Tesco All-Ireland Corn Sceilg senior A schools’ semi-final: Saturday February 1, 12pm in Lavey: St Patrick’s Maghera v Loreto Kilkenny
CÉAT McEldowney is between All-Ireland semi-finals this week.
On Sunday she played a prominent role at corner-back as Slaughtneil clinched their place in their fourth successive All-Ireland senior club final, while on Saturday she is joint captain of the St Patrick’s, Maghera that will face Loreto, Kilkenny this Saturday in the Tesco All-Ireland Corn Sceilg senior A schools’ semi-final.
These are busy times for the A-Level student of Maths, Biology and Geography who was speaking immediately after Slaughtneil’s 2-10 to 1-10 win over Scariff/Ogonnelloe in Ashbourne on Sunday.
“It is great to get back to play in Croke Park after playing there last year. That was a big day for me because it was my first time playing there.”
When her club won their first national title there in 2017, Céat was a water-carrier for the team in Croke Park. Later that same year she became eligible to play adult camogie and by the start of the Derry championship she was on the fringes of the team.
“Yeah, I kept coming on as a sub that year, mostly in forwards, right through to the All-Ireland final that was played in Clones against Sarsfields (from Galway, their opponents once more on March 1st in Croke Park).
“In the 2018 Derry championship, I started the first game as a forward, but by the time the Ulster final came around I was at corner-back and I have been there ever since. Last year’s final was in Croke Park and I am really happy to get back there.”
There was plenty of pressure on the Slaughtneil defence during the second half, but they coped well until the last minute when a Scariff goal closed the gap.
“There was pressure alright, but we had an extra player there and we did OK. You just have to be very careful to find a player with your clearance. But no, we have been in games that were a lot closer and we just keep working hard.”
Turning to her school team, Céát is so pleased that they have come through to win Ulster.
“We had won nothing down the school. Cross and Passion (Ballycastle) just dominated every competition. This year when we beat them in the league at the start of November, that result gave us a lot of confidence. You could see the extra effort at training.
“We had a really tough league game with St Louis Ballymena and didn’t expect anything else in the final. It was very, very tough, on a par with any of these club matches, everyone dying on the ball.
“If we had lost it would have been the last game for the school and we would have won nothing the whole way through. That game, and the extra time, should help us prepare for Kilkenny,” thinks Céat who hopes to get a place on a course in radiotherapy or physiotherapy next year.
“Loreto are supposed to be a very good side and the school has won a lot of All-Ireland titles at senior and junior level. Hopefully getting the chance to play them up in Lavey will give us a little extra lift.
“There was a big crowd at the Ulster final in the Loup that night and I think that there will be a good support for us on Saturday.”
Céat will bring the Slaughtneil work ethic to the centre of the Maghera defence on Saturday. And of course she is hoping for a similar result to Slaughtneil’s on Sunday and look forward to a second All-Ireland final in the course of a few weeks.
