Ailbhe Davoren, the captain of the Galway women’s football team, continues to relish her role after eight seasons at the senior intercounty level. Her position within the team has shifted since she initially entered the squad, yet she’s never failed to savour every moment of her tenure as a Galway footballer.
Davoren’s earlier days on the pitch were spent representing Galway in the lower leagues of the Ladies’ Gaelic Football Association (LGFA), including a memorable stint in the All-Ireland minor championship final against Cork in 2015. January 2017 marked her debut for the senior Galway team, the Tribeswomen, in a Connacht Winter League semi-final against Mayo where she remarkably scored twice. Throughout that year, she participated in another 11 matches, including a particular game as a substitute where Galway once again claimed victory over Mayo in a TG4 Connacht Senior Football Championship.
Her position as centre-forward was cemented when the team, under the guidance of Daniel Moynihan, celebrated another success against their long-standing rivals in a province-focused clash at St Brigid’s GAA in Kiltoom last month. Andrea Trill’s late goal sealed the game with a score of 1-11 to 0-9. This victory provided Davoren her maiden opportunity, having assumed the captaincy at the year’s start, to hoist silverware for Galway.
Marking her eighth season, Davoren confirmed her enjoyment of the game and the varying experiences each year brings. She highlights the camaraderie within the team and the balance between working hard and having fun in a ladies’ football squad.
The Galway captain has a notable journey to the training grounds, as she also juggles her role as a teacher at Dublin’s St Andrew’s College. The school is renowned for its rugby background boasting past and present professional rugby players like Andrew Porter, Jordan Larmour, Felix Jones, and Peter Bracken amongst its alumni. Despite her long commutes and full schedule, Davoren remains passionate about her role in intercounty football.
During the colder seasons, she has spent a considerable amount of time travelling, though as the academic year approaches its end, she anticipates being able to spend more time near her home. “The benefit of living in Dublin becomes apparent when I’m on summer break, and can dedicate myself fully to the team,” admits Davoren.
“Having spare time to practise or focus on my game is perfect. I believe there are ample intercounty players who also teach, making it suitable for the intercounty lifestyle.”
In spite of continuing to represent Moycullen, her home club where she plays camogie coached by her uncle (with her sister on the team too), Davoren switched to Kilmacud Crokes, a Dublin football club, in March the previous year. In view of her Galway teammate Dearbhla Gower already being in the team, coupled with her residing in Dublin, Davoren saw this transition as the logical next step.
As a recent graduate of the University of Limerick, her inaugural season with Crokes was noteworthy, as she clinched the top prize in both the Dublin and Leinster Senior Club Football Championships. Her significant contribution in Kilmacud’s narrow post- overtime loss to Kilkerrin-Clonberne, a team that includes several of her intercounty peers, during the semi-finals of the All-Ireland Senior Club Championship was also commendable.
She stated with optimism, “Last season was great, I am eager for this year’s challenge. Getting out of Dublin, let alone Leinster, isn’t easy. We should be cautious as the final battle is yet to be seen and anything can happen.”
She commended the club saying, “They’re an exceptional club with brilliant management and exceptional players. It’s an amazing experience. All of them could represent Dublin and many have in the past. We’re eagerly waiting for our county final victory. Hopefully, we’ll meet clubmates during the championship.”
Last Sunday, Davoren, along with other family members, graced a Tom Jones concert at St Anne’s Park in Dublin’s Northside, simultaneously Cork and Laois launched Group 3 of the TG4 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship with an encounter at Laois Hire O’Moore Park, Portlaoise. Galway, having remained inactive on the Brendan Martin Cup’s first weekend, is scheduling their campaign this Saturday against Cork at MTU Cork (with a 1pm throw-in).
The Galway team, fondly referred to as ‘The Tribeswomen’, are eagerly anticipating the opportunity to emulate their group triumph against the Leesiders at Salthill’s Pearse Stadium, which occurred just a short while under a year ago. However, Davoren (a panel member during Galway’s latest All-Ireland senior final in 2019) is cautious of the threat likely presented by Cork, who outperformed Laois with a 6-13 to 1-5 victory in the last weekend.
Davoren remarks, “We don’t usually dwell on the past outcomes because the variables change significantly each year. Team changes, weather impact – the unpredictable nature of the games made us focus on each match as an isolated event, despite its overused expression,”
She further adds, “No victory of the past year will be viewed as a sure-fire path to win this year’s match. We’ll be analysing this year’s Cork team and strategising on exploiting their weaknesses.
It would be a folly to take Cork’s prominence in ladies football and their wide array of options lightly. We’re not naive enough to assume their loss in the league game indicates they’re not ready for this challenge. They demonstrated a commanding performance against Laois over the weekend, indicating their current form.”