‘Age doesn’t matter when you pull on a jersey’

Áine O’Brien has experienced enough barren years to appreciate days like last Saturday.

As a 14-year-old she burst on the scene, becoming part of a St. Brigid’s ladies’ team that made history by winning an All-Ireland intermediate title in 2004.

To see her and Claire Grehan running around Ballyleague like a pair of 18-year-olds, making important contributions, was testament to their longevity and love of the Brigid’s jersey.

While Grehan dropped back into defence to link up play to the attack, O’Brien was clinical in the full-forward line, hitting 1-2. Her enthusiasm for the game was key in helping her side recover from the disappointment of last year.

“Personally, it’s very sweet. We left it behind us last year. Clann are a formidable team. No matter how much we went up by today, it’s always in the back of your mind that ‘Oh God, they’re going to get a few goals’.

“But we’ve trained so hard this year. Thank God, we did enough to get over the line.

“Anytime you step out on a pitch, you know you’re lucky to be there, especially when you start getting on in years.

“In fairness, the girls keep you young at training. No one cares what age you are. You have to get to that line, you have to win that sprint. Age doesn’t matter when you pull on a jersey. No one thinks about that, apart from, maybe, the people on the sideline. It certainly doesn’t come into my head,” she outlined.

Leading by seven points at half-time felt eerily similar to last year’s final, but there were never any doubts in the St. Brigid’s dressing room as they returned for the second half.

“The goal was to keep the scoreboard ticking over because you know that Clann are capable of having a purple patch. Goals win matches and we scored four of them today.

“We knew that we had the work done. We knew that we’d have it on our legs in the second half. We’ve so much youth in our side. The girls weren’t going to give up this year.” 

O’Brien felt that, despite losing last year’s final, a bank of work had been built up, which stood to them throughout 2025.

“We had a lot of work done from last year. Laura (Harrison) was brilliant, a great coach. We did a lot right last year. Someone has to lose a county final.

“Niall (Mackey) has come in. The message has been the same throughout the year. In fairness, we went out there and treated it just like another game of ball. We knew what we were capable of doing.

“Last year, we won all around us but didn’t win a county final. This year, it was just another game.” 

Now that the ladies have kept their side of the bargain, O’Brien is hoping that the club’s senior men’s team can follow in their footsteps on Sunday week.

“We look up to the lads in the club. They came so close to winning an All-Ireland last year. We’re lucky to have such a great club. There’s a lot of work done in the background for the lads and the women. We’re treated exactly the same. Those little things help you get over the line,” she highlighted.

For Kate Nolan, missing last year’s final through injury was a bitter pill to swallow. However, she more than made up for that crushing blow with a superb display, hitting 1-9 in a Player of the Match performance.

“We were just so excited for the game today. We were buzzing at training last night (Friday). There were a lot of nerves last year, but we were just ready this time.

“We knew what happened last year. We were up by something similar at half time in that game. We just focussed on the next score. No way were we coming out of here without a win today.

“It’s just surreal. It’s more for the likes of Áine O’Brien and Claire Grehan who have worked endlessly. We wouldn’t be here without them. They pulled us all together as a group. I’m just delighted to do it for them,” she concluded.