Dublin ladies footballer Hannah Tyrrell with her Player of the Month award at the PwC offices in Dublin. Photo by Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile
By Cian O'Connell
With standards constantly rising and interest increasing this is a particularly encouraging time for ladies football.
Hannah Tyrrell fulfilled her sporting ambition by winning an All-Ireland with Dublin earlier this month, but remains optimistic about the future of the game.
"Yeah, I'd completely agree to be honest," she responds instantly when asked whether the sport has developed significantly in the past couple of decades. Back when I first came into the Dublin setup, we were very lucky that we had some phenomenal coaches and the best of the best in terms of backroom team and everything we needed there.
"When I came back in 2021, I remember my first couple of sessions with the girls. The levels had had just lifted again. It kind of blew me away, the standard of fitness, conditioning, the gym work that was being put in and then just the skill levels of some of these girls.
"Back in 2008, 2009, when I was first in with Dublin, some of those girls were only five or six years of age, so it's great to see that. And that's happening right across the country.
"It's showing in All-Ireland finals over the last number of years, the skill levels and the quality of the games on show are phenomenal. Long may it continue. I think we haven't hit the zenith yet."
Young girls are being afforded more chances, but is inspiring the next generation part of the current senior players remit? "I suppose we all recognise that we're role models and that every time we pull on the Dublin jersey, or an inter-county jersey, that we're trying to leave it in a better place for those coming behind us," Tyrrell says.
Hannah Tyrrell starred for Dublin in the 2023 All-Ireland Ladies Football Final against Kerry at Croke Park. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
"Yeah, we realise that there are probably more young girls playing Gaelic football than ever before and that they're going to get this increased media coverage and awareness and that they're learning the skills of the game much earlier and picking things up much earlier.
"It's brilliant. It means the game is only going to get better and hopefully the viewers will get bigger and the attraction and the draw to watch the game continues."
When Tyrrell was part of the Irish rugby set-up returning to represent Dublin remained an objective. How difficult was it to accomplish? "Yeah, it was always in my head that I could always come back to Dublin," she says.
"I had to have some really tough conversations when I was leaving for rugby. When you sign a contract like that you're basically saying that you won't play any other sports.
"For me that was tough, but throughout my years with rugby we would have had a lot of jersey days and inter-county days and there was myself and the likes of Lyndsey Peat always in the Dublin gear and kind of prepping so I did have that kind of desire to get back to Dublin.
"As the years went on, I didn't know if that would happen or if I'd be at the standard required to get back to it. But thankfully Mick (Bohan) saw something in me in the summer of 2020 and by 2021 when I'd retired from international rugby I was invited into the squad."
An All-Ireland win in 2023 was a lovely chapter in Tyrrell's remarkable sporting story.
