'I do believe somebody was looking down on us that day and I can honestly say it was Aisling'
First introduced to the set-up as a 15-year-old in 1993, Heffernan was a key figure on the Mayo side that secured a maiden TG4 All-Ireland senior football championship title at the expense of Waterford in 1999 before defending their title against the same opposition 12 months later. Along with members of the Déise County who featured in those back-to-back showpiece meetings, Heffernan and the Mayo squad from those seasons were honoured as the Jubilee team by the LGFA on All-Ireland finals day at GAA HQ on 3 August.
Before being presented to the crowd at half-time in the TG4 All-Ireland intermediate decider between Tyrone and Laois, Heffernan and her former Mayo colleagues enjoyed a sit-down meal to commemorate their on-field achievements over that memorable two-year stretch.
'It was a lovely, lovely reunion and, from start to finish, you felt like royalty really. It was lovely, it really was. I never thought I'd say it, but I was in a room with a load of legends because that's what they all were. Both Mayo and Waterford. It was just a great day,' Heffernan said.
'Since we found out that we were going to be doing this, the WhatsApp was hopping. There was just different pictures being shared and the craic was lovely. Yvonne Byrne, who we called 'Crazy' at the time, did a Spotify list of all the songs that we used to play when we were travelling on the buses and heading into Croke Park. It was lovely.'
Marcella Heffernan on the pitch as the Mayo 1999 and 2000 All-Ireland winning squads are honoured on LGFA Finals day at Croke Park. Seb Daly / Sportsfile. Seb Daly / Sportsfile. / Sportsfile.
While Mayo went on to firmly establish themselves as one of the dominant forces of ladies football in the early part of the 21st century, they were very much considered underdogs heading into their All-Ireland final showdown with Waterford at Croke Park on 3 October, 1999. The previous year had seen their Munster counterparts collecting the Brendan Martin Cup for the fifth time in just eight seasons and Mayo had suffered a setback a week before the final when their teenage sensation Cora Staunton broke her collarbone in training.
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The management team of Finbar Egan, John Mullin and his son Jonathan opted to start the Carnacon ace for the game, in advance of substituting her in the opening minute of the action. Yet in spite of Staunton's absence, Mayo upset the odds to claim a breakthrough All-Ireland success with Heffernan's older sister Christina helping herself to four points in a 0-12 to 0-8 triumph.
'Nobody gave us hope at all, which we didn't mind. We liked the tag. We were quietly confident. We were knocking on the door for a while and we knew we could do it. We really trained hard that year as well and we were playing well in the games.
'I don't know what it was, but we didn't fear Waterford and maybe that was it. We had nothing to lose and especially after Cora getting injured as well, we were just saying, 'Come on, let's just throw the kitchen sink at them'.'
Cora Staunton and Diane O'Hora in 2000. Tom Honan / INPHO Tom Honan / INPHO / INPHO
Despite missing out on a third successive All-Ireland SFC title by the slenderest of margins (2-14 to 1-16) to Laois in 2001, Mayo returned to the top table a year later with a one-point success of their own against Monaghan. The Connacht side were becoming regular fixtures on All-Ireland finals day and they returned to Croke Park once again on 5 October, 2003 for a fifth senior decider on the bounce.
Current All-Ireland champions Dublin were searching for a breakthrough victory on that day, but a late goal from Diane O'Hora squeezed Mayo over the line in a low-scoring affair (1-4 to 0-5).
This game was highly emotional for Heffernan and her team-mates following the tragic death of Aisling McGing in a car accident less than three months earlier.
A panellist for their All-Ireland success in the previous year, Aisling's sisters Michelle and Sharon were starters when Mayo defeated Dublin in the 2003 final, while her cousin Caroline was also part of the squad.
'The McGings, they were such a big part of the Mayo set-up down through the years. When their sister Aisling passed away, it was heartbreaking. I think the football was the saving grace to them. We minded them. I'd say it was a good distraction for the girls as well and Aisling wouldn't want it any other way,' Heffernan acknowledged.
'I know Diane got the goal, but I do believe somebody was looking down on us that day and I can honestly say it was Aisling. Because the game nearly went from us and thankfully when Cora was kicking the ball in it dropped short and it fell into the right hands of Diane O'Hora. It was nothing more than the McGings deserved, to get that All-Ireland medal.'
New Mayo manager Diane O'Hora. Laszlo Geczo / INPHO Laszlo Geczo / INPHO / INPHO
Despite collecting their fourth title in the space of five years, that 2003 victory is Mayo's most recent TG4 All-Ireland senior football championship success to date. The inter-county scene was becoming far more competitive and even though Heffernan returned to an All-Ireland final with Mayo in 2007, a Cork side that had already won two top-tier crowns in succession got the better of them.
Heffernan brought her county career to a close in 2008 and it was another nine years before the Green and Red qualified for another Brendan Martin Cup decider. Dublin had the measure of them on that occasion and while they have reached four All-Ireland SFC semi-finals since then, this year saw Mayo having to come through a relegation play-off encounter with Leitrim in order to retain their senior championship status.
However, they would have had another opportunity to survive if they lost that game and in spite of their recent difficulties, Heffernan remains optimistic that a bright future could lie ahead for Mayo. Her former team-mate O'Hora was appointed manager this week, while the county has enjoyed success at underage level recently.
'I do think they will come back to the surface again. There's a new generation of players coming up. If they stick together and work on it, it's surprising how well they will do. I'd like to think there will be good days again ahead for Mayo.'
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