Richard Bullick
Her Donegal-native husband Cathal O’Kane enjoyed the bragging rights for the men’s match which followed, but Roisin Murphy was naturally delighted with the victory by Armagh ladies in the opening game of last Saturday’s double bill of Ulster gaelic football finals in Clones.
The occasion also brought back good memories of 2014 when unused sub Murphy was part of the Armagh matchday squad for the victory over Monaghan the only other time the orangewomen won an Ulster final ahead of a men’s match at St Tiernach’s Park.
“Armagh hadn’t won the ladies Ulster title for seven years leading up to that, so winning was a big deal, but it was a deserved victory over a formidable Monaghan team who were hot favourites and our girls served up a really exciting brand of football,” Roisin recalls.
“A good crowd came in early to watch and that helped make it a really memorable experience. After changing and having food we came out and were given a standing ovation while walking round to our seats in the main stand during the first half of the men’s final.”
This time, the heavily-pregnant Roisin spent Ulster finals day down at her family home in Silverbridge – so Cathal was outnumbered – but, although the outcome was disappointing, Murphy acknowledges the men’s showpiece was a thrilling clash for the ages.
By contrast, Armagh had marched to an almost inevitable victory in the ladies decider such was the dominance of a side still featuring some of Murphy’s Orchard colleagues from that 2014 final including the then captain Caroline O’Hanlon.
Having shone as first season rookies 11 years ago, Aoife McCoy netted twice in the first half of this year’s final and there was a Player of the Match performance from her fellow All Star Lauren McConville, who had been a teenager back then.
“Those two are really excellent footballers, but also brilliant, brilliant people. I think sport brings out a lot of who you are, and how you interact with team-mates. Those two have given fantastic service to Armagh and it’s great to see them getting their rewards.”
Murphy’s personal sporting path has taken a different direction over the past decade but, two weeks earlier, she and McConville had both been honoured – along with the Orchard county team – at the GO Local Women Sport Awards in Belfast’s Europa Hotel.
Armagh won Overall Team of the Year across all sports on the back of last spring’s historic National League title triumph, while McConville was crowned LGFA Player of the Year to go with her array of other accolades from 2024 including Ulster Ladies Footballer of the Year.
The support staff who play a crucial role behind the scenes with sports teams don’t often get much credit, so respected physio Murphy was pleased about the inclusion of a ‘Backroom’ category and winning the award was the icing on the cake.
It was deserved recognition for Roisin’s dedicated, impactful work with the Ireland national teams in women’s hockey and women’s rugby over the years and a nice way to close the chapter after a productive, cherished decade working in high-performance sport.
Organised by leading online platform Local Women Sport – a subsidiary of Local Women Magazine – and backed by title sponsors GO (Fuels), this was the third year of this ground-breaking oscars night to celebrate female sport across the counties of Ulster.
An incredible 650 nominations were received across a range of almost 30 categories, some sport-specific and several intended to honour those often overlooked for recognition, with around 400 guests attending the enjoyable black-tie event.
“I couldn’t believe how big the event was, and it was so impressively put together in terms of the venue, entertainment and so forth along with the excellent meal. It was very uplifting to be part of an evening which highlighted so many great role models,” enthuses Roisin.
“It was a huge honour to win the Backroom Award obviously, but just to see that specific category was refreshing for there are plenty of support people playing an important part with teams who are maybe appreciated privately but tend not to be acknowledged externally.
“At a personal level, the timing couldn’t have been better, having recently moved away from working in high-performance sport for the foreseeable future, so receiving recognition for my contribution in that sphere was a nice way to close what has been a special career chapter.”
About to become a mum for the first time early next month, Murphy is now working in a managerial role for the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust but, whatever her day-job, she will always be passionate about sport and appreciative of the experiences she has had.
“I’ve had both Irish hockey and rugby girls reaching out since I won this award and that has meant a lot. In team environments, when you aren’t a player there are some professional boundaries, but we’re all part of the same set-up and hopefully pulling in the same direction.
“As a physio, you often find yourself dealing with players facing challenges with injury and situations which are a test of character. Especially in the Irish rugby set-up there were a lot of very young players and it’s great to see their ongoing growth and development.
“I ran a tight ship and to an extent would have tried to avoid becoming overly friendly with players, but you try to be a positive influence, you do establish bonds with them and I still love following their journeys as they keep progressing in their careers,” she enthuses.
By her own admission, Roisin wouldn’t really have watched rugby before the IRFU job came along but now she can’t get enough of the oval ball game and, probably reflecting her own sporting background and intense nature, she has become strikingly knowledgeable about it.
“In the past I wouldn’t even have taken much notice of something as high-profile as the men’s Six Nations and don’t think I’d seen any women’s rugby but now I follow everything, even internationals not featuring Ireland, the English PWR club games and so forth!
“I think I’ve a pretty good feel for the game now in general and, because of having been on the inside, I can see what Ireland are trying to do and the strengths that they’re trying to utilise. I’m no longer involved in rugby but I enjoying studying games, figuring things out.
“I actually love watching England, who are the world’s best team, really outstanding, and then the French bring their own style. It’s fascinating comparing Scotland’s development with Ireland’s and our last couple of matches against them have been very tight.
