Latest news with #Teehan
Irish Examiner
08-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Tipp All-Ireland winner Teehan keeps faith on winding road to Offaly jersey
For those who live in frontier territory, every county boundary feels like the 38th parallel across Korea, or the Maginot Line. Home is where the light touches, what lies beyond is nothing more than 'that shadowy place,' or an Irish equivalent to the elephant graveyard about which Lion King Mufasa warned his son Simba. For supporters and players alike, winning matches and championships might be the primary ambition, but keeping the neighbours in line is a close second. And when the border itself is a source of acrimony, that feeling is multiplied. Ballaghaderreen and Ferrybank are among the most prominent stories of disputed zones, but nowhere are the waters more muddy than along the Offaly and Tipperary border. Truncating the story of that boundary into a handful of sentences is akin to doing the same thing to the history of Ireland's relationship with Britain, but among the key points are that Ballyskenach (now part of Ballyskenach-Killavilla GAA club and Naomh Bríd Camogie Club) started life in Tipperary before moving to Offaly. Hurlers from Shinrone were known to take part in Tipp championships with Knockshegowna, while both Lorrha and Coolderry each looked to cross the border in 1925, though neither succeeded. Then there are the two major flashpoints. Carrig & Riverstown is mostly located in Tipperary but is part of the Birr parish and hurls in Offaly, as does the St Cillian's camogie club, which takes in the village of Crinkill. Then there's Moneygall. Though the pitch is in Tipperary, most of the catchment area is Offaly, including Dunkerrin. Dunkerrin was the club that represented the parish in 1910, winning the inaugural Offaly junior hurling championship before being thrown out following an objection. Two years later, Moneygall were affiliated in Tipperary and Barack Obama's ancestral homeland has been a Premier County stronghold ever since. Except in camogie, where the dual identity of the area has been recognised. Caithlyn Treacy of Moneygall joined Ciara Brennan of St Cillian's in the Tipperary senior panel this year, while Ciara Maher and Mairéad Teehan (both Moneygall) will be central to Offaly's bid to join their neighbours in the senior grade for 2026. Offaly take on Kerry in Croke Park this Sunday in the Glen Dimplex All-Ireland intermediate final (3pm, live on RTÉ2) and even though both players lined out for Tipperary at underage level, with Teehan winning All-Irelands at U16 amd minor level, if the sharpshooting forward is anything to go by, there are no doubts about where they stand on the border issue. 'Offaly people are just proud to be from Offaly, it's just lovely to be from here. I'm delighted to be from Offaly,' beams Teehan, before offering a very diplomatic but still unequivocal answer to whether or not she supported Tipperary against Cork in the All-Ireland hurling final a fortnight ago. 'Ah no, I wouldn't say I was supporting them now! We played with the two lads (Seánie Kenneally and Joe Fogarty) in school and we grew up with them all along so I'm delighted for them. In fairness to Tipp, the way they won the match, you wouldn't begrudge them. They just were the better team, they brought the work, they had the right attitude. 'It's just great that we're in an All-Ireland final as well, that we can say we're here too, don't forget about us!' she laughs. 'So let's have a few Offaly flags flying around home; it's time to take down all the Tipp ones and put up the Offaly tricolours!' After competing for Tipperary throughout the underage grades and then making the adult team as a teenager, Teehan stepped away in 2017, citing burnout. However, when her home county came calling, it was a different story. 'When I was U12 and U14, playing for Offaly just wasn't an option. If you were lucky enough to be selected from the club, you were sent for Tipperary trials and at that age, you just want to go and play.' Her club colleague, Niamh Larkin was the trailblazer, seeking and receiving permission to tog out with the Faithful County. And after Larkin changed colours, Teehan was delighted to get the call to 'come home'. 'Niamh paved the way, and I was very happy to be asked in. I love playing for Offaly, always have.' In 2024, it wasn't an accident of geography that prevented her from wearing green, white and gold, but an injury. Teehan's cruciate ligament gave way in 2023 and while she intended to come back into the fold in advance of last year's intermediate championship, by the end of April she knew she physically wasn't ready. A young Offaly team eventually fell short to Cork in a competitive All-Ireland semi-final at FBD Semple Stadium the same day that Kerry lost to Kilkenny. This year the championship structure changed with second teams removed from the intermediate and junior competitions. Offaly and Kerry knew that they had a glorious chance to go even further though initially, many would have said that the door was open for Antrim to bounce back up to the top flight. Instead Offaly knocked over the Division 1B winners from Ulster by a single point, 1-16 to 2-12, with Teehan scoring the all-important goal in a player-of-the-match performance in Newbridge last month. She feels that having a solid platform on which to build was crucial to the county's progression. 'The girls getting to the semi-final last year brought a lot of positivity to Offaly camogie in general. When teams are successful, people want to be part of it, so it was a matter of building on last year and bringing that to this year. 'I think there's a good core group that has stayed from last year into this year, which is not always the case. There's a few more, myself included, has come back in and hopefully added to it. But to keep that consistent core group is a really big thing, and the same with the management, that you keep a consistent management team as well really helps build. Given that Teehan's absence in 2024 was injury-enforced rather than a case of the part-time lecturer and substitute primary school teacher opting out, it would have been easy for manager David Sullivan – himself no stranger to the vagaries of the border, having grown up in Lorrha and gone to school in Banagher – to look at Teehan as a potential captain for 2025. Instead, he placed the responsibility on the broad but young shoulders of full-back Orlagh Phelan, who has been a tower of strength and dependability for the midlanders in just her third year out of the minor grade. So much so that Teehan is happy to stick to playing, with little or no onus on her to take on a leadership role. 'Orlagh is our captain, she's very young still, but she has a serious head on her shoulders. I feel like all the girls have good heads on them, they're well able to manage themselves, so I don't need to do too much in the dressing room in that way,' she says. 'All I'm doing i trying to make the girls aware that it's a massive game, it's probably the biggest game for all of us that we have had in our careers and it's okay to enjoy it, it's okay to look forward to it. You can be nervous, but to enjoy the nerves as well.' One suspects that Mufasa's advice to 'remember who you are' is also central to Teehan's philosophy on life, home and camogie.
