‘A complete and utter dream come true’
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Mullahoran ladies’ class of 2024 are standing on the shoulders of giants in the form of the players from the club who blazed a trail for ladies football at club and county levels in the past, said winning captain Sheila Reilly.
The current squad will, in time, inspire the next generation but for now, it hadn’t sunk in for the wing-back.
“We probably won’t understand that until maybe years to come. Those teams of years gone by, what they have achieved is incredible, they really have paved the way for teams like ours to flourish and hopefully that will continue, even the U12 girls playing at half-time, what an occasion for them as well. It’s a whole community thing here.”
Speaking minutes after the final whistle, Reilly described it as “a crazy feeling”.
“It’s very surreal at the minute to be honest. I can’t believe we have won an Ulster Championship, it’s a crazy feeling. It absolutely is a complete and utter dream come true. It’s probably only starting to sink in when you see our supporters there and all the tears and the joy it is bringing to people, it’s really, really special and we’re just so happy that this is ours.
“There’s huge pride and passion in Mullahoran, I think a lot of people know that. They have totally backed us all year and even when games weren’t going so well they were still there and it says a lot, there’s so much support. Even to see our friends and family in the stand and the good wishes throughout the week, it has really meant so much to us. It concretes what the GAA is all about, community and we’re lucky to be part of it.
“We’ll absolutely celebrate this, we’ll enjoy it and embrace every single moment but like the county final, we’ll celebrate and we’ll be delighted to get back to training during the week too. To look ahead to the challenges now, we don’t plan on letting up just yet.”
Sheila was full of praise for the management team who guided them all the way
“Seanie and the backroom team are absolutely meticulous with their planning and their preparations, we don’t even know half the hours they have put in the whole year. It has just been huge. Those efforts they put into us are definitely the cornerstone of our success today so we are very thankful to all of them,” she said.