CONLON GRADUATING TO THE NEXT LEVEL
Richard Bullick
Following last season’s historic success at Junior level, Clonmore will play their first match in Armagh ladies football’s second tier this Sunday when they host Mullaghbawn in the quarter-finals of the Buttercrane Intermediate Championship.
Beaten finalists three times in the previous five seasons, Clonmore really savoured victory over Clann Eireann Seconds in the Athletic Grounds last autumn and made more history thereafter when they hosted a provincial club championship match for the first time ever.
A narrow loss to Derry Intermediate title winners Lavey, who went on to be crowned Ulster Junior champions, brought the curtain down on a special season for Ryan O’Hagan’s Clonmore and their elegant little captain Emma Conlon.
An Orchard county panellist as a teenager, the skipper shone from centre half back in the Athletic Grounds decider, picking up the Player of the Match award and later collecting a Buttercrane Junior Championship All Star along with clubmate Sarah Quigley.
That was a proud moment for Clonmore’s top pair at the Armagh LGFA Awards night in the Carrickdale Hotel last December and Conlon’s ladies were rightfully feted when the club held their annual dinner dance in Newry’s Canal Court Hotel in March.
They even got to dine out one last time on last September’s triumph when hosted at a recent Mayor’s reception at the Palace by Armagh-Banbridge-Craigavon’s youngest ever female first citizen, Councillor Sarah Duffy.
But now it’s almost time to play championship football again and Conlon is looking forward to the challenge of doing battle at Intermediate level even though Clonmore haven’t been pulling up trees in Division Three of the McGuinness Plumbing League.
Regularly without Quigley and Niamh Forker due to Orchard duty in ladies football and camogie respectively, Clonmore ended up in the bottom half of the third division after the split but were never in danger of relegation to the league’s basement section.
As last season showed, despite having a small panel, Clonmore are a formidable enough outfit when everyone is available and they go into this club championship on the back of an enjoyable and productive day at the All Ireland Sevens in Dubin at the start of this month.
“We went to the All Ireland sevens last year and did quite well in the Junior competition. It was so good for fitness but also a good day out together, so useful for morale and bonding before our own club championship,” reflects Conlon.
“So we were keen to go again this time. We left the house at 7am, and played six matches in total so it was a long day but great fun and we actually did even better than last year despite being without Sarah, who had broken a bone in her hand.”
They had enough energy left to score 9-21 in a 45-point away win in a league game against Lissummon on the Monday night and all eyes are now on this championship clash with second division Mullaghbawn, who reached the Intermediate deciders of 2019 and 2021.
“Our results in the league haven’t been brilliant, but I think when we have our full team out we should be well fit for Intermediate football, so everyone is looking forward to playing at this level for the first time,” enthuses Emma.
“The Mayor’s reception recently brought back good memories from last season’s success. It was an enjoyable evening and nice recognition for the club. There was a good turnout of players and it has helped whet our appetite for the forthcoming championship campaign.”
It has been a landmark, busy summer for Conlon, who was on Queen’s University’s tour to America in June just before graduating in Pharmacy, thus progressing to the next rung of the professional ladder like Clonmore rising through the ranks of Armagh football.
As far as Emma knows, this was the first time that the Queen’s ladies footballers had gone on an overseas venture and the fact she was accompanied on the trip by younger sister Tara made it all the more special.
Players who are frontliners for their respective counties, such as last season’s Queen’s skipper Emily Druse and fellow Armagh regular Grace Ferguson, opted out, creating openings for others like Tara Conlon who had been playing for Queen’s Seconds.
“I remember the possibility of a tour being mentioned during my first year at Queen’s and I’m grateful it finally happened right at the end of my time there. I think this was only the second tour ever and that the previous one, decades ago, didn’t involve the ladies team.
“It has been on the horizon since the start of this past academic year last autumn but it took time to take shape. Some girls were understandably reluctant to commit because of county commitments, though I think the boys were over-subscribed.
“We had Armagh management in the shape of Aidan O’Rourke and Sarah Marley, who was a member of the only Queen’s team to have won the O’Connor Cup back in 2013, and whose sister Caoimhe Morgan was our manager during the season.
“Along with myself and Tara, the other Armagh girls in the tour party were Carrickcruppen’s Ciara Garvey, Megan McShane from Harps and Ballyhegan’s Joanna McGrane was part of the set-up too.
“We were in Boston for five days and New York for five days, with a match in each, both of which we won. Playing on the 3G pitch in New York’s iconic Gaelic Park in temperatures of almost 30 degrees was a new experience!
“The opposition sides had some Americans and a lot of ex-pats. Against New York, the girl I was marking previously played for DCU while Eimear Fitzpatrick of Down had a Burren clubmate on the other team!
“It was a great trip and then I’d my graduation on July 1, which was a nice occasion. I’m glad to have finished my degree and started the next chapter, a foundation training year,” explains future pharmacist Conlon.
Being based in Moy is conveniently close to home for Conlon but she works quite long hours, including Saturdays, so there could conceivably be clashes with club football or camogie – she plays for Port Mor – but at least this Mullaghbawn match is on Sunday.
Her professional life may make it difficult for Conlon to give county football another go, but she has been watching closely while clubmate Quigley made her mark in the orange jersey this season and, like everyone else, is buzzing about the Armagh men’s All Ireland win.
“The club took two busses to the men’s final and loads of us went down for what was a great day. I’d actually a good feeling about it in advance. I felt Armagh owed Galway one and, with so many people coming home from around the world, they just weren’t going to lose!
“It has been great to see Armagh ladies doing well too. They were unlucky not to go even further and obviously losing Aimee Mackin to injury was a blow. Especially with Sarah playing, I tried to get along to matches when I could.”
She and Tara were representing Clonmore as stewards at Armagh’s ladies All Ireland quarter-final against Mayo in the Athletic Grounds this summer, stationed not far from where Emma had held that trophy aloft to the delight of a large club contingent last September.
It was a pleasure covering Clonmore’s successful campaign and there was a nice surprise subsequently when this writer was contacted by the LGFA about being nominated for Local Journalist of the Year in their annual national awards.
They revealed your correspondent had actually been put forward by Emma Conlon, a much-appreciated, thoughtful gesture by Clonmore’s impeccably classy captain who is such a fantastic ambassador for her club and credit to her family.
The winners of the Clonmore-Mullaghbawn match will be away at the last four stage to whoever emerges from Sunday’s other quarter-final, which sees second division St Peter’s host Division Three title winners Derrynoose in Lurgan.
Assuming Mullabrack come through this Friday’s quarter-final (6.45am) away to a Lissummon side shorn of their Marley sisters spine they will likely face Clan na Gael in the other semi as the Lurgan team are odds-on to win at Cullyhanna on Saturday (6.45pm).