The Irish Sun
08-08-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Teehan ‘delighted to play for Offaly' after once starring for fierce rivals as she eyes All-Ireland camogie title
She credited her club colleague with inspiring her move to Offaly HAVE FAITH Teehan 'delighted to play for Offaly' after once starring for fierce rivals as she eyes All-Ireland camogie title MAIRÉAD TEEHAN is delighted to play for Offaly — even though she once lined out in All-Ireland finals for bitter border rivals Tipperary. The Faithful take on Kerry in Croke Park this Sunday in the Glen Dimplex camogie All-Ireland intermediate final. Advertisement 2 Mairead Teehan of Offaly in action against Roisin Cassidy of Derry during the Very National Camogie League Division 2A final Credit: Tom Beary/Sportsfile 2 PwC GPA Player of the Month for April in camogie, Mairéad Teehan Credit: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile But Offaly star Teehan — who scored a vital goal in last-month's one-point semi-final victory over Antrim — lined out for the Premier at underage level, winning All-Irelands at Under-16 and minor grades. She plays her club camogie for Moneygall in Tipperary. However. the 28-year-old teacher was born and raised in the village of Dunkerrin on the Tipperary-Offaly border — and knows where her loyalties lie. She said: 'Offaly people are just proud to be from Offaly, it's just lovely to be from here. Advertisement 'I'm delighted to be from Offaly.' After rising through Tipperary's underage ranks, she was picked for the adult team in 2017 when still in her teens. But that was the point in time when Teehan decided to step away from the sport, citing burnout. However, when her home county came calling, it was a different story. Advertisement She explained: 'When I was Under-12 and U-14, playing for Offaly just wasn't an option. 'If you were lucky enough to be selected from the club, you were sent for Tipperary trials and at that age, you just want to go and play.' Palestine GAA players watch camogie match on laptop The sharp-shooter prefers to remain coy though when asked if she had been shouting for Tipperary against Cork in the All-Ireland SHC final 19 days ago, although she did line out with a couple of the Premier's Moneygall players. She added: 'Ah no, I wouldn't say I was supporting them now! Advertisement 'We played with the two lads, Seánie Kenneally and Joe Fogarty, in school and we grew up with them all along. 'I'm delighted for them. In fairness, the way they won the match, you wouldn't begrudge them. 'They were the better team, they brought the work, they had the right attitude. 'It's just great that we're in an All-Ireland final as well, that we can say, 'We're here too, don't forget about us'. Advertisement 'So let's have a few Offaly flags flying around home. 'It's time to take down all the Tipp ones and put up the Offaly tricolours.' PAVING THE WAY Teehan admits she would not be playing for her home county if it were not for trailblazing club colleague Niamh Larkin, who had successfully requested to cross the divide before her. She said: 'Niamh paved the way and I was very happy to be asked in. I love playing for Offaly, I always have.' Advertisement Last year, when a young Offaly team fell short to Cork in a competitive All-Ireland semi-final at Semple Stadium, it was not geography that prevented Teehan from wearing green, white and gold, but injury. She added: 'The girls getting to the semi-final last year brought a lot of positivity to Offaly camogie in general. 'When teams are successful, people want to be part of it, so it was a matter of building on last year and bringing that to this year. 'A good core group has stayed from last year into this year, which is not always the case. Advertisement 'There's a few more, myself included, who hae come back in and hopefully added to it.'
