‘I thought the only chance I’d get a run on the pitch was running after Aidan O’Shea for an autograph’

Mayo LGFA Junior Championship Final 

Friday, October 11 

8pm in Hastings Insurance MacHale Park 

Aghamore v St Brigid’s 

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When St Brigid’s reached last year’s final of the Mayo LGFA Junior Championship, they ended up losing by 18 points to a Claremorris team that had required extra-time before eventually getting the better of Aghamore in the semi-final.

Aghamore have gone one step further this year and play St Brigid’s in the final.

Last year’s results might suggest red and white ribbons will be hanging from the cup next Friday night but factor in a victory for St Brigid’s over Aghamore in the group stages only a matter of weeks ago, and this game has the potential to go right down to the wire.

“We played them in the league as well,” remarks St Brigid’s captain Ava McDonnell. “They’ve beaten us and we’ve beaten them so we’ll have to see who’ll be third time lucky.

“They’re a great team and it’s never an easy game. Whoever wins, it’s never by much so it’s going to be exciting to see what next Friday brings,” declares the Moygownagh native.

Moygownagh is one of five GAA areas to supply players to the St Brigid’s amalgamation. The team trains and plays in Ballycastle while Killala, Lacken and Kifian are incorporated also.

“We’re probably half of North Mayo combined,” jokes Ava. “But you might only be getting two or three girls from each small parish so at least it’s giving girls opportunities to play because I know Moygownagh wouldn’t field a team on our own.

“We have quite a young team at the moment but it’s exciting times for the club. A lot of these girls haven’t played in a county final before and we’re just trying to push on from here.” 

The reason so many have yet to play in a county final – when the club is to make it’s fourth junior final appearance in five years – is because from last year’s panel alone, as many as 12 are no longer involved.

“Different commitments come into it, especially with ladies football. We always see a larger drop out; work commitments, travel was a big thing, we have three girls gone to Australia over the last few months, so I think life just took its toll. But there are younger girls coming through the ranks and they really are stepping up so I have no doubt they’ll do everything they can to try and get us over the line,” says Ava who was unfortunate to have a penalty saved during last season’s 2-16 to 0-4 county final loss.

“Credit to Claremorris, they were just the better team last year and that happens in sport. They went on to lose an All-Ireland very narrowly, one that was there for the taking, so for us to be able to play against teams of that standard, it’s a learning curve for us. They pushed us to want to be better, to want to compete against these teams. It’s those sorts of knocks that push you to get going again and to try and get things right for championship.

“You try not to dwell on things that have gone wrong, you want to be focusing on things that have gone right. So while it’s a fourth final for some of us, for the majority of the team it’s actually their first, so we really are treating it as just another game.” 

Ava’s counterpart from Aghamore is Mairead Mooney who too knows what the pain of county final defeat is like. The East Mayo side lost the 2022 junior final to their neighbours and arch rivals Ballyhaunis before the aforementioned semi-final exit at the hands of Claremorris last year.

“We were so disappointed when they beat us, it was a hard one to take, so at the start of this year we set out our stall. We knew we were really, really close but it’s a long year to even get to the final so we’ve very much taken it one game at a time. It’s only since winning the semi-final that we’ve looked towards this and enjoyed the build-up,” Mairead explained.

“The girls have been brilliant, they’ve really bounced back. No one’s thrown in the towel or shied away from it. If anything they’ve upped their game. This year we introduced some gym work which is something we hadn’t done before, just to try and give ourselves that extra few percent. The girls have taken it all on.” 

The fact that this year’s Mayo LGFA Finals, senior, intermediate and junior, are all being played at Hastings Insurance MacHale Park, has gone down particularly well with all of the competing clubs.

“It’s massive, I wasn’t expecting it so it was a really pleasant surprise,” admits Mairead. “I’ve been going to watch matches in MacHale Park since I was tiny and I thought the only chance I’d get a run on the pitch was running after Aidan O’Shea for an autograph. So to actually get the chance to play there myself and to do it alongside some of my best friends and my sister, it’s massive.” 

It's a point that Ava McDonnell concurs with.

“It’s a level playing field for us both because I’d say between ourselves and Aghamore, there are very few who have ever trained or played there. It’s under lights as well so that’s something new. We’re used to games on Sunday mornings at 11.”