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Irish Times
2 days ago
- Lifestyle
- Irish Times
‘I can't sit down': Julie-Ann Russell divides time between basketball, GAA and family after hanging up soccer boots
Julie-Ann Russell has a match tonight. With the basketball season over, the local Gaelic football team has her full attention – once her work for Microsoft is done, her daughter Rosie is fed and her husband Kieran is home. Home being a house they built in Moycullen, a serene part of the world on the way out of Galway city towards Connemara. Soccer did not build this life for Julie-Ann, Kieran and Rosie, because professionalism is still not a possibility for female players living in Ireland. Not when Russell won the first of her 66 caps in 2009, nor when she won the last against Wales in the Euro 2025 playoff defeat at the Aviva Stadium. So much was on the line that December day, including Russell's entire career. READ MORE 'If we won that game, Eileen Gleeson would be running for president,' she said. 'We would all have really good sponsors. It is mad how a result changes everything. What Eileen did was unbelievable. We lose a game and she is gone.' How does a mother, following a four-year hiatus, play such a vital role for the Republic of Ireland? Four months after Rosie was born, Russell ran the 2023 New York marathon in 3 hours, 48 minutes. In Barcelona last March, she clocked 3:25. This suggests that the Russell household was athletics-mad? 'I still have a laugh with my dad (Wally Russell): 'I can't believe you didn't let me do running'. 'There was no time!' he says. 'Every evening I was being brought somewhere. I also did Irish dancing, horse riding, tin whistle. Not just sport. I won cross-country in school and was asked to join the club. But I wasn't let!' John Russell, her big brother, is the Sligo Rovers manager, having made over 300 appearances in the League of Ireland despite being an 'injury-riddled' midfielder. Julie-Ann Russell announced her retirement from football following Ireland's defeat to Wales in a Euro 2025 qualifier playoff. Photograph: Morgan Treacy/Inpho 'I always played soccer with John and I loved it. I could see you could get on an Ireland team and travel. I didn't even know there was an Ireland team in basketball.' The loss to Wales meant that her career ambition to feature at a major tournament in Switzerland this summer fell agonisingly short. But goals against England at Carrow Road last year and victory over France in Páirc Uí Chaoimh made her return an enormous success, despite the lingering pain from how it all ended. 'Oh it was our own fault,' said Russell of Wales' 3-2 victory over two legs. 'We should have put it to bed in the first half at the Aviva. I had a chance - 'keeper made a good save. I probably could have done better. Denise (O'Sullivan) hit the crossbar. If one went in, in the first half, we would have cruised it. 'Going in at half-time I was thinking, 'we are going to do this'. And then, stupid f**king VAR. It wasn't in any other game. It was a handball (by Anna Patten) but nobody saw it.' Wales scored the ensuing penalty. Russell's return to the Ireland squad, all the while furthering her actual career in Microsoft and raising Rosie, borders on the impossible. It was made possible by her outstanding form for Galway United and the 'safe' environment created by Gleeson. Julie-Ann Russell takes a shot during the first leg of Ireland's Euro 2025 qualifier playoff against Wales in Cardiff last November. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho 'Eileen rang to check if I was still interested in playing for Ireland, because obviously my whole life had changed,' she recalls. 'I said I would, but in the back of my head I was thinking, 'will Rosie be able to come with me?'. I'd never been away from her for longer than a day, so I asked if there would be time for Rosie and Kieran to call up. 'Eileen said 'Rosie is coming into camp, no ifs or buts'. I was still sh***ing it going in after four years, but the moment I walked into the hotel, I felt so safe. I just feel that it was handled very poorly — Julie-Ann Russell 'Rosie and Kieran were allowed to bop around the hotel, in for meals, just not at training or team meetings. We had a room to ourselves.' The FAI tend to bring criticism on themselves but that was a progressive move. 'You couldn't ask for more. It brought so much good energy.' In one sense, Russell has paved the way for mothers to play international football but in reality it is unsustainable. 'How did I do it? If I didn't have a full-time job and I was professional while being a mum, that would be totally fine. But I had just started a new role in Microsoft as well.' Two days after returning from maternity leave on July 1st, she sought a two-week break to play international football. 'I was mortified. But they were so supportive. And then I was plastered all over Microsoft!' That's what happens when you score a brilliant goal to beat France in the Páirc. Julie-Ann Russell scored in the victory over France at Páirc Uí Chaoimh last July. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho 'It was definitely the best game I've ever played. [My dad] is from Cork so we had lots of family there. All my Galway United team came down. So it was extra special. I remember the roar of the crowd when the goal went in.' Failure to qualify for Euro 2025 ended the international careers of Louise Quinn, Niamh Fahey, Diane Caldwell and Russell. In one fell swoop, 404 caps' worth of experience was gone. Gleeson and her assistant coach Colin Healy were subsequently replaced by Carla Ward and Alan Mahon. Marc Canham, the FAI's outgoing chief football officer, acted swiftly and the views of senior players, such Russell and Katie McCabe, were not sought. [ Recruiting talent from Ireland's diaspora the key to progress Opens in new window ] [ After the glory and the after-party Tottenham face Postecoglou crunch time Opens in new window ] 'It is a very good idea to ask older, experienced players to know what can be improved or done differently,' said Russell. Asked about how she viewed the decision to replace Gleeson and Healy, she said: 'If I step back, I probably think it was a bit unfair but sport can be cruel and it is a results game. If I was the FAI, I would have kept them because I thought the environment they built was so good.' Russell remains unimpressed by the association's subsequent treatment of Healy and Gleeson. 'Personally, I think it is a mess. It is sad what has happened. They are two great human beings who are very good at their jobs. I just feel that it was handled very poorly.' Julie-Ann Russell is congratulated by Jessica Ziu after scoring for the Republic of Ireland against France in last year's home Euro 2025 qualifier. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho Ward tried to convince her to come back for a tilt at reaching the 2027 World Cup in Brazil. 'No, I am done. I want to have more children. I have just turned 34. That was a massive factor in it. I'd be 36, 37 so it isn't realistic as the talent coming through is class.' Ellen is phenomenal. She should be in the Ireland team — Julie-Ann Russell By farming out this talent to foreign clubs, without a central academy system in place, the FAI may risk making the same short-sighted mistakes with the women's game in the 2020s that it made with the men's game in the 1990s. 'If I was 18 or in my early 20s now, I'd go professional because they can train full-time,' said Russell. 'Realistically, that is only abroad. Back in UL, I focused on my career as number one with football second. You had to do that. Long-term it was not sustainable to go football, football, football. One bad injury at 24 and you have no education.' The solution remains the same. 'It is sad but I do think it comes down to money. The standard in Ireland is definitely improving but the standard abroad is as well.' Could the FAI have done more for women's football since the 2023 World Cup? 'I do think that the home-based training sessions should have cracked on. Some girls at under-19s to about 22 have not developed properly and they are in limboland – not yet ready for senior football, but they will be. Those sessions were perfect for them.' The FAI discontinued the sessions, with chief executive David Courell citing costs. Limboland has become the norm; Izzy Atkinson (23) and Abbie Larkin (20) have not kicked on since the World Cup, despite moves to Crystal Place, while the rare talent that is Ellen Molloy returned home from Sheffield United. 'Ellen is phenomenal,' said Russell. 'She should be in the Ireland team. There is a star quality about her. That [knee] injury put her back. If she got really, really fit she'd be unstoppable. I'd have her in any team. 100 per cent.' Ward disagrees. Julie-Ann Russell with her daughter Rosie and Galway United teammates Jenna Slattery and Rola Olusola after victory against Shamrock Rovers in the 2024 All-Island Cup final at Tallaght Stadium. Photograph: James Lawlor/Inpho Anyway, Russell has a match tonight. Quietly, during her second coming with Ireland, she returned to the hardwood for Moycullen. 'I love basketball. It is such a class sport. I took a little break before the Wales game. Told them I couldn't make training. But I played the whole time. Basketball is finished but I am still playing Gaelic. I went back a few weeks ago.' It appears that she is not even remotely retired. 'I can't sit down. I compartmentalised [retirement from soccer] and moved on. Life is so busy. I haven't thought about it. Maybe I will in the future if Rosie plays football. I won't push her – I see kids hating sport when their parents push them.' Did Wally push her and John? 'Not a bit,' she said. 'My mum was like, 'you are doing too much, you'll burn out, look at all the bruises!'.' Soccer had its time with Julie-Ann Russell but her sporting life has many miles to run.
Irish Examiner
2 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Colin Sheridan: Time to move on from civil war in Mayo
There'll come a time in some fancy university somewhere far from Attymass where an entire post-graduate studies program will be dedicated to Mayo football. A bit like the infamous Boston college tapes that were to remain sealed until all the protagonists had passed away, a similar statute of limitations will have to apply in order to keep entire families from falling apart. That's why distance will be important, too. It's too sensitive a topic to reside just up the N17 in the University of Galway. Such an undertaking needs funding, an amnesty from blame, and the type of patience and perseverance only a dozen well-funded PhD students possess. If there is ever to be a successful truth and reconciliation process, it needs to be chaired independently. Having visited a few post-conflict zones in my time, I can attest to the power of forgiveness, but after living through four decades of Mayo madness, I am wise enough to understand that there isn't an accounting firm in the world that could heal the wounds of generational trauma inflicted, all in the name of sport. And the pathos is not just on the ground at home. There's as many people in London, New York and Chicago driven to distraction by current events as there are in Bonniconlon and Barnacarroll. If anything, exile amplifies the torment. Of course, the Duke Centre for Mayo Melancholy and Infinite Sadness in North Carolina will have little or nothing to do with Gaelic Football, and everything to do with a psyche of self-sabotage that has infected those invested in the game. The fallout from last Monday night's county board meeting - and the subsequent statements from the executive and GAA president Jarlath Burns - has been brutal, even by Mayo standards. Added to the mix are the worrying withdrawal from duties by manager Kevin McStay, and the team's defeat of contenders Tyrone, against considerable odds. You should never bet with your heart (I know, you should never gamble, period), but such is the entropy that so regularly engulfs Mayo, the outcome in Omagh was the only logical conclusion to a chaotic week. This is exclusive subscriber content. Already a subscriber? Sign in Subscribe to access all of the Irish Examiner. Annual €120€60 Best value Monthly €10€4 / month Unlimited access. Subscriber content. Daily ePaper. Additional benefits.
