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RTÉ News
3 days ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Monaghan's Jennifer Duffy relishing derby date with Cavan
While most footballers are elevated to senior inter-county status in relatively low-key affairs, the polar opposite was the case for Monaghan's Jennifer Duffy back in 2019. In the same year, the O'Neill Shamrocks star was part of an impressive Monaghan side that made it all the way to an All-Ireland minor final. Having overcome a Meath team that was spearheaded by her future DCU Dóchas Eireann team-mate Emma Duggan at the penultimate phase of the competition, Duffy lined out at left corner-back when the Oriel County lost out to Cork in a top-tier underage decider held at Glenisk O'Connor Park in Tullamore. A mere 13 days on from this 4-11 to 1-08 reversal at the hands of the Leesiders, Duffy was drafted straight into the Monaghan starting line-up for their crunch TG4 All-Ireland SFC relegation play-off against Westmeath in Dunleer. Her minor colleagues Maeve Monaghan and Hannah Sherlock also appeared as substitutes in this game and with Duffy being one of three players to rattle the net in a 3-18 to 1-10 victory, it was a memorable introduction to the highest level of ladies football. "That was actually our first game and they were like 'right, you're going in midfield' and I was like 'oh, OK!' We were kind of held off until the end of that year. We had been so successful [with the minors], we said we'd focus on that first. In fairness, the senior management was very good to us," Duffy explained. "They said 'come in when you can, we just want to bring you into the camp for the next year or so'. A few of us stepped up that day. When you're that young, you're a bit naive to what is going on. You're happy enough to go in and play. I don't think at the time I knew how much the game meant. "Especially the older girls, there was no way they were going to be relegated. When I think back now, I think there was so much power put into that day, that girls were just like 'we need to win this'. When I was young, you look up to Cora Courtney and when she tells you to do something, you do it. That is just the way it went." Duffy's exploits across both those Monaghan sides in 2019 offered an early indication of her versatility and she has continued to showcase an incredible ability to look comfortable in practically every position on a football pitch. Regularly used at full-back, centre half-back or midfield in recent times, Duffy has added another string to her bow in 2025. Despite donning the number six jersey for their TG4 Ulster intermediate football championship semi-final against Cavan in Smithboro at the beginning of this month, Duffy was actually stationed on the edge of the square and helped herself to an excellent haul of 2-02. Even though she was handed a similar role in a round five triumph over Clare in their Lidl National Football League Division 2 campaign earlier this year – she contributed a personal tally of 2-01 on that occasion – Cavan were somewhat surprised to see Duffy being deployed as the fulcrum of the Monaghan attack in this game. "It was something in the league that I was just carrying an injury and they literally said 'right, we'll put you inside'. It kind of worked. I'd say Cavan didn't really expect me to be inside. "They actually have our ex-goalie coach in with them. I was full-back when he was over us and now I'm full-forward. It probably was a bit of a shock to their system. They didn't really know that I was going to be in there, but I play there for club. So it's just playing there for county now too." Cavan will have to contend with Duffy's attacking prowess once again on Sunday afternoon when Monaghan renew acquaintances with their interprovincial rivals in the opening round of the TG4 All-Ireland intermediate football championship. Their Group 3 clash at St Tiernach's Park in Clones (throw-in 1.30pm) is part of a double-header with the men's clash between Monaghan and Clare. Given she expects their opponents to have a vocal following behind them in the wake of winning Division 3 of the Lidl National Football League and the TG4 Ulster intermediate football championship, Duffy is hopeful the Monaghan public will come out to support her team. "Cavan always have a good crowd with them, especially now. When teams are winning, you'll always have plenty of support to back them up. Every time we play them it is a derby, so you know you're going to get a good battle. "Even people getting in early for the men's game, they'll get the end of our game. It might actually start people to think 'oh, maybe we'll start supporting them'. It has nearly pushed us to be giving an even better performance, now that you know there is going to be a bigger crowd there." Since graduating from DCU, Duffy has been working steadily as a teacher at her own alma mater – Our Lady's Secondary School Castleblayney. This has effectively seen her coming full circle as during her time as a primary school student, one of her teachers was former Monaghan stalwart Nicola Fahy. She lined out for Monaghan at centre half-back in their TG4 All-Ireland senior football championship final defeat to Cork in Croke Park in 2011, when a young Duffy watched on in awe from the stands at GAA HQ. Fast forward nine years to an All-Ireland SFC campaign that was played in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic and Duffy found herself lining out in defence alongside Fahy in championship games against Tipperary and Galway. "My school actually took us to the 2011 final. Nicola Fahy would have taught in my school. I definitely would have followed them the whole way up. Watched all the girls and getting that chance to actually play with them," Duffy added. "She [Fahy] was a primary school teacher and she would have taught me in school, so it was nearly nostalgic of thinking I was actually getting to play with her then come that late stage."
