Erinn Galligan is the well-known Cavan ladies’ footballer who is fresh from winning her first Cavan club title with Lacken since 2014. She was voted on the Cavan ladies’ team of 2000 to 2020 – described by those selecting the team as a player who “has everything”.
A legendary footballer and a legendary cutting wit. Her father does the rounds in Cavan artificial inseminating (AI) cows for Progressive Genetics and she couldn’t pass up an opportunity to get some free advertising in the Irish Farmers Journal.
“Yeah, stick him down in there. Bartley Galligan. He’s AI-ing cows these 40 years now,” she tells ICL after a recent training session.
A threat to “stick the parents in the local nursing home” so she can “get the land” is a snapshot of the full-forward’s personality. She proudly states that she helps out on the family’s beef farm.
Galligan says that with collective training side-lined and a “savage hunger” to win another championship, the use of technology to keep fit, to keep the unity of the team and get prepared over lockdown, was key to the success.
“You know, between injuries and girls off having babies, there was that gap between winning championships. We wanted to make that right and we wanted to win another one (title). We all kept motivated over the lockdown doing our bit to keep that togetherness going online. When we came back on the pitch it’s like we never had been away,” she explains.
Lacken itself is unusual as ladies football teams go. The core of the team is made up of players over 30 – something largely unseen in the past.
Róisín O’Keeffe has led the scoring for Lacken on their way to their first final in six years.
Equally legendary as forward and club colleague is Róisín O’Keeffe.
Described by her manager Sean Finnegan as “a great player but an even better person”, O’Keeffe has led the scoring for Lacken on their way to their first final in six years. Fourteen points (carrying an injury) in the semi-final was followed up with 11 points in the final win. Amazingly, O’Keeffe (31) has been playing inter-county football with Cavan since she was 14.
“There have been years where I scored nothing at all and I got away with it. This year just kind of fell that way for me and it worked well.”
Training during lockdown
Lacken Ladies GAA club used the lockdown period well. O’Keeffe said the short nature of the season, coupled with a desire to prove other teams they weren’t “past it” and the use of technology drove the team on.
“We are all that bit older than other teams, although we do have a good crop of players coming up now too. The shorter season meant it was easier on the legs and we weren’t playing camogie or county as well as the club football,” she says.
Also from a beef farm, O’Keeffe says she has done her “fair share of tagging calves and cleaning sheds”.
Lacken’s manager is Sean Finnegan. Coaching ladies’ and men’s teams for 38 years, Finnegan has been involved in winning 30 titles.
Lacken’s manager is Sean Finnegan. Coaching ladies’ and men’s teams for 38 years, Finnegan has been involved in winning 30 titles.
In the era near professional standards among amateur clubs, Finnegan has a simple ethos.
“I like my teams to be fit,” he says plainly. “These ladies here used lockdown brilliantly. Training was posted in the WhatsApp or the emails every week. They did that training. And they came back fit. That meant we could just play ball. The girls showed enormous commitment to the cause.
“Never in my wildest dreams, even five years ago, did I think you’d be telling your team how to train and play over your phone. It’s quite something. It shows just how great football and the GAA can be.
“You can be met with a total lockdown, not be able to meet as a group and you can still keep that team ethos going, keep the training going and be a success. I thought I had seen it all,” Finnegan says, while also paying tribute to his management team of Ollie Brady and Simon Fay.
An Ulster-winning trainer with local club Ballinagh men as well as bringing Lacken ladies to a provincial final in the past, Finnegan is another with ties to the land, describing himself as a “hobby farmer”, running sucklers to weanlings and also working on purchasing with Glanbia. He pays tribute to the grit and resolve of his team.
Lacken Ladies GAA club used the lockdown period well.
“You can’t beat the resolve of a hungry bunch of women. There was going to be no COVID-19, no lockdowns, no training ban, none of that stuff that was going to keep these Lacken girls from winning a championship. They can face anything in life now,” he says.
Looking to the future
Both women agree that the game of ladies’ football is in rude health.
“Maybe 10 years ago you’d be wondering where the game was going, was there much of a future here at all,” Galligan says.
“Attendances were poor, if there was anyone there at all. The football was fairly basic, but it has totally changed in the past decade. Women are taking the football real seriously; they’ve upped their own training and have a serious commitment to it.
“Then the likes of Lidl (sponsors of the intercounty game) coming on board putting huge resources behind the championship means that more people are seeing ladies football and, most importantly, more people are going to games.
“There is a savage bunch of young girls now getting involved in the game, which is great to see.”
O’Keeffe says there is a need for all players to do their bit to promote the game, be that locally or nationally.
“[Monaghan ladies football legend] Brenda McAnespie told us one time that if you don’t stand up and promote your game, no one else will. And with all the promotional work going on, young girls now see ladies footballers on billboards, in the media and the like.
“It’s not a case of hearing about a good woman footballer in the county – these girls see their heroes and can aspire to be on the billboard themselves.”
