Old Leighlin ladies looking to continue winning feeling within the club
After winning the Carlow Senior Football Championship, Caoimhe O'Neill hopes that Old Leighlin can now make an impact in the Leinster Photo: Pat Ahern
It was a special occasion for the O’Neill family on Sunday. Two weeks ago sisters, Caoimhe and Siofra were on the winning Old Leighlin side who beat Bennekerry-Tinryland in the county final.
Now at Netwatch Cullen Park, their brothers, Tadhg and Ruarc, played a major part as the men won their senior final.
“There is some buzz in Old Leighlin. Even in our house. It is magic. Unreal,” says Caoimhe who, it should be recalled, scored the winning goal in the ladies final.
There is no rest now for the ladies. Old Leighlin are out again next Sunday in Leinster where they take on the mighty Tinahely. There is history there as in 2021 in Baltinglass, the Wicklow champions won by five points in the intermediate provincial final.
Meanwhile, momentum has been built in the Old Leighlin environment.
“The whole village is buzzing. We are really looking forward to the game on Sunday,” said Caoimhe when she talked about this unprecedented situation where the ladies and men have recorded a famous double.
The Tinahely match has its scars. Old Leighlin probably didn’t play as well as they could have that evening but the Wicklow champions were able to call on Irish international rugby player, Lucy Mulhall.
“We definitely felt hard done that night,” O’Neill says.
This is a senior championship game.
“A lot of the teams that we did play in intermediate and junior have been pushed up to senior now,” points out Caoimhe.
Form is hard to assess at this stage. They look at who they beat in the Carlow final and that helps.
“What Bennekerry-Tinryland did last year does inspire everyone. You can see the standard of Carlow football has levelled upwards. I think we can really push on now into senior,” O’Neill predicts.
Old Leighlin v Tinahely TBC, Sunday, 2.00pm.
