Ware has plenty to reflect upon after calling time on lengthy inter-county career

Elaine Ware has retired from intercounty football. In a post on Social Media last week she confirmed that, after 14 years with Carlow, she had taken the decision to step down. She admits it has been a fascinating journey for her where, as a teenager, she made her senior intercounty debut and enjoyed a long and successful club and intercounty career. She will continue playing with her Bennekerry Tinryland club.

It is a move which the 32-year-old is comfortable with confirming she retires with an easy mind.

“In the last year I kind of knew. When I was playing last year after the club season, we went straight into inter-county. Not that I didn’t enjoy it but I kind of had enough of it. It was a long season. I had a feeling last year,” she said.

And just in case someone thinks she might be hankering as another inter-county season approaches, she admits she has distanced herself and doesn’t know whether her former colleagues are in a pre-season mode or not.

“I would say they are back. I haven’t been talking to the players but I would say they are working on their programmes,” Elaine says.

Ladies football has come a long way since she made her intercounty debut. You can be sure there are concise and accurate records for the men when it comes to appearances and scoring charts. In contrast, Elaine, in her own words hasn’t a clue how many times she has played for her county. She is not even sure who she made her debut against. When she first started playing intercounty football, public interest was quite small.

“That is the thing. I was trying to think back. Is it 2010 or 2011? I honestly can’t remember. I have no ideas how many times I have played for Carlow. Easily eight to ten games a year. The leagues have eight teams so that is seven games. The championship depending how far you go. Then you have the Leinster and All-Ireland series. I honestly cannot remember,” she says.

She does recall playing Antrim in Dr Cullen Park. “Maybe 2012,” she says.” I don’t know. I wish I did.” As the years went by interest in ladies football grew.

“If you started up now it would be recorded but when I started playing I just played. I doubt if any of it was recorded. We would have played in a lot of club pitches back then. Not in County Grounds like now which is a good thing.” 

 Despite a lot of disappointing days in the Carlow jersey she enjoyed being involved. There would be good times ahead. Two years in particular come to mind.

“I think it was 2017 when Bart Gilmartin took over. We won a Leinster junior and got to the semi-final of the league. That was the first thing I won at adult level. That year the All-Ireland semi-final sticks out for me. Against Derry, we lost 0-6 to 0-5 up in Louth.” 

Two years ago, under Ed Burke, Carlow won a league title and qualified for another All-Ireland semi-final where they were beaten in Parnell Park by Louth. That was a mixed year for Elaine but it was special too.

“That was my second stand moment for me. We had played in Division 4 which we won and we won out Leinster as well.” 

With Carlow, she lost five All-Ireland semi-finals. They all hurt in their own particular way.

“We lost two to Louth, one to Antrim, one to Derry, one to Down. One was in extra-time, one was by a point, another by two points. They were all close.” 

 On reflection, there is nothing she would change now. It was a learning curve and one the players had to go on.

“Things have been going well in the last few years. There is nothing you would improve on. There is nothing that sticks. When we started we got a lot of beatings but in 2017 when Bart (Gilmartin) took over we started winning matches.

“It was progress. Getting to the All-Ireland semi-final, that was the first time I had won anything with Carlow.” 

Despite the losses, she and a lot of the players kept coming back.

“We still went training the next night again. We used not win matches. It was awful but 2017 kicked it off,” she recalled.

The club scene has been good for her. An All-Ireland title with Bennekerry-Tinryland. Several county medals. She has played with and against some of the greatest players ever to play football in the county.

She says her Bennekerry-Tinryland and Carlow team mate Leah Mullins was probably the player she respects the most.

“She can play anywhere. You would be marking her in club training. You wouldn’t get an inch off her. She was there when I came into the Carlow team. She does everything well.

“They are unbelievable players in Carlow but I was with Leah from the start. She is still brilliant. It is a hard one to pick. She is someone who is good going forward, going back, getting a hand in. The speed of her. Lightning fast and very fit.”

 Funnily enough she doesn’t have any particular favourite player from outside Carlow. She admires the Kerry team which won the All-Ireland senior ladies final in 2024.

“The way they play. Their kicking game. I think they are a great team. The year Kerry won the All-Ireland, I thought they were brilliant to watch.” Elaine comes from a sports mad family. Her father, Darragh, and uncle, Cathal, featured on great Éire Óg teams of the seventies and eighties. Another uncle, Garvan, played midfield on the Éire Óg team of the nineties who won five Leinster titles. Her brother, Murtough, also has a treasure trove of senior county titles with Éire Óg.

Her mother, Bernie, is a Doyle from Tinryland whose football influence in the club is immense.

Elaine says her parents have been the biggest influence on her career.

“They never missed a game. They have travelled up and down the country. Whether it is one or the other. 99% of the time, the two of them are there together.

“Murtough, my brother. They have been and still are the biggest influence on my career. My Mam (Bernie) is my biggest supporter. If I had any questions on football, I could go to my Dad or my brother.

“They would tell me when I played great and obviously when I played bad they would tell you. You need that. It would be more advise than criticism. Mam is the same.” 

So how did Elaine end up in Bennekerry-Tinryland when there is such a strong Ware connection to Éire Óg?

“I played with the lads in Éire Óg the whole way up. When we got to under 12 there was no girls team and when I got to under 14, I went out to Tinryland. All my cousins were there. They were only two minutes from the pitch. I wanted to play football so I had to play somewhere.” 

Her cousins, Sam and Cian Prendergast, are the same Irish rugby internationals who are being lauded in the media. The Prendergast and Ware family would be familiar to each other. There are no notions of grandeur.

“They are just ordinary lads doing what they are doing together. It is amazing. Two brothers. Unbelievable. Sam was around recently and met up with Dad (Darragh).” 

 On the same week that Elaine made her announcement to retire, the LGFA changed some rules which would align more towards the men’s game. It includes the three-up, three-back rule, the two-pointers and allowing more physicality in the ladies game.

It was big news when Michael Murphy returned to Donegal after he had announced his retirement. The change in the rules was a big factor for Murphy at the time. Could Ware change her mind too?

She says that won’t happen but is hoping to play the new rules at some stage.

“I hope they come into the club game. I would like the two-pointers. The mark. The tackle. They needed to change that. They will trial them in the league and hopefully they will go into the club.” 

 So what will she do with her free time now?

“I used to play golf but with all the football and squash I didn’t have time. I joined the golf club a few weeks ago. Hopefully I will be playing in January."

The recently retired intercounty player has been patient in her football career. A lot of not so good days before success arrived. No better game than golf to test that patience and resolve. She will find a lot of footballers on the fairways. Elaine will be in good company. This story is not over yet.