Irish Examiner
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Offaly star pleads with camogie officials to respect players over skorts issue
Offaly's Mairead Teehan has pleaded with camogie officials to respect the wishes of players when they vote on the skort issue on May 22. The Camogie Association has been forced to hold a Special Congress at Croke Park tomorrow week for a crucial vote on whether skorts should be mandatory in the game, or optional. Teehan, who has been named the PwC GPA Player of the Month for April in camogie, would rather wear shorts and said the majority of her team-mates feel the same. Read More GPA AGM passes unanimous motions on skorts The former Tipperary player was this week drafted onto the Gaelic Players Association's National Executive Committee. That development occurred at the GPA's Monday evening AGM when two motions around allowing camogie players to wear shorts - one of which was submitted by Teehan's Offaly colleague Sharon Shanahan - were unanimously passed. There are no guarantees that a Special Congress will bow to the apparent wishes of players though as last month's regular Annual Congress voted against four separate motions which attempted to include shorts in the list of approved playing gear, prompting a backlash from players. "I really don't like the skorts, to be honest with you, I'd be 100 percent for the shorts," said Teehan, who declined to speculate on what will happen if the vote goes against players. "You'd be kind of hoping we won't have to worry too much about that. I do think the support is there at the moment. "I think that was even quite obvious when the Camogie Association came out initially and said they'd have a Congress at the end of the year or later on. "The reaction was, 'Well, we need to be listened to now because if we're not then it could be just kicked down the road and forgotten about'. "I think this is the time now for this particular situation to be rectified. It's just a choice, that we'd have a choice to wear shorts or a skort, whichever we feel most comfortable in. "I'd urge the delegates, who are going to be the ones voting, to listen to what's going on around their counties, and around the country, and just give us that choice. PwC GAA/GPA Player of the Month for April Cork hurler Brian Hayes, Meath footballer Mathew Costello, left, and PwC GPA Women Players of the Month for April, Kerry ladies footballer Síofra OShea, right, and Offaly camogie player Mairéad Teehan with their awards at PwC offices in Cork today. Pic: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile. "Listening to the people who actually play the game, that's so important. They're the ones who have to go out and play by the rules and wear whatever you say they have to wear. "They're the ones affected directly by it so I do think it's very important that the players' voice is listened to." Teehan is in the form of her career and claimed the individual award after helping Offaly to win the Division 2A league title. She was joined at the presentation by All-Ireland and National League winning Kerry forward Siofra O'Shea, who is the PwC GPA Player of the Month for April in ladies football. O'Shea lent her support to the camogie players' bid to have the choice to wear skorts or shorts. "We have some players who play camogie as well and are in and around club camogie teams, some of our north Kerry players," said O'Shea. "It's obviously a massive issue and we support the players and what they're looking for. "I've listened to a few camogie players talking about it. They don't want to be striking and they don't want their games to be cancelled, they would rather be on the pitch and playing. "But it's such a massive issue and if that's the only way they're going to be heard, then for the future I suppose that's what needs to be done for now. "But I know all these players just want to be on the pitch playing and they should be given the choice to play how they're comfortable playing, whether that's in shorts of skorts."
The Irish Sun
14-05-2025
- Politics
- The Irish Sun
‘Just give us the choice' – Offaly star Mairead Teehan backs shorts switch ahead of camogie Congress
OFFALY camogie star Mairéad Teehan hopes delegates vote for choice between skorts and shorts at a special congress on May 22. The pressure of player protests has forced 2 PwC GPA Player of the Month for April in camogie, Mairéad Teehan of Offaly, with her award outside the PwC offices in Cork 2 Mairead Teehan of Offaly has weighed in on the shorts vs skorts controversy Saturday's Munster final between And Teehan hopes the player's wishes will be granted to end the saga later this month. read more on gaa She said: 'Look, it has dominated discussions. It's something that needed to be done in terms of players standing up and saying, 'Look, we want a choice here.' And it's great to see that teams have been standing up. 'Even in the background, the GPA have been working on this for quite a while, trying to figure out the logistics of it and what we could do. 'But, yeah, look, it's great to see that we're standing up for ourselves as well. "Like that, it's been an issue for a number of years and when it goes to Congress or something like that, we don't necessarily have that, I suppose, power to actually make those decisions for ourselves. Most read in GAA Hurling 'You're relying on your county boards and your delegates to pass those motions. "So, yeah, it's just something that we felt as a players group that we felt needed to be addressed at this point. It's just great to see everyone coming out in support of us. Dublin and Kilkenny camogie players wear shorts in protest against skorts 'In fairness to the Camogie Association they did call the Special Congress to try and change the rule. 'But it is now up to the delegates to vote and to listen to what players are saying across the country and listen to what we want. 'It's just that thing of, we want a choice. Like, if you want to stay wearing a skort, that's absolutely fine but it's also that we have that choice to wear the shorts as well.' Teehan was voted on to the GPA's National Executive Committee this week. The player's representative body have unanimously passed their own motion to remove the skort as compulsory - and Teehan never liked them. She said: 'No, I never liked them, to be honest. I was never a fan of them. And I just, yeah, just find them uncomfortable in general. 'Just, I suppose, then like that when you're growing up with brothers and you're kind of watching them going, it's like, why do I have to wear these? 'And like that, you train, you play practice matches in shorts. I'd never personally wear the skort in training or in our practice matches. So, yeah, it's just always something I wasn't a fan of, I suppose.' Mairéad Teehan of Offaly is the PwC GPA Camogie Player of the Month for April. PwC are proud sponsors of the Player of the Month awards across camogie, hurling, football and ladies football.
