Hayley Kilgallon’s football journey began when she was just ten years old. At that time, she didn’t have a team to play on, unlike her younger brother who was extremely active in the under-8s and under-9s. St Mary’s club in Sligo was her platform but they only offered a girls’ team when she turned 12. Notably, this was the first under-12 girls team to be formed in the club’s history.
Kilgallon, now 29, reminisces that these events occurred not too long ago, around the mid-2000s. The situation at the time was not unique; the 2000s marked an era of growth and strategic planning in Ladies Gaelic Football as she describes in her recent publication, Unladylike – A History of Ladies Gaelic Football. This period laid the foundation for the current thriving state of women’s Gaelic football.
Speaking to the former chairman of her old club, Kilgallon noted the equal distribution of boys and girls in the underage teams, a stark contrast to her younger days when sometimes, forming a team was a challenge.
Upon reflection, Kilgallon acknowledges that she knew her club’s venture into ladies’ Gaelic football was a novelty. At university, her comprehension deepened as she researched the sport’s history. She realised how it had a long history but was still playing catch up in numerous ways. In her view, positive change, particularly at grassroots level is now palpable.
Indeed, Kilgallon’s story attests to the evolution of women’s Gaelic games, a progress which she confidently affirms has taken place.
The tale of female Gaelic football is intimately interwoven with the socio-cultural context of Ireland over past decades. By 2024, the Ladies Gaelic Football Association (LGFA) will reach its half-century mark, having traversed numerous highs and lows throughout its existence. Unladylike meticulously follows the LGFA journey, charting periods of faltered promises and long-awaited victories. The narrative unfolds under the discerning eye of Kilgallon, a UCD PhD student specialising in the historic evolution of Irish women’s sports.
The genesis of the story begins with a notable anonymous letter published in the Sunday Independent in August 1967. Allegedly penned by a farmer in Cork, the letter fervently encouraged the GAA to bar women from upcoming national games. The author accused women of wastefully occupying valuable space, detesting the sight of women in cities seeking enjoyment rather than contenting themselves with their domestic roles. He further declared the GAA as a men-only establishment.
Whether this audacious farmer ever existed or was genuinely serious, however, reads as an unresolved mystery. His letter’s publication stirred considerable backlashes, leading to an entire page dedicated to passionate responses in the following week’s Sunday Independent, revealing even then how vital audience engagement was. It is noteworthy that the letter was written during a period when there was no official recognition for women’s Gaelic football.
Unofficial games, however, did exist, primarily at summer celebration events. Kilgallon discovered articles in regional newspapers which documented women’s football games being played in places such as Athy in County Kildare and across west Cork, part of the events line-up at summer fairs, together with pram races and children’s fancy dress parades. How peculiar this might sound from the perspective of current times, such were the beginnings of today’s game.
Reflecting on the history of women’s football, it was surprising to consider its initial stages. However, those phases were crucial for the sport to evolve and establish its foundation. At first, considerable attention was not given, and it was seen as something for amusement. Eventually, as more women got involved, the triviality turned into a spirited competition.
Nurturing women’s football has been a progressively slow process. Carving a space, nurturing its growth, and making it mainstream are stages very different from the sport’s fast-paced growth during the past twenty years. Nonetheless, such rapid progression wouldn’t have been possible without those early resilient stages of consistent development.
Reflecting on her PhD research, Kilgallon revisited the success of the Ladies’ Gaelic Football Association (LGFA) during the 70s and 80s. The association’s achievement lay in its ability to sustain and expand at a time when they had limited resources. They established themselves firmly, introduced more competitions, and amplified their membership. They adapted to the broader economic and social conditions during those years.
Entering the 90s, the LGFA found themselves in a position where they could foster further growth. They offered support to those regions where women’s football was non-existent and nurtured its inception. Strategic decisions were made considering their growth. Notably, they acknowledged the need for a strong leader, and thus Helen O’Rourke was appointed as the CEO. By getting full-time commitment and ensuring television coverage, they recognised a need for more expansion and a leader who could enable this growth.
Recognising the imperative need for television broadcasting, they incessantly demanded attention until their plea couldn’t be disregarded any longer. Eventually in 2001, TG4 initiated their telecast which turned out to be a boon for both parties, significantly increasing the viewership for ladies’ Gaelic football; a new dawn in the promotion of the sport.
The journey of embracing her passionate interest in football was inspired at home for Kilgallon, spurred by her father, TJ Kilgallon, the 1980s footballer noted for his expertise in cherry-picking midfield, and her mother, Eileen Magnier, who was a proud news correspondent for RTÉ News in the northeast for an extensive period. Their abode was an intriguing mix of literature and sport, constantly immersing its inhabitants in one or the other.
Post her Leaving Cert, Kilgallon continued to quench her intellectual thirst by absorbing academia of history at UCD. As the hunger to know the unknown grew, she found herself captivated by the genesis of women’s sports in Ireland. Amidst her ‘Unladylike’ discourse on Gaelic football, she planned to delve deeper through her PhD thesis.
There was a wave of humiliation when she began her research as a master’s student. Except for GAA history, she barely knew about the evolution and progression of the LGFA. “I embarked on this journey to learn more for my own sake as I lacked knowledge in it.
“Now, as I pursue my PhD, my objective revolves around enriching the field. There are countless narratives to explore in the context of women’s sports, as well as the history of ladies’ Gaelic football,” she explained. The expanding anthologies on the history of GAA only underscore the scope.
Certainly, this is merely one stage in the process. The semi-centennial of the LGFA coincides with ongoing merger discussions with the GAA and the Camogie Association. Kilgallon found the early dynamics of these negotiations, which began in the 1980s, enlightening and provided a new perspective on the present tension.
“The 1970s and 1980s saw the LGFA seeking a relationship and engagement with the GAA, who demonstrated considerable scepticism. Therefore, looking at the current discussions on integration, one can comprehend the LGFA’s hesitation towards operating under the GAA given that the scepticism previously emanated from the GAA and they perhaps weren’t so supportive.”
Changes have occurred and will continue to unfold out of necessity, as history always testifies. These insights are captured in the book, Unladylike: A History of Ladies Gaelic Football, penned by Hayley Kilgallon and brought to publication by New Island Books.