Not even a festive wedding can derail Lurgan minors

GAA

Not many couples plan their weddings around football – and still end up with an Ulster final to contend with on the afternoon after the big day!

That was what occurred, however, for former Cavan footballer Niamh Daly, manager of the Lurgan minor ladies, and new husband Emmett Fitzsimons last weekend. The happy couple tied the knot in Lurgan Church on Saturday, with reception afterwards at the Hotel Kilmore.

One eye, however, was fixed on Sunday when Niamh was due to manage the Lurgan minors in the Ulster Club final against Tyrone’s Carrickmore.

A few hours before throw-in, however, the game was called off due to a frozen pitch but it has been re-fixed for tomorrow (Wednesday) at 7.30pm on the 3G pitch at Kingspan Breffni.

“It added a little bit of excitement to the weekend in general,” Niamh told the Anglo-Celt.

“Having an Ulster final the day after your wedding is not something that happens too often! We planned our wedding around football because we are both so into it, we thought on December 17 that football wouldn’t be an issue but it didn’t work out that way.”

Niamh is the holder of eight SFC medals with Lurgan and an All-Ireland medal with Cavan; Killinkere clubman Emmett is regarded as one of the best forwards in the county and formerly represented Cavan at underage level too.

“I was always going to the game, with Emmett’s support. Even after we got married, he was saying there’s too big of a buzz around it for him not to go, even though he had a lot of family there.

“The buzz around getting married was super and then the buzz around an Ulster final for a football-mad couple was just as big to be honest. It was just amazing.

“I was disappointed (when it was called off). We got up and got breakfast, I had a football bag in our bridal suite ready to put on a Lurgan tracksuit! All my family were geared up to go to an Ulster final, we went downstairs and there were about 30 or 40 people wearing Lurgan gear.

Match postponed

“The news started breaking then that the game was called off so thank God I hadn’t arrived down in my tracksuit.

“It was a big part of the weekend, it got a mention in everybody’s speech at the wedding, everyone was wishing us well and congratulating us. There was a lovely buzz around it and it was disappointing, even for the players because a lot of them had planned to come down.

“But it’s still nice, it will be a lovely lead into Christmas and hopefully we’ll come out the right side of it and it will be a lovely buzz around Virginia.

“It’s mad to see the flags and banners up for an Ulster final the week before Christmas, it’s kind of cool.

“There was a possibility it might have been put off till January 8 but I would have been away on honeymoon and a lot of our girls would be on a ski trip with Virginia College so both teams agreed to play it this week.

“We’re very lucky, Carrickmore were accommodating as well, they wanted to play it before Christmas too. It worked out well for everybody.”

A Christmas cracker of a match is expected between two very talented teams.

“They’re the reigning Ulster champions so we have full respect for them. They have over half of their starting team from last year so they’re deadly strong. They know exactly how to win Ulster which is something we definitely haven’t experienced at that level so we’re going in with our eyes wide open and aware of their strengths.

“We have an amazing panel, we have 36 on the panel, unfortunately only 30 can be named but our panel is 36, regardless what the rules are.

“We have eight girls who started the senior county final and other girls who came on in that county final, so you’re looking at about 15 of the minor girls are on the senior panel,” Niamh said.

Close to 20 of the Lurgan minors have represented Cavan at one level or another.