Kilkerrin-Clonberne's Niamh Divilly pictured ahead of the AIB All-Ireland Club Ladies Senior Football Final against Kilmacud Crokes.
By Cian O’Connell
“I think it makes the bond that bit stronger, even,” Niamh Divilly responds when asked about the family ties that connect a decorated Kilkerrin-Clonberne team.
Michael Divilly, Gerard Noone, and John Boyle are involved, while the Wards’ Dad, Willie, is an accomplished manager. “Obviously, I've Olivia and Siobhan, I think we've three sets of three sisters, and a couple of sets of two sisters,” she adds.
“So, it is a real family ran team, and we do have that close connection. It is easy to know what the other person is going to do.”
Saturday’s latest AIB All-Ireland Club decider against Kilmacud Crokes at Croke Park brings intrigue. Years of work at underage level carried out is now being reflected on the playing fields of Galway, Connacht, and Ireland. “Yeah, I think we've two good age groups that kind of came together at senior level,” Divilly explains.
“They were always really competitive for a very small club. A group of girls came together at the right time, you'd the Wards, Olivia and Sarah Gormally at the one age, and then the Noones, that bit younger. They were always winning and competing at national level, too.”
Kilkerrin-Clonberne's Niamh Divilly in AIB All-Ireland Club Senior Semi-Final action against Clann Éireann's Tiarna Grimes. Photo by Shauna Clinton/Sportsfile
It has been a rewarding decade, but Kilkerrin-Clonberne were forced to deal with setbacks in Connacht and All-Ireland deciders. “I think they won the first county final in 2013, at that time, it was such a great achievement because we'd just come up from intermediate,” Divilly reflects.
“I suppose, along the way they always got caught somewhere, so 2019 when they lost the All-Ireland was really the hardest one. They had been there so long, knocking on the door.
“It was such a small margin they lost by. Then, I was lucky, I came in during 2020, and it has all been good since. I think it definitely drives them on now, to want to win that bit more.”
Preparing for a crucial match in December is a decent place to be for Divilly and Kilkerrin-Clonberne. “I've been really lucky to come into such a great team, to have that opportunity to still be playing football in December, not to be doing pre-season, so, it is very nice,” Divilly acknowledges.
The upcoming clash with Kilmacud will be worth monitoring.
