As I Roved Out: 'I just love football' - Niamh Dobbs RIP
Niamh O'Reilly (née Dobbs) made a huge impact on ladies football in Carlow
“I just love football,” Niamh Dobbs told Kevin Regan with real passion in her voice as she spoke with feeling on an excellent ‘Left Wing Back’ podcast recorded during Covid. It was a surreal experience listening and watching that ‘My Time in the Geansaí’ podcast on YouTube last Saturday night as that afternoon Niamh O’Reilly had been laid to rest.
Having heard the sad news of her passing - “after a long illness borne with bravery, dignity and humour, in the loving arms of her family” - it was always my intention that this week’s column would carry a tribute to Niamh.
On happening upon the podcast, though, the direction of the tribute altered a little. Kevin and Niamh covered her adult career so well I decided to go back in time, publish a few unpublished chapters in her early sporting life.
I got to know Niamh when she worked in the Royal Hotel where her sense of fun and dedication to duty dovetailed perfectly. My deepest sympathy goes to Niamh’s husband Brian O’Reilly, her adored daughters Katie, Lucie and Molly, her mother Maureen, her sisters Siobhan, Veronica and Emma, her brother Thomas and to all her relations, many friends and neighbours as well as former work and playing colleagues to whom she was an inspiration.
Ballinree Athletic Club’s cross-county league for juveniles was taking place on Albert Grothier’s land in Fenagh and as the U-12 Girls race came to a conclusion, the first three having passed the finishing line, the eyes of the spectators fell on the runner in fourth place. Her focused stare, her grit and determination as the U-10 made her way through the winter mud was maybe the first evidence of the fierce competitor that dwelled within the little lassie from nearby Ballywilliamroe. The first evidence too of her sportsmanship, for barely had Niamh Dobbs finished the race when she encouraged the next finisher over the line, that finisher her sister Siobhan.
On the top of page 19 of ‘The Nationalist’ is a black and white photo with a headline caption, ‘Carlow Champs’. The champs in question are Newtown National School, Dunleckney, the Co Carlow Rural Schools nine-a-side champions who had defeated Old Leighlin NS in the final the previous week. Pictured with their trainer and school principal Liam Nolan are 14 smiling heroes, the captain Seamus Nolan proudly holding the cup, an O’Neill’s football on the ground in front of the stool. 14 smiling heroes, 13 boys and, second player from the right in the back row, one girl, Niamh Dobbs. And you can tell from the trademark grin that this is a proud, proud moment for the young football fanatic. While we couldn’t find a report of the final we suspect, as she did so often in her later football life, Niamh located the net.
FRIDAY, MAY 25, 1984: In Michael Godfrey’s ‘Young World’ column in ‘The Nationalist’ we read of how twenty-two members of Fenagh Magpies Foroige Club took part in recent sports blitz in Tullow. The mixed boys and girls seven-a-side soccer team won out their competition after three tough games. Niamh was in great scoring form getting five goals throughout the blitz, two of which came in the final to clinch honours.”
‘Fenagh’s First Win’ declares a little headline on page 17 of ‘The Nationalist’ but it’s not a report of a football game, the first win in question was Fenagh Camogie Club’s first victory since their reformation the previous year, beating Tullow in an mid-week U-18 first round match in Fenagh. And, yes, you’ve guessed it, Niamh Dobbs rose a green flag. So too did Siobhan Dobbs.
The Royal Hotel on Carlow Town’s Dublin Street, once, perhaps, the preserve of an ‘elite’ clientele, had, under John McDermot’s ownership, become ‘of the people’ and many of the new punters were, to borrow a phrase, of one of the female bar staff, “GAA orientated, the Royal was a GAA hub.” That bar tender, later Bar Manager, was, of course, Niamh Dobbs. And one of the GAA orientated punters was, of course, this scribe, who often took up a pew alongside the unrelated Brennan’s, Seanie of Tinryland and Andy of Tipperary, at the short bar just inside the door from the carpark. It was obvious Niamh had a big interest in the GAA and followed the men’s games closely but she hadn’t kicked a ball in years and, if memory serves me correctly, think some of her leisure time involved working with horses. One Friday night she arrived down to our corner and announced “I’m back playing football.” Seems Killeshin had a team and Bea Gaffney who worked in the Royal as well had inveigled Niamh to play.
The same motely crew were ensconced it the short bar in the Royal Hotel when Niamh Dobbs arrived up and announced, “I went in training with the county this week.” “Laois or Carlow?” asks Seanie with a laugh. “Carlow, of course,” says Niamh, explaining they had started a club outside in her native Fenagh making her legal to don the red, yellow and green. Little did we know that Friday evening what an impact Niamh Dobbs was to make on the game of Ladies football. She became an absolute legend of the game, a scoring sensation, part of the pioneering Carlow women who won the Leinster Junior Championship for the first time in 1995, a victory which truly established the game in the county, a victory which led to the formation of more clubs and, more importantly, sparked the introduction of juvenile football for young girls. Niamh Dobbs became not only a legend but a role model for all aspiring female footballers. Niamh also coached teams, sowing the seeds for the next generation, a generation which includes her three daughters who have all worn the blue and white of Laois at underage level.
We’ve chronicled here before the scoring exploits of Darragh Foley with the Carlow footballers, Marty ‘Mouse’ Kavanagh with the county hurlers. Enter centre stage now one Niamh Dobbs for what has to rank as the most extraordinary individual scoring return registered in a red, yellow and green jersey. A Ladies National Football League game in Dr Cullen Park, Galway the visitors, the women from the west recording a healthy 4-5 but not enough to top the home side’s 4-9. Indeed not enough either to outscore the Carlow full-forward who scored a simply astonishing 4-6!
In an adult career that spanned two decades Niamh won two Leinster Junior Football medals with Carlow, the first in ’95 v Dublin, the second in ’99 v Kildare as well as six Carlow Senior Championship medals with St Fortchern’s with whom her sisters Siobhan and Veronica also played. The Fenagh club also won the Leinster Intermediate Club title in 2007 beating Eadestown in Crettyard. Daragh Ó Conchúir’s report on that game in this newspaper stated, “Dobbs raised three white flags, was fouled for a couple more and had a hand in one of Mairead Hogan’s two goals. Pretty significant contributions when you score 2-6 to win.” Niamh, however, in her ‘Left Wing Back’ podcast with Kevin Regan picks out the ’99 Leinster final victory over Kildare as her ‘fondest memory’, winning the player of the match’ award for good measure.
While Niamh won many trophies, one memento took pride of place, as she explained to Kevin Regan.
“Dad used to go to Croke Park every Sunday during the Summer, regardless of what code was on, he’d be up in Croke Park, he used to go with Seanie Brennan and Brendan Hayden. He went up to Dublin one day and he got this clock made - it was obviously on display somewhere - with the Carlow colours on it. He got an inscription ‘Niamh Dobbs, Leinster Champion. full-forward’ on it. Dad wouldn’t be someone who’d come down and be telling you ‘you are great’ the whole time, he’d keep you level. He’d never say much about the games. I remember he came down and he says, ‘“Here I got you that.”
And I remember when I opened it, it was kind of like a pat on the back, it was like ‘well done you’ And I remember saying, Oh my God, this was a major thing for Dad to do and to get and to bring down to me and I cherish it so I do. It was a huge thing to me because it was a huge statement from a Dad. I cherish it, I have it in my home and all the girls know why I have it and where it came from.”
Father and daughter are now reunited on the level lawns of God.
