. I would have been one of the top three 800 metres underage runners in Ireland when I was in St. Macartan's," he recalls.
Following his Leaving Cert, Gerry won an athletics scholarship to Indiana University in the US where he spent five years. After graduating with a degree in Physical Education, he taught in New York for two years and then had a brief spell in Rotterdam, Holland before returning to Dublin in 1995. He has been a member of the St. Paul's Community College teaching staff in Waterford since 2001, having initially taught physical education before becoming a behavioural support teacher.
McQuaid lives in Rathgarogue with his wife Margaret (nee O'Connor) and their two sons Jack (11) and Adam (five). While Gerry is a member of Cloughbawn GAA club, Jack plays underage football and hurling with Cushenstown, which caters for players from the Rathgarogue area.
Gerry has spells as trainer with club sides Fenagh (Carlow), Horeswood and Cloughbawn (he doubled up as their hurling and camogie trainer) before accepting an invitation from JJ Doyle to join his Wexford camogie management team two years ago. And since then, he's had nothing but success.
"As someone who lives in Wexford, works in Waterford and drives through Kilkenny to get there, it was impossible not to get involved in hurling," he laughs.
"It's all hurling down here. I first got involved through the school and that led to me working with Fenagh, Horeswood and Cloughbawn before I was recommended to JJ Doyle. Having originally specialised in physical fitness, I've got more involved in the coaching side of things over the past couple of years.
"The success I've had with Wexford has put me on the map as a team trainer. I was offered a role with the Waterford minor hurlers, but turned it down because I wanted to stay with Wexford. I'll do another year with them and see what happens after that. If it leads to something bigger, that would be great. I really enjoy working with teams and would like to remain in this game for the foreseeable future."
Gerry regularly returns to Glaslough where the locals are very much aware of his achievements with the Wexford camogs.
"I was back in the Squealing Pig Bar in Monaghan recently and people were calling me the 'Camogie Man'! It's great to get that sort of recognition, especially in your home county where camogie happens to be a minority sport. If I got the chance I'd move back to Monaghan, but Margaret's from New Ross, my job is in Waterford and I'm committed to the Wexford team for another year.
He continued: "For me and my family it's nice because I've a son who's boastful of his dad training the Wexford camogie team, not to one All-Ireland final but to four!
"My parents last year were at the All-Ireland final and they had never been in Croke Park before. I remember going up after it and my mother was crying and my mother is a Monaghan woman out and out so on a personal note it's great to have my family being proud of me being associated with something like the Wexford camogie team who, as I said, are a pleasure to work with."
Footnote: Gerry's sister Amanda McQuaid, who's a qualified cyropractor, recently returned from Spain to open a new practice called 'Be Well' on Hill Street, Monaghan. Tweet

Most Read Stories