“Seeing how Wales are struggling at present resonates, because Ireland were at a low ebb back when I started with the IRFU and it was a tough first year or so for everyone involved,” Roisin reflects, looking back on the grim 2023 Six Nations whitewash.
Dynamics differ between sports and set-ups and, although a lively character in her own right, the rugby group Murphy came into was more burdened by pressure and negative experiences than their hockey counterparts.
There are iconic clips of Murphy jiving in the changing-room with Ireland hockey skipper Katie Mullan before matches at that 2018 World Cup where the girls in green went on a joyous journey, reaching the final as rank outsiders.
“That turned out to be the golden era of Irish hockey history, whereas women’s rugby was going through dark days. I suppose the age profile of the Irish rugby squad was a lot younger than the hockey, and I was also 4-5 years older then when I went to the IRFU.”
While there was less high jinx to get involved in initially for understandable reasons, Murphy fitted very well into the Irish set-up and it’s readily apparent that the players she worked with for two years still have a special place in her heart.
It speaks volumes about how vocationally-minded Murphy is that, when you ask what she missed most about not being there during the Six Nations, she doesn’t pick one of those away wins or magical moments like Amee-Leigh Murphy-Crowe’s try against England.
“I think the worst pangs (about being absent) were when injuries occurred, because you just wanted to be there helping girls and you’d be backing yourself to give them the best possible care,” reflects the athlete-focused, people-centred Roisin.
By the nature of their role, physios tend to injured players on a very regular basis but, compared to when you’re there in the thick of it with an urgent job to get on with, watching helplessly from afar while someone you care about is stricken is a form of torment.
The Local Women Sport Awards dinner took place the night of Ireland’s game against Scotland in Edinburgh, the same Saturday as Murphy’s final fixture as team physio the year before but she was still living and breathing the emotions with her old comrades.
“I enjoyed Ireland’s emphatic away wins over Italy and Wales, along with how they took the fight to France and England, but it was awful watching Dorothy Wall being taken off against Scotland and then Aoife Dalton went down too, though thankfully was able to continue.
“You could tell the minute Wall went down how bad it was and inevitably what that would mean in terms of the World Cup. I’m completely gutted for Dorothy at a personal level, especially as she has been playing so well.
“I’ve followed her really closely in the PWR this season with Exeter Chiefs. Playing for Ireland means so much to Doro and I’d say she made that move more than anything to improve herself further for the national team.
“She’s been brilliant for Exeter, understandably becoming a big fan favourite there, and she carried that form into Ireland’s Six Nations campaign. It would have been exciting to see the impact she could make at the World Cup but she has an incredible career ahead of her.
“Doro is an absolute born leader, resilient and wise beyond her years. You won’t get a harder worker and because of that she has earned the right to hold her team-mates accountable. She drives standards, is smart and a real team player.”
While dismayed that Wall will miss the World Cup due to her ruptured achilles, Roisin has been thrilled to see Dalton flourishing – playing all 400 minutes of Ireland’s campaign, winning a Player of the Match award and being named in the Team of the Championship.
“Aoife Dalton is one of those players you miss being in the environment with, she’s a really great girl and it’s brilliant to see her being recognised now, even beyond Irish shores, and getting the credit she deserves as a fab player and exemplary professional.
“I’m a huge fan of Aoife. She was regarded as unlucky to lose her starting spot last Six Nations and didn’t even get on in the final game of it but she just kept her head down, continued to work really hard and now she’s been spoken of as a Lions contender.
“She’s short in height obviously but just so powerful, fearless and determined as well as being quick and agile and reading the game well. There are certain players who make you want to watch a game and she’s undoubtedly one of those.
“I love watching her play and it’s nice to see her thriving for I know how focused she is and the work she puts in. She’s hard as nails physically, but has such a nice nature. Aoife actually reminds me of Lauren McConville in so many ways, both on and off the pitch.
“It’s not just the superficial resemblance (being short and blonde), but how they both turn up, just get stuck in, have high standards and drive values and the team ethos. They’re really tough girls on the pitch but just the loveliest people.
“It was really special getting my award the same night as Lauren, even though I certainly couldn’t put myself up alongside her! It’s 10 years since I was in the Armagh squad with her and even then she was really making her mark as a very young player, like Aoife is now.
“As a friend and former team-mate it has been great to watch Lauren’s career really blossoming with the All Star and a range of awards which are richly deserved. She’s such an effective, versatile player and very exciting to watch.
“Lauren was an obvious choice for LGFA Player of the Year and Armagh getting Overall Team of the Year was well deserved too for their outstanding 2024 and now they’ve bounced back from the NFL final disappointment by winning another Ulster title.”
As well as being proud at the Local Women Sport Awards wearing her Armagh hat, Roisin is also keen to pay tribute to this writer’s other two winning nominees, Rugby Player of the Year Brittany Hogan and Rugby Coach of the Year Neill Alcorn.
“Brittany was one of our full-time centralised athletes, dual for a while between sevens and XVs. She moulded a place for herself and, given the overall age profile, it’s easy to forget that she’s still a relatively young woman and has had challenges to deal with outside rugby.
“I’d have had dealings with Neill Alcorn, or ‘Pops’ as he’s known, in terms of liaising about Ulster players. He and his provincial support staff were good to work with. The IRFU can clearly see his potential and this award is further affirmation for him,” she concluded.