The 42
13-05-2025
- Sport
- The 42
Special Congress 'not a guarantee' skorts issue will be resolved
OFFALY CAMOGIE PLAYER Mairéad Teehan is hopeful the skorts issue will be resolved at Special Congress, but adds 'it's not a guarantee' that rules around playing gear will change. Motions addressing the ongoing skorts controversy will be considered at the Camogie Association Special Congress in Croke Park on 22 May. The decision follows recent events where teams protested against the issue by wearing shorts instead of the mandated skorts for matches. The Dublin and Kilkenny teams were forced to change into skorts after appearing on the pitch in shorts for their Leinster senior semi-final on 3 May. The Munster senior final was subsequently cancelled by the provincial council after it emerged that the Cork and Waterford teams were planning to join the protest and wear shorts for the game at The Ragg. Teehan says the decision to have a Special Congress is 'great' but has some concerns that the players' desire for choice could still be under threat. 'That's not a guarantee that the rule will be changed. It's the same delegates that are going to this Congress to vote. Advertisement 'We can make noise about it now but we still don't have any real power in terms of changing that. 'I'd be hopeful that it will go our way. When you don't our voice there to be heard, you're relying on county boards to survey their clubs and ask, 'What do ye want?' You just hope the delegates will listen to what's going on around the country and listen to the players. At the end of the day, we're the backbone of the association.' The Offaly minor camogie team also participated in the skorts protest last weekend when they wore shorts for their Leinster minor 'A' shield final alongside their opponents Dublin. Those players were also ordered off the field to change into skorts before the game got underway. Teehan praised those young players who 'stepped up' as part of the wider effort to affect change. Teehan's Offaly teammates also hoped to wear shorts in the other Leinster senior semi-final against Wexford, but both teams ultimately wore skorts to ensure the game would be played. 'We were happy to wear shorts and were told Wexford were happy to wear the skorts so we just felt we were in a hard place whether the game would be given against us if we turned up in shorts. 'We just felt we were after training so hard for it, that we wouldn't that day. If we won that day, we would have been very happy to wear them in the Leinster final. Nothing against Wexford, that's their choice as well. We just felt nothing had happened elsewhere, so we didn't know what way it was going to go.' Teehan says she is 'disappointed' at how the Camogie Association has handled the skorts debacle and feels Munster Camogie could have found a different solution to allow the Cork-Waterford game go ahead. 'It would have been a great way to say that they're listening to players and want this competition to go ahead and have a derogation for two weeks. Or even let the match go ahead and fine the teams for wearing the shorts.' Teehan adds that it is 'absolutely crazy' that players are being forced to wear skorts and cannot fathom why it remains an issue in 2025. And while she appreciates the ongoing public attention being given to the matter, she also laments the distraction it causes for matchday preparation. 'It does take away from your preparation. I know as someone who's going to be texting into the player's group to tell them that this is what's going on, you don't like doing that, to be pulling and dragging girls the night before a game. 'It is affecting girls' thoughts around preparation, particularly this week and last week. 'Championship is starting on 24 May and we should be talking about the great matches and hopefully the great championship that we will have but it is overshadowed by this. It's overshadowing preparation for girls and players.' Earlier this season, Offaly achieved league promotion by defeating Derry in the Division 2A final, meaning they will be operating in Division 1B next year. Teehan, along with her cousin Grace combined for 4-8 in that 4-13 to 0-10 victory last month. 'Grace is fantastic,' Teehan begins. 'She was flying it in the league, scoring all round her. She's fantastic and it's a very competitive forward line this year which is great. Related Reads In camogie, the war rages on between those fighting for the past and those fighting for the future Waterford and Cork camogie players label decision to cancel Munster final 'massive step backwards' Wexford camogie team still planning to wear shorts for Leinster final 'We targeted that league to get some silverware and momentum. We're in the intermediate championship and we're going to be playing the likes of Antrim and Down. We want to be playing against those teams for us to develop.' Mairéad Teehan was speaking after receiving the PwC GPA Player of the Month for April in camogie
