Following Kerry’s most recent victory in the senior women’s All-Ireland football championship, Billy Bingham sought to thwart Jack Charlton’s aspirations for World Cup qualification in 1994 by stirring a commotion at Windsor Park. The footballers of Derry were in the midst of an unyielding tour of every corner and local club within their county, celebrating Sam Maguire. Meanwhile, Kilkenny held the title of All-Ireland hurling champions and Ireland’s rugby team was led by Gerry Murphy, during the era when the Six Nations was still recognisable as the Five Nations.
President Mary Robinson resided in the Áras while Eileen Lawlor (now Dardis) received the All-Ireland title at Croke Park on the 11th of October, 1993, with the Irish President looking on and applauding. Lawlor had an impressive score of 2-1 in the final against Laois, marking her astonishing 10th senior All-Ireland win. It was a spectacular finale to her tenure as a Kerry footballer, as she led her county to All-Ireland glory before bowing out.
Lawlor had married and relocated to Meath in 1990 and after three years of travelling between the two counties, she felt it was time to hang up her boots. Several teammates followed suit, triggering a phase of transition for Kerry. However, 31 years on, the county’s women team is yet to reclaim their former glory. Eileen is notably the most recent captain to lead a Kerry women’s team to All-Ireland senior victory.
Dying to relinquish her last title, she finds it difficult to comprehend that it’s been so long. Eileen, alongside her sister Margaret, are among the most celebrated siblings in Gaelic games. Altogether, they boast 20 senior All-Ireland medals, evenly split between them. Both were critical components of Kerry’s extraordinary nine-in-a-row championship run spanning 1982 to 1990. Margaret had her inaugural championship windfall in 1976, while Eileen gathered her final medal in 1993.
Reflecting from her residence in Summerhill she admitted, “Had we clinched the victory in 1991, the year my sister led as captain, I might have retired earlier, who knows.”
While reflecting on their previous rivalry, the notion of defeating Waterford yet again in Munster was seen as a chance for Kerry to continue their campaign for another All-Ireland title and to prove they hadn’t lost their touch. Although Waterford had claimed victory over Kerry in ’91 and ’92’s Munster finals, Kerry managed to exact retribution in ’93. However, it would take another decade for Kerry to replay such victory in a regional championship against Waterford. Contrary to what it appeared, it wasn’t a period of change Kerry had stepped into post ’93, but rather a period of downfall. Eileen suggests this was due to the lack of up-and-coming players being included, which made it challenging for new talent to penetrate the team and thus impeded their growth and development.
Eileen, a teacher at Loreto, Navan, introduced football in the school with successful outcomes – many of who she coached went on to shine for Meath, such as Kelsey Nesbitt, Stacey Grimes and Orlagh Lally. Couple Eileen and Brendan were pioneers of the women’s team in Summerhill, and their son Barry, who was a crucial part of Summerhill’s county victories in 2013 and 2023, was also a standing team member of the Meath senior football squad during Andy McEntee’s tenure.
This week, however, focus has shifted towards Kerry’s women’s team as they progress towards their third consecutive All-Ireland final – notwithstanding their failure in the preceding two attempts. Aimed at mirroring Eileen’s success this Sunday at Croke Park, is Niamh Carmody who hopes to lead Kerry to the All-Ireland senior women’s championship in her debut year as captain – a position she acquired after her club, Finuge-St Senan’s, recommended her following their triumph in last year’s county championship.
Feeling immensely privileged, Carmody notes, “It’s an enormous privilege. An enormous privilege not just for me but for my family and my club. I am nothing but ecstatic to lead this amazing lot. They are a breeze to captain.” And it’s acknowledged amongst the players the pain of preceding years isn’t forgotten. Correspondingly, sports psychologist Claire Thornton was summoned this season by Kerry management to arm the team with increased mental resilience.
In the year 2022, Meath triumphed over the Kingdom with a score of 3-10 to 1-7, and the following summer Dublin commenced with remarkable vigour, wrapping up victoriously with 0-18 to 1-10 in the distinguished 2023 event.
Highly respected, Claire has proven to be an invaluable asset to our team this year through her unwavering dedication and effectiveness in executing game plans. Niamh acknowledges her remarkable contribution commending how it has strengthened the team’s resilience evident in several close games and boosted each player’s confidence.
She has introduced various techniques such as mental picturing, pre-training write-ups to maintain focus and a plethora of other strategies. These have undeniably benefited me extensively throughout the past season.
This forthcoming Sunday’s final against Galway will eventually determine whether 2024 was a victorious year for Kerry. Regardless of the outcome, there’s no denying the laudable tenacity Kerry has exemplified by making a remarkable comeback this year.
In moments of reflection, the current Kerry captain confessed the likely doubled delight from victory this time around, due to past disappointments. Expressing her high hopes, she stated, “To succeed would symbolise an astounding conquest for us. As a team, we’ve remained unified over the recent years, placing increasing pressure upon ourselves. Since the very beginning of the year, we envisaged reaching this point and we confidently believe in our collective ability to secure victory.”
The essential continuity provided by Declan Quill and Darragh Long’s decision to resume their roles as joint managers has indubitably played a pivotal role in preserving the team’s harmony following the previous final’s disappointment.
Niamh elucidates, “Initiating a fresh start with new management could possibly entail a shift in strategies.” Appreciation for both managers abounds, due to their extraordinary commitment to Kerry ladies football, reversing the team’s destiny from a relegation finale five years ago to achieving their third consecutive All-Ireland finale.
Croke Park will witness the presence of Eileen this Sunday, who spent her week returning to her roots in Kerry. The defeat of Dublin seems to have invigorated her spirit, remarks Kerry’s 1993 All-Ireland-winning captain.
Dublin demonstrated excellent performance in the previous year, they were simply unmatched. However, their defeat at the hands of Galway at the quarter-final match brought a new dynamic to the tournament.
Much akin to last Sunday’s victory by Armagh, Kerry and Galway envision winning the final this Sunday, perceiving it as their turn to shine.
Kerry has been anticipating this occasion for 31 years.
Here are the weekend’s scheduled matches for the All-Ireland women’s football finals. The Senior Football Championship final will see Kerry facing off Galway at Croke Park. The match will commence at 4.15pm and will be aired on TG4.
Next is the Intermediate Football Championship final, a showdown between Leitrim and Tyrone at Croke Park. This match commences at 1.45pm, also airing on TG4.
Finally, the Junior Football Championship final between Fermanagh and Louth. The match will take place at Croke Park, starting at 11.45am. This too, will be aired on TG4.