“Football has helped me immensely,” says Sligo corner-back Etna Flanagan on returning to the game after the death of her three-year-old son, Rioghnán, in 2015.
Aged 41, the oldest player in the TG4 All Ireland Ladies football Championship is one step away from Croke Park after Sunday’s quarter-final victory over Roscommon.
“To be honest, football helped me through it all and it still does, every day. I’ll play as long as I can, I love playing and the ambition is to win the All Ireland.”
Etna’s son, Rioghnán, had been waiting for a heart transplant and now her Sligo team-mates wear tee-shirts before games to raise awareness of donor cards.
Video by Jerome Quinn for the LGFA.
(Note: apologies for loud background music/noise)