Building on over a decade of support for the GAA, eir, Ireland’s largest telecommunications provider, has been announced as the official telco partner of the Camogie Association and new title sponsor of the U16 All-Ireland Camogie Championships for the next three years. Pictured at the launch in Croke Park is Cork Senior Camogie player Saoirse McCarthy. This partnership marks another significant milestone in eir’s long-standing commitment to Irish sport, while strengthening its connections with local communities across the island of Ireland. For more information about the partnership visit eir.ie Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
By Cian O’Connell
“You have to have a balance,” Saoirse McCarthy explains about her interesting inter-county career with Cork.
Many successful days have been sampled, but McCarthy is adamant, that to deliver at the highest level, an ability to focus on other areas is key. “You have to be able to switch off from it,” she adds.
“I think it is only something I've learned in the last couple of years. When I was younger, I'd have been really caught up in camogie and let it dictate how I was feeling outside of that. I'd have worried an awful lot, about things I couldn't control.
“Having a balance, being able to go to work, to switch off, to move on from setbacks, just being able to have a life outside of camogie, that is really important. You have to enjoy it, when you're there.”
Was that something McCarthy simply figured out? “100 per cent, I just had to learn it over time,” she responds. “You learn from your mistakes. I probably invested too much in camogie before. I know that sounds weird. Too much of my own personal wellbeing went into camogie.
“I just had to let go of the fear of losing, not focusing on the result, focusing on why I played, and enjoying every part of the journey, not just the end of it.”
Ensuring there is joy in the journey is critical according to McCarthy. “We're a really, really focused group of girls,” she says about the All-Ireland champions.
“They are probably my best friends. You could go to different people on the team with absolutely anything. I think us growing up together, winning together, losing together, has made us really close. I think that is definitely key.”
Following final defeats in 2021 and 2022, Cork have responded admirably to win the last two All-Irelands. “I think you can have injuries and setbacks, things like that, but it is how you replace and how you react to that,” McCarthy says.
“I just think that probably contributed to how consistent we were. We had two injuries in our full back line all year, and you probably wouldn't have noticed with the calibre of people we were able to replace them with.
“That is a testament to the management and who they picked to be on the squad, and a testament to the competition within our squad. You're always fighting for a place, and it just goes to show that everybody is replaceable. It probably drives standards more than anything. Winning this year was a testament to all of that.”
Saoirse McCarthy continues to impress for Cork. Photo by Harry Murphy/Sportsfile
How difficult is it dealing with a setback? “You're out five days a week, if you're not enjoying it, then it can be really, really hard,” McCarthy replies.
“The biggest thing to counteract that is to try your best, to enjoy what you're doing, enjoy day to day life, being with the girls, look forward to going training. If you can do that then it isn't really a chore, it is really something you look forward to.”
After completing a Sports and Exercise Management degree in MTU Cork last year, McCarthy is now enrolled in a Digital Marketing Course in TUD. “I had a year out after doing a Sport & Exercise Management course, I loved it, to be fair,” McCarthy says.
“I took a year out, I enjoyed last winter, and then I was working full-time from January and all of the summer. Then, it came about that I could do a masters in TUD in Dublin. So, I took that, and I'm up here now full-time, doing a masters, and I'll be playing with TUD in the Ashbourne.”
McCarthy relished the course in Cork. “Yeah, 100 per cent, while I really enjoyed the course, and could definitely see myself doing a job in that industry,” she says.
“I'm also aware of how much time it is, and the time probably doesn't suit camogie at the moment. If I was to go coaching or working in a gym, to go down that line, even psychology, I couldn't do that because I'm training so much myself. You have to have a day job when you're playing. So, that is what I'm doing.”
Used to a busy schedule with county, college, and club, McCarthy is immensely proud of Courcey Rovers developed. Cork senior camogie champions in 2020, Courcey include McCarthy and Fiona Keating. “I'm privileged to have great support from my club, Fiona and myself, we love going back after the Cork season,” McCarthy says.
“We feel like you can just go out to play, there is no pressure, there is no anything. You just go out to play with freedom, it can be really enjoyable. It has been tough the last couple of years.
"We got to the quarter-final the last two or three years in a row, we lost. After we won in 2020, we've lost 11 starters, one of them being Linda Collins, who is really, really hard to replace with Cork, never mind Courcey.
“We have a really good history, we've people who went before us with All-Ireland medals, and hopefully there will be the next generation coming up too. We're really proud of where we got this year, despite everything, and the younger girls are really stepping up to the plate. That is great to see.”
The past, present, and future of Courcey combining.