BreakingNews.ie
2 days ago
- Health
- BreakingNews.ie
Cáit Lynch thought Kerry days were over before return to panel after Covid-19
Leaving for work in 2016, the dream for Kerry's Cáit Lynch to lift the Brendan Maher cup in Croke Park looked like it was gone, but her dream came true last August. The 32-year-old moved to the Netherlands in 2016 for work, having been captain of Kerry in 2015, the last time Lynch was captain before this season. Advertisement As the years went by, the Kerry woman's changes of returning for the kingdom were fading, as she was reduced to playing recreational Gaelic football in Amsterdam. However, after the Covid-19 pandemic, Lynch found herself back in Ireland, and soon back in a Kerry jersey. "I thought the county days had passed me until Covid happened. "'I had to make the decision to leave for work (in 2016) so it was a very big decision at the time. They put down a good few tough years as well when I was away, so I was lucky enough to come back when I did." Advertisement Lynch was key for Kerry last season as they won their first All-Ireland title since 1993 when they defeated Galway last August. Before August, there was final defeats to Dublin and Meath, as they had to dig deep to overcome heartbreak. "Every year, you have to believe that you can win. "The bigger the belief and the bigger the loss, the bigger the hurt as well. It was very tough to come back, but I suppose the motivation nearly grew every year as well. Especially in the two previous years where we'd gotten to finals, we knew we were so close. Advertisement "There were just a few little changes or small things that could be changed that we think, right, maybe this could be the year then. I do think, as tough as it is, the motivation does actually grow. "That's what kept us going for so long as well." Two competitions down so far this season, and Kerry have two pieces of silverware. The Kingdom defeated Armagh in the Division One final, and followed it up with another Munster championship with a victory over Waterford in the final last weekend. Advertisement Following the the retirement of Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh, Lynch is now Kerry's longest serving player, as they search for back-to-back All-Ireland's for the first time since the 1980s. For the two-time all-star, Lynch is pleased Kerry have continued their success under new management and the loss of experienced players. "I suppose at the start of the year we had a lot of changes with players leaving, retiring or taking a year out, and we had a complete change to the management as well, so it's hard to know how the year will pan out. 'But we were lucky that a really strong core of the team had stayed and I think that really helped with the transition from last year. 'You just never know how a season is going to go. We were hoping that we'd do well in the league, I think initially we were trying not to get relegated and then anything after that is nearly a bonus. 'We were hoping to do well in the Munster championship as well. We've been delighted with how the season has gone so far.'
