FOR NIAMH Donnelly 2020 turned out to have a few more highlights than the Antrim player might have expected.
It began with an Ulster title for her school team, followed by an unbeaten league run with the Saffrons before COVID hit and resumed with a county final appearance by her club Ballycastle and then an unbeaten run to the All-Ireland Intermediate final in December.
Donnelly is in her third year teaching in St Patrick’s, Maghera and helped Catriona Scott prepare the team to win their first provincial senior title in four seasons.
“Yeah, last week a year ago we had a brilliant final with St Louis Ballymena in the Loup. It went to extra time before we won. It was such a tense game and then a relief to win it.
“It was a pity we couldn’t push on and do better in the All-Ireland semi-final. But at least we got to finish our competition before COVID hit,” said Donnelly who was chosen at right half-back on The Irish News All-star camogie team last Thursday evening.
“I had many of the MacRory Cup team in my A Level PE class and the atmosphere was really building in the school ahead of St Patrick’s Day. We were making headbands, organising supporters’ buses and everything and then all stopped.
“It was such a disappointment for everyone. You really felt for the players and the coaches. All that work that they put in had come to nothing.”
Of course sporting activity in St Patrick’s has not yet been able to resume since last March and Donnelly says that it has been very strange in the school even before Christmas when there were pupils around the place.
“There is such a commitment to sport in Maghera that it feels weird not having anyone stay behind for after-schools’ training, even getting home myself at an earlier time. When teams are playing, there is great banter among the students with each other, with the staff.”
The county season however has made up for that lack of atmosphere in her place of work and last season was one of the most enjoyable yet for the Ballycastle defender who has been playing for Antrim for over a decade now.
“Without a doubt,” she admits. “I’m really itching to get back training and playing this year. And the rest of the girls are much the same judging from the messages coming through the whatsapp group over the last week or more.
“This time last year, we got a new management team. I had played for Humpy (Paul McKillen) and Dowdsy (Elaine Dowds) while a student in Cross and Passion. I had really enjoyed that and was looking forward to seeing what they could do with the county team.
“They brought in Jingo (Jim McKernan) and he gives you so much confidence the way he talks to you in the build-up to games. So there was a great atmosphere from early in the year.”
COVID-19 of course postponed the rest of the league programme after Antrim had posted two very easy wins, including beating Tipperary who were the reigning Division Two champions. When they re-grouped for the championship in October there was a number of changes.
“Yeah, we had lost a couple of players who were pregnant or not available with work commitments. But we also gained a lot of good players as well.
“I think the split club/county season helped us a lot in that regard. We ended up with one of the strongest panel of players I have ever been part of.
“It can be very difficult at times to play for both club and county at the same time. Apart from being out maybe six nights a week, you are torn between the two teams time and again. You want to be at both trainings, sometimes you can get tension when you are not able to go full blast at one of the trainings, sometimes you just get very tired.
“But with the split season, things were a lot better and you also had players like Ciatrin (Dobbin) able to commit because dancing wasn’t on.”
However the McQuillan’s stalwart admitted that she was feeling a bit apprehensive ahead of the first Antrim training session following the county final defeat to Loughgiel.
“Ach, we were just so disappointed to lose it and the idea of meeting up with the Loughgiel girls right away wasn’t something to look forward to,” she laughs.
“No, it was fine when we got to the training. We were all through school together and are good friends.”
And a bond quickly developed in the group helped by there being no other distractions through the autumn.
“I felt that was the first time in my county career that there was a real team bond developing. No one wanted to miss a session, the craic was good there and then we started to get results on the field as well.”
Antrim were expected to defeat Carlow in their opening game, but their 1-14 to 2-9 win over Meath in the second outing raised their profile significantly.
“Meath had dropped down after a few years in the senior league and championship. So they would have been counted as a more experienced team. To beat them was certainly a great lift.
“Then we beat Laois and went through to the final. That’s when we found out we have a bit more work to do!”
Opponents Down pulled them apart in the final and eventually won by 4-16 to 2-10.
“Down were physically stronger. They just seemed to be able to find their players very easily. They had a good game-plan and we were just chasing them the whole game.
“But Down had been working on that game plan for two or three years. Even from my time at uni, players like Niamh Mallon were focussed on building a strong county team. So they were well ahead of us in that respect.
“When you think about it, our management team came in too late in January to do much work pre-season and then we had a lot of positive COVID cases here in north Antrim before we could get going again in October. To get to an All-Ireland final in spite of all that was some achievement.”
Now The Irish News All-star defender is hoping to build on that achievement.
“I know that the management would like to get players from more clubs into the panel and then mould a team and develop a game plan. ''That takes more time than we had available to us last year.
“Looking at the Down game, I think we all need to develop the physical side of our game a lot more to be able to compete at the top level.
“The sooner we can get going this year the better.”
