Get me to the cup on time, says chief bridesmaid Munnelly

Knockmore footballer Katie Munnelly stood as chief bridesmaid at her sister’s wedding on Saturday before leaving the celebrations to play a leading role in her club’s victory in the Mayo LGFA Senior Championship final.

Katie, who travelled from the wedding in Castle Dargan, helped Knockmore achieve a hard-fought win over Westport at the Connacht GAA Centre of Excellence. The wedding ceremony commenced at 1pm and throw-in for the county final was at 4pm, meaning Katie arrived in time for a half-time introduction as Knockmore withstood a stern Westport comeback to record a 2-8 to 0-12 win.

And when referee Ger Canny blew the full-time whistle, Knockmore manager Cormac Reape simply looked to the sky and fell to his knees.

After losing their title in the decider last year to Burrishoole, Knockmore regained the championship they had won for the first time in 2021 and Reape admitted there was elation as well as relief that they held off the late surge.

“When you kick only two points in the second-half of a county final and still come out on top, it’s a strange one. There’s probably a small bit of relief there. It’s been a seriously tough year and there’s a lot people outside this camp that wouldn’t know, after the elation of ’21 and then the heartbreak of last year where we didn’t do ourselves justice.

“A couple of times this year it’s looked kind of shaky as well but we’ve such a great bunch of girls. The cream always rises to the top and they were going to.”

Knockmore have been asked serious questions in the championship by the likes of Carncon, Castlebar Mitchels and by Kilmovee in the semi-final. But after holding off the fightbacks in those game, Knockmore knew they had the strength of character to withstand the ‘purple patches’ and hold firm.

“We’ve had such a tough championship. I know the Hollymount score didn’t reflect it but Castlebar, Carnacon the first day. All these teams had purple patches on us. Kilmovee had us on the ropes and nearly beaten. We were used to that and were hardened, and the experience probably shone through in the end.”

Much of that steeliness was encapsulated through their backs. Led by captain Nina McVann, Knockmore kept Westport to only 0-3 in the first-half, a remarkable statistic considering the Coveys had scored 4-14 in the semi-final win over Carnacon.

The sides had played out a thrilling Division 1 league final in September, one that Knockmore only shaded after extra-time, so a Westport fightback was almost inevitable on Saturday, but Knockmore held firm. They were helped no end by the experience of the likes of Katie Munnelly in midfield, who came on as a half-time substitute after travelling from her sister’s wedding that was taking place in Sligo the same afternoon.

“We had targeted that first-half and the defence had to be on top. You look at that Westport forward line, it is scary.

“At half-time we brought in Katie Munnelly’s experience. She’s chief bridesmaid for her sister who got married at one o’clock. To be able to bring that in, it’s such a great bunch of girls.”

Concluding, Reape feels his side can have a deep run in Connacht, where All-Ireland senior champions Kilkerrin/Clonberne will likely await should they beat Sligo champions St. Nathy’s.

“We had a five-week break (in 2021). It’s two weeks now so we’ll have a few days off. It’s something that we will target. We talked about this and the (Knockmore) lads have done it, progressed through Connacht, and it’s something we want to see how we do.”