Read more
Grinding to a halt once again
Inspiring the stars of tomorrow
Erinn Galligan is the well-known Cavan ladies’ footballer who is fresh from winning her first Cavan club title with Lacken since 2014. She was voted on the Cavan ladies’ team of 2000 to 2020 – described by those selecting the team as a player who “has everything”.
A legendary footballer and a legendary cutting wit. Her father does the rounds in Cavan artificial inseminating (AI) cows for Progressive Genetics and she couldn’t pass up an opportunity to get some free advertising in the Irish Farmers Journal.
“Yeah, stick him down in there. Bartley Galligan. He’s AI-ing cows these 40 years now,” she tells ICL after a recent training session.
A threat to “stick the parents in the local nursing home” so she can “get the land” is a snapshot of the full-forward’s personality. She proudly states that she helps out on the family’s beef farm.
Galligan says that with collective training side-lined and a “savage hunger” to win another championship, the use of technology to keep fit, to keep the unity of the team and get prepared over lockdown, was key to the success.
“You know, between injuries and girls off having babies, there was that gap between winning championships. We wanted to make that right and we wanted to win another one (title). We all kept motivated over the lockdown doing our bit to keep that togetherness going online. When we came back on the pitch it’s like we never had been away,” she explains.
Lacken itself is unusual as ladies football teams go. The core of the team is made up of players over 30 – something largely unseen in the past.
Róisín O’Keeffe has led the scoring for Lacken on their way to their first final in six years.
Equally legendary as forward and club colleague is Róisín O’Keeffe.
Described by her manager Sean Finnegan as “a great player but an even better person”, O’Keeffe has led the scoring for Lacken on their way to their first final in six years. Fourteen points (carrying an injury) in the semi-final was followed up with 11 points in the final win. Amazingly, O’Keeffe (31) has been playing inter-county football with Cavan since she was 14.
“There have been years where I scored nothing at all and I got away with it. This year just kind of fell that way for me and it worked well.”
Training during lockdown
Lacken Ladies GAA club used the lockdown period well. O’Keeffe said the short nature of the season, coupled with a desire to prove other teams they weren’t “past it” and the use of technology drove the team on.
“We are all that bit older than other teams, although we do have a good crop of players coming up now too. The shorter season meant it was easier on the legs and we weren’t playing camogie or county as well as the club football,” she says.
Also from a beef farm, O’Keeffe says she has done her “fair share of tagging calves and cleaning sheds”.
Lacken’s manager is Sean Finnegan. Coaching ladies’ and men’s teams for 38 years, Finnegan has been involved in winning 30 titles.
Lacken’s manager is Sean Finnegan. Coaching ladies’ and men’s teams for 38 years, Finnegan has been involved in winning 30 titles.
In the era near professional standards among amateur clubs, Finnegan has a simple ethos.
“I like my teams to be fit,” he says plainly. “These ladies here used lockdown brilliantly. Training was posted in the WhatsApp or the emails every week. They did that training. And they came back fit. That meant we could just play ball. The girls showed enormous commitment to the cause.
“Never in my wildest dreams, even five years ago, did I think you’d be telling your team how to train and play over your phone. It’s quite something. It shows just how great football and the GAA can be.
“You can be met with a total lockdown, not be able to meet as a group and you can still keep that team ethos going, keep the training going and be a success. I thought I had seen it all,” Finnegan says, while also paying tribute to his management team of Ollie Brady and Simon Fay.
An Ulster-winning trainer with local club Ballinagh men as well as bringing Lacken ladies to a provincial final in the past, Finnegan is another with ties to the land, describing himself as a “hobby farmer”, running sucklers to weanlings and also working on purchasing with Glanbia. He pays tribute to the grit and resolve of his team.
Lacken Ladies GAA club used the lockdown period well.
“You can’t beat the resolve of a hungry bunch of women. There was going to be no COVID-19, no lockdowns, no training ban, none of that stuff that was going to keep these Lacken girls from winning a championship. They can face anything in life now,” he says.
Looking to the future
Both women agree that the game of ladies’ football is in rude health.
“Maybe 10 years ago you’d be wondering where the game was going, was there much of a future here at all,” Galligan says.
“Attendances were poor, if there was anyone there at all. The football was fairly basic, but it has totally changed in the past decade. Women are taking the football real seriously; they’ve upped their own training and have a serious commitment to it.
“Then the likes of Lidl (sponsors of the intercounty game) coming on board putting huge resources behind the championship means that more people are seeing ladies football and, most importantly, more people are going to games.
“There is a savage bunch of young girls now getting involved in the game, which is great to see.”
O’Keeffe says there is a need for all players to do their bit to promote the game, be that locally or nationally.
“[Monaghan ladies football legend] Brenda McAnespie told us one time that if you don’t stand up and promote your game, no one else will. And with all the promotional work going on, young girls now see ladies footballers on billboards, in the media and the like.
“It’s not a case of hearing about a good woman footballer in the county – these girls see their heroes and can aspire to be on the billboard themselves.”
Read more
Grinding to a halt once again
Inspiring the stars of tomorrow
This is a subscriber-only article
SHARING OPTIONS: