The Rock behind Shanahoe ladies
August 09, 2010County champions for the very first time in 2006 and genuine contenders for the Laois ladies senior football championship every year since, Shanahoe are undoubtedly one of the leading lights in the O'Moore County. The club, which boasts a strong representation on the Laois ladies team, is sponsored by Kerwin Quarry, a local business that has been extremely supportive of the GAA down through the years.
Proprietor Charlie Kerwin has three nieces on the Shanahoe team - Noirin, Martha and Mary - and all three also play for Laois. It's going to be a busy year for the Kirwan girls on all fronts!
True to form, Shanahoe kicked off their 2010 county SFC campaign in considerable style as they beat an up-and-coming Park-Ratheniska in their first-round encounter. The Red & Blacks dominated the first half to carry a commanding advantage into the break. County stars Eimear Fitzpatrick and Mary Kirwan had shown the way in front of the posts during that opening half hour. With the wind at their backs in the second half, and the Kerwin Quarry logo indelibly emblazoned across their jersey fronts, Shanahoe eased across the wining line in the second half to get their championship season off to the best possible start.
Shanahoe, 2010 Laois ladies SFC V Park-Ratheniska: Orla Dwyer; Eimear Barry, Marie Deegan, Yvonne Delaney; Lisa Dunne, Marion O'Grady, Linda Reilly; Martha Kirwan, Valerie Lalor; Sharon Moylan, Noirin Kirwan, Maggie Fitzpatrick; Eimear Fitzpatrick, Theresa Bennett, Mary Kirwan. Subs: Deirdre Moore, Jenny McCormack, Lauren Reilly, Stephanie England, Lucy Dwyer.
Centre forward on the Shanahoe team, 21-year-old Noirin Kirwan has been part of the Laois panel since 2003. Noirin works at Kerwin Quarry for her uncle Charlie, who has been sponsoring the local ladies GAA team for three years now. "He set the business up five years ago and became sponsor two years later," Noirin explains. "The quarry itself is located here in Shanahoe, just down the road from Abbeyleix."
Charlie is a massive GAA supporter and cheers on both the various county teams and those who don the Shanahoe colours. He lined out for Shanahoe himself and had the distinction of captaining their intermediate hurling team. In recent years, his attention has turned more and more to the ladies club, who have three of his nieces on board, making them one of the most competitive ladies teams in the county.
Noirin takes the story up: "Ladies football started in Shanahoe in 1994 and has really taken off since. We were successful in all the various underage groups up along the way and then at senior level, winning our first senior championship in 2006. To date, that's our only SFC but hopefully this could be our year again. We've been in semi-finals and finals in the last three years and we still have six or seven girls involved with Laois, so we're confident that we'll be there or thereabouts."
Noirin's emergence as a talented ladies footballer has been aided greatly by the influence of her older sisters. Mary is the best-known of the Kirwan siblings, having scored the winning penalty and scooped the Player of the Match award in the 2001 All-Ireland final against Mayo. Martha was also on that All-Ireland-winning panel and all three girls represent both club and county with distinction to the present day. Mary had been playing for Laois for an incredible 15 years, while Martha has lined out at intercounty level for a decade.
Needless to say, playing at the highest level, with regular matches and training, is no picnic and the level of commitment is extraordinarily high. "Yeah, we're kept going every night of the week alright," Noirin says. "Even when there's no training, you'd still do a little bit on your own. It's like being a professional in many respects and it does take a lot of commitment, but we do it because we love it so there's no complaints."
So where did the football pedigree come from? Are there other footballers back along the family tree? "Not really. Our mother is from Tipperary and she certainly had a bit of a GAA background. We used to play a lot in the front garden when we were growing up and we gave Mam plenty of hardship when we were younger. She couldn't keep a window in the front of the house. So a hurl and sliothar was out of the question - she believed football was safer! Then the club in Shanahoe came along at the right time. Mam and Dad were always very good to us, driving us around the place to matches and also to training. Then at primary school out teachers got us involved in Cumann na mBunscol and that was the starting point. We used to watch All-Ireland finals on television and we tried to replicate that. We have four brothers as well and they all play football and hurling, so as you can imagine we had some competitive games in the garden when we were growing up!"
As for Laois, are Dublin the team to beat in Leinster this year? "We did well in the national league this year, getting to a semi-final against Galway, so we're in good shape for the championship. We're up against Meath in the semi-final on July 4th and we can't afford to look beyond that. Of course, we're hoping to get to a Leinster final and we'd expect Dublin to be there. We beat them in the league and they ended up getting relegated to Division Two, but the championship is a different matter. They reached the All-Ireland final last year and are strong. It's going to take a good team to beat them."
The ladies game continues to grow in popularity amongst all age groups in Laois. "Here in Shanahoe, membership numbers are up and the skill level has increased dramatically as well," Noirin confirms. "Ladies football is very well organised and it's out on its own. We're one of the largest clubs in the county and it's getting stronger all the time. You could have anything up to 70 kids down at the pitch on a Wednesday evening and it's great to see. There are also more parents getting involved, which is brilliant. It's important to get the kids out into the fresh air and the club is providing a great service to local families."
All in all, Noirin is looking forward to 2010 at club and county level. Both teams could be in the shake-up for major honours: "It's going to be a busy year. Shanahoe will be close and the training with Laois is very exciting this year. [Former Laois footballer] Joe Higgins is the new manager and he's emphasising the importance of taking pride in the jersey. He has great experience as a former All Star and a Leinster SFC medallist under Mick O'Dwyer in 2003. Joe's training us very hard and hopefully it will pay off.
"The girls are all very committed. We have a very young team but also have two or three with experience of winning the All-Ireland in 2001, which should keep us going in the right direction. It's a fierce young team with most of the girls in their early 20s and also a few 15 and 16 year olds, but there's no shortage of hunger and talent and I'm expecting us to give it a good shot this year."
Noirin has just graduated from Maynooth with an Arts Degree. While studying, she was on the side that beat Tralee IT last year to claim the O'Connor Shield.
Established in 2005, Kerwin Quarry operates under full planning permission as recognised by Laois County Council and An Bord Pleanala. Safety is a top priority at the site, located at Killeaney, Kilbricken, Mountrath, County Laois, where the directors strive to ensure that work is undertaken in a safe environment complying with the policies of their safety statement. A full Environmental Impact Statement is also conducted on site.
Stone is supplied and delivered all over Laois, extending beyond the O'Moore County boundaries into surrounding counties. Every effort is made to meet customers' needs in terms of good quality stone supply and delivery. Tweet