BreakingNews.ie
4 days ago
- Health
- BreakingNews.ie
Former Clare minor football captain jailed for sexual assault of woman
A former Clare county minor gaelic football captain has been jailed for two years and four months for the sexual assault of a woman. At Ennis Circuit Court, Judge Francis Comerford imposed the 28-month prison term on Conor Gavin (32), of Paradise, Ballynacally, Co Clare, for the sexual assault of the woman at a house in Co Clare on July 18th, 2021. Advertisement The sentencing hearing was told that Gavin captained the Clare minor gaelic football team in 2011 and has also coached in recent years. In sentencing, Judge Comerford said Gavin sexually assaulted the woman after making the "very bizarre", "inappropriate" and "not rational" decision to strip down to his shorts and get into a bed uninvited with two women. Gavin had returned to the house with friends after a night out. Judge Comerford said: 'There is not much scope for rehabilitation when one does not accept that there is an offence.' Advertisement The judge said Gavin will be placed on the Sex Offenders' Register and will 'suffer all of the disgrace that someone receives who has committed a sexual offence'. Judge Comerford said there was limited mitigation in the case as Gavin had not expressed any remorse for the offence or apologised to the victim. The judge said that no indication of any apology at any stage 'accentuates the harm done by this offending'. Judge Comerford said Gavin was still in denial over the "serious offence". The judge said it was not a planned sexual assault and was opportunistic. Advertisement Gavin denied the charge but was found guilty by a jury in February. In her victim impact statement, the injured party told the court that she was hopeful that after today 'I will be able to move on with my life and close this chapter of what I can only describe as a horror story I never asked to be part of'. Reading from the statement in court, she said: 'All I ever wanted was an apology and for Conor Gavin to admit what he had done to me and say sorry. 'I never got that and that is really hard. Conor Gavin had the audacity to take the stand during the trial and deny what was done to me. That to me is unacceptable and leaves a detrimental impact on my mental health.' Advertisement Tremendous amount of anger In her victim impact statement, the woman said: 'The past four years have been extremely exhausting. I have felt the greatest deal of shame one could possibly imagine and although I know what happened to me was not my fault, it is still a feeling that I cannot shake." 'I have a tremendous amount of anger which I'm unsure if I will ever fully be able to let go of…It is an extremely bitter pill to swallow having to accept that this is something I will never be able to erase from my memory and something that I will carry with me forever. I lost a part of myself that night which I do not believe that I will ever get back. The woman said that almost four years ago on July 18th, 2021, her whole word was turned upside down when she was sexually assaulted by Gavin. 'An unprovoked assault which should never have happened,' she said. Advertisement The woman said having to write the victim impact statement was making her 'relive the biggest nightmare of my life', but added: 'I am however going to take this opportunity to have my voice heard'. The woman said that after the assault she 'was in a complete state of shock and disbelief. I could not and did not want to believe that something like this had happened to me'. On the impact that the sexual assault had on her, the woman said: 'My self esteem shattered into a million pieces, and my self confidence was non-existent… I was a complete shell of myself'. The woman said that she also suffered from panic attacks as a result of the assault. The woman paid tribute to her boyfriend for his support since the sexual assault. Counsel for Gavin, Patrick Whyms BL, said his client accepted the jury's verdict and would not appeal the jury verdict. Mr Whyms said that on the night Gavin had six pints in the pub and brought cans of Bulmer's cider back to the house. Ireland Implications of Gerry Adams' libel victory 'profou... Read More He said his client consumed a lot of drink and his drinking 'must have been a factor in the poor decision making to go into the bedroom, take off most of his clothing and get into the bed with two female persons'. Mr Whyms said the DPP had directed that the case could be dealt with in the district court on a plea of guilty only. Mr Whyms said Gavin had a good work history and currently works at a manufacturing plant in Shannon. Mr Whyms said it was in the public domain that Gavin captained the Clare minor football team in 2011. If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call the national 24-hour Rape Crisis Helpline at 1800-77 8888, access text service and webchat options at or visit Rape Crisis Help .
Irish Times
4 days ago
- General
- Irish Times
Former Clare minor football captain jailed for sexual assault of woman
A former Clare minor Gaelic football captain has been jailed for two years and four months for the sexual assault of a woman. At Ennis Circuit Court, Judge Francis Comerford imposed the 28-month prison term on Conor Gavin (32) of Paradise, Ballynacally, Co Clare , for the sexual assault of the woman at a house in Co Clare on July 18th, 2021. The hearing was told Gavin captained the Clare minor Gaelic football team in 2011 and has also coached in recent years. Gavin is a first-time offender and in sentencing, the judge said Gavin sexually assaulted the woman after making the 'very bizarre', 'inappropriate' and 'not rational' decision to strip down to his shorts and get into a bed, uninvited, with two women. READ MORE 'There isn't much scope for rehabilitation when one doesn't accept that there is an offence,' the judge said. Gavin will be placed on the Sex Offenders' Register and will 'suffer all of the disgrace that someone receives who has committed a sexual offence'. The judge said that there is limited mitigation in the case as Gavin has not expressed any remorse for his offence or apologised to the victim. Gavin denied the charge but was found guilty by a jury in February. In her victim impact statement, the injured party told the court that she is hopeful that after the sentencing 'I will be able to move on with my life and close this chapter of what I can only describe as a horror story I never asked to be part of'. Reading from the statement in court, she said: 'All I ever wanted was an apology and for Conor Gavin to admit what he had done to me and say sorry. 'I never got that and that is really hard. Conor Gavin had the audacity to take the stand during the trial and deny what was done to me. That to me is unacceptable and leaves a detrimental impact on my mental health.' In sentencing, the judge said that the offence involved the digital penetration of a vagina which he said was 'high on the scale of intensity'. Counsel for Gavin, Patrick Whyms, said that his client accepts and will not appeal the jury verdict. Mr Whyms said that on the night Gavin had six pints in the pub and brought cans of Bulmer's cider back to the house. He said his client consumed a lot of drink and his drinking 'must have been a factor in the poor decision making to go into the bedroom, take off most of his clothing and get into the bed with two female persons'. Mr Whyms said Gavin has a good work history and currently works at a manufacturing plant in Shannon.