RTÉ News
10-05-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Donegal's Niamh Carr is looking forward to an Ulster final showdown against Armagh
They have had a long wait since the end of their Lidl National Football League Division 2 campaign, but Niamh Carr and Donegal will finally return to competitive action at St Tiernach's Park in Clones later on today. A little under six weeks on from finishing their NFL journey for 2025 with a narrow defeat to Cork in Ballyshannon, the O'Donnell County will face Armagh in the TG4 Ulster Senior Championship decider in the Monaghan venue this afternoon (throw-in 3pm). Originally due to take place next weekend, this fixture was brought forward to form a double-header with the Ulster men's final featuring the same two counties in Clones. The anticipation is that a total of 29,000 spectators (i.e. a full capacity crowd) will pass through the turnstiles of St Tiernach's Park over the course of the day. Having witnessed first-hand the impact a joint billing can have for the female code, Carr is hopeful there will be a healthy attendance for their curtain-raising clash with the Orchard County. "It has been a long enough spell between the last league game and the Ulster final. We kind of knew that at the start of the year. It was nice to get a good enough finish to the league and we've been working very hard. Trying to get challenge games in when we can, to keep up our match skills," Carr explained. "We've had a few double headers before, but we haven't had one for an Ulster final. We definitely have noticed with the double headers that it does bring a bigger crowd in. "During the league as well, a lot of games fell on the same day for the Donegal ladies and the Donegal men. I suppose crowds weren't able to get to both games, so it's nice that now the whole county can get together and support both teams." The reason Donegal have been idle since the end of their league odyssey on March 30 is that themselves and Armagh are the only two sides in the top-tier of the northern province. This was also the case last year and while Cavan were part of the competition in 2023, today's teams also met in that season's Ulster senior showpiece. While Armagh were favourites to prevail on that day in Owenbeg, Carr and Donegal pulled out all the stops to earn a 1-10 to 0-9 victory. 12 months later, the Orchard women were expected to turn the tables on their O'Donnell counterparts after claiming the Lidl NFL Division 1 title a matter of weeks earlier, but it took a late Niamh Reel point to secure them a 0-17 to 1-13 win after extra-time in Clones. Although Armagh competed in another top-tier league final against Kerry in Croke Park last month, and Donegal found themselves in Division 2 of the NFL for the second successive season, Carr believes their success over the Orchard in 2023 shows that the form book often goes out the window on the day of an Ulster championship game. "That year that we won, 2023, we were complete underdogs going into that game. That was a fantastic win that day. I think when it comes to Ulster football and when it's a final, anything can happen. We're looking forward to it and we're doing everything we can to prepare ourselves the best way." A business, geography and IT teacher at Newpark Comprehensive School in Blackrock, Carr has been playing her club football for the past couple of years with Dublin's Kilmacud Crokes. She has helped the Stillorgan side to win a brace of county and provincial championships since officially joining forces with them and she also featured at right corner-back when Kilmacud lost to Galway's Kilkerrin-Clonberne in the AIB All-Ireland Club Senior Football final at Croke Park on December 14 of last year. Whereas some of the Dublin and Galway stars who were on the display in that game gradually reintegrated back into the inter-county code, Carr made an immediate return to the Donegal panel. She started at left half-back in their NFL Division 2 opener away to Clare on January 26 and was a virtual ever-present for the rest of the campaign. "That was probably a decision I thought was important for me. Just because I'm getting a little bit older now and some people might like to rest their body, but for me I think it's better for me to keep going. I think there was maybe a three-week turnaround or so from my All-Ireland final with club to when I was back in with Donegal. "That was just a personal choice of mine. I personally don't want to be coming in mid-league. I like being there from the start. I enjoyed the few weeks off, but I got back in straight away for the first league game. It was grand." While Milford – located approximately five miles from her home village of Cranford – was her original club in Donegal, it wasn't until the age of 17 that she first lined out for them. However, she had been playing Gaelic football up to that point for Loreto Community School in Milford, where she was close friends with future Republic of Ireland women's soccer international Amber Barrett. Barrett's uncle Marty was the manager of the Milford minor girls team around this time and after being asked if she would be interested in joining the club, Carr jumped at the opportunity to get involved. "I was very good friends with Amber in school. We played together on the soccer team and the Gaelic team. Amber was telling her uncle 'oh there's a girl that plays some Gaelic'. It was Amber that got me into playing with Milford, to be fair. Then I played with her and we played with Donegal together then," Carr added. "I give her a message before every international game. To see her hard work pay off, she's just absolutely brilliant. I tell her every day that I'm talking to her that we're so proud of her. Any time I can, I try and catch up with her. She's a busy woman, but she always leaves time for us as well."
