In the current climate, in light of lockdown and games played behind closed doors, there has arguably never been such engagement in GAA media. From live TV coverage and analysis to newspaper reports and podcasts, everything is abuzz. No one knows this better than the new face of TG4’s Peil na mBan Beo, Máire Ní Bhraonáin. Máire was a ladies football analyst with TG4 for a number of years and has now moved to presenting the station’s live broadcasts.
In the current climate, in light of lockdown and games played behind closed doors, there has arguably never been such engagement in GAA media. From live TV coverage and analysis to newspaper reports and podcasts, everything is abuzz.
No one knows this better than the new face of TG4’s Peil na mBan Beo, Máire Ní Bhraonáin. Máire was a ladies football analyst with TG4 for a number of years and has now moved to presenting the station’s live broadcasts.
This Saturday Máire will take on her first All-Ireland as a presenter, heading up the coverage of the ladies football junior final between Fermanagh and Wicklow.
The Galway woman is a former intercounty star herself, with three Connacht titles and a minor All-Ireland under her belt, to name but a few of her accolades. And she feels having that player experience behind her helps when it comes to presenting, interviewing and analysis.
“You’re watching out for the tactics the manager puts in place. You’re looking to see if there’s an extra defender back, who’s the person and what’s the reason for it,” Máire explains.
“That’s what people at home want, they don’t want to just be told what’s in front of them, they’re looking for what change or tactic is making this team more successful today.
“As a former player, you’re also more understanding of the efforts of players, that’s the biggest thing I can see. Not so much that you’re being nice about everything, but you’re seeing the players are putting in that effort, having done it on the pitch yourself.”
Máire Ní Bhraonáin playing for Galway in 2011.
On the development of ladies football and camogie in recent years, Máire feels good work has been put in to progress the sports. She references how the 20x20 campaign is highlighting women’s sport, that clubs are putting in better structures at underage level and more volunteers are coming on board. TG4, the presenter says, also plays a vital role in bringing ladies GAA to the public. But she doesn’t shy away from the work that needs to be done either.
Máire Ní Bhraonáin grew up on the family farm in Milltown, Co Galway.
“There are still questions, we saw there recently where the expenses aren’t equal for male and female county players. Things need to be, and can be, improved in that sense. But in terms of the proficiency [in women’s GAA] for strength and conditioning, the dietitians and other resources teams now have access to, it’s huge. The professionalism is really coming into it in terms of how they approach the games and approach play.”
Home influence
With her excellent Gaeilge, you would be forgiven for thinking Máire is from the Gealtacht. But no, she’s actually from Milltown in northeast Galway and is now living in Dublin working as an Irish teacher in Gonzaga College.
Even though she’s based in the capital, she makes it very clear she’s a Galway girl through and through.
She’s still playing club football with Milltown, having started at the age of nine. They’ve won two seven-aside All-Irelands, but Máire says jovially they would trade them for a lucrative county final, which they’re still pushing for.
Alongside her five brothers, Máire’s interest in football was born on the family’s cattle and sheep farm, where they also breed horses and used to have Connemara ponies.
“On the farm we always had a mix of everything, there was always a bit of adventure. Our father put up goalposts in one of the fields behind our house where we could practise and play our football. He built us a three-storey treehouse. So we had huge advantages.
“In the summer, I have fond memories of being in the bog, I know some people might say it’s tough work, but you’d enjoy the warm fire in the winter time.”
There was always a strong push towards Irish culture in Máire’s family. As well as football and farming, they all played music growing up. Her main instruments are piano, fiddle and tin whistle. Her undergraduate was modern Irish, drama and theatre in Trinity, before she went on to do a HDip in NUI Galway.
Máire Ní Bhraonáin now lives in Dublin but says Galway will always be home.
Máire believes she inherited a strong sense of identity and work ethic from her family. They always had an ethos of taking what went before you and adding to it. Whether that be bettering the farm or themselves.
She notes that her father and uncles would have done a lot of work planting new trees on the farm, and also that her father built a wall on the farm incorporating stones from her aunt’s farm.
“We always had that connection to keeping what we already have and the next [generation] adding to it. I’ve tried to keep that in everything I do, whether it’s teaching, presenting or playing football. I’m very lucky to have had such a good example around me and encouragement from the family at home.
“Even though I’m teaching in Dublin I would still consider Galway as my home. On the farm, no matter what changes, the fields will always have the same borders, the memories of your treehouse or preparing to go to the Connemara Pony Sales. All those things, it’s like the farm brings them back in a minute.”
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