Clare LGFA Stars Battling On COVID-19 Frontline

Much of the sporting conversation in recent times surrounding Covid-19 has been on whether or not we will see any action this year or what measures will be in place if any action goes ahead.

For Eimear O’Connor and Catriona Callinan, the immediate focus is much different as both Clare Ladies football stars are part of the frontline in the fight against the spread of the pandemic.

Cúil Gaels clubwoman O’Connor is one of the many around the country involved directly in testing for the virus as she alternates between centres in Ennis and Limerick. She might be missing the routine of sport but is still involved in one of the biggest challenges we have ever seen.

“It is hard these times when you are coming into the nicer summer months where you are looking forward to getting out on the field. You have gone through the hard winter months so you are just really mad to get going when the weather improves but we just have to keep our focus and keep our training going. The management have been brilliant in putting plans together and putting supports in place. We do not know what is going to happen so we just have to stick with it so that we are ready if things do get back to some form of normality and we have a chance to play toward the end of the year. There are bigger things going on now and we just have to play our part in that” she noted.

The bravery displayed so often on the field is replicated in the manner in which O’Connor took on the challenge of becoming a front-line worker. Health officials came looking for people to take up the role at testing centres and she was one of the first to put her hand up.

“I work as a community occupational therapist and I am usually based in Kilrush to cover West Clare. At the moment, a lot of us have been redeployed and I working in the swabbing centre based between Ennis and Limerick at the moment. I am just glad to have a job and willing to do whatever is needed so just grateful to be able to do that. The response had been brilliant and everyone is just willing to help out in any way they can. Anything that has been asked of people has been done and we have seen people redeployed but everyone just wants to do what is needed at the moment and just go with it. The initial reaction was a little wary because it is something totally different to be honest but we got our training and we have experienced people around us for us to ask for help. You can call on them if you are unsure about anything so it has been great so far. Everyone is in good spirits and the mood is good at the moment. Some people can be nervous coming in too so part of the job is to put them at ease and let them know exactly what is going to happen. Once they know that, it helps to relax them. People know a lot more about it now because they have heard so much about in the media and they know what to expect so that is a help. It will be ramping up from this week on and testing will increase so hopefully we will have the capability to deal with that” she outlined.

Working on the front line has meant Eimear has had to isolate from family but accepts that those measures, along with others, could well become part of our new reality in the medium term.

She said: “It can be difficult to be isolating from family but it is something that everyone has to deal with at the moment so we just have to get on with it. I can imagine that social distancing will have to continue for a long time to come and the question really is around how long it will take to get a vaccine on stream. I think social distancing will be a part of our lives into the future until that happens”.

The experience for Kilmihil’s Catriona Callinan is somewhat different, but daunting nonetheless. The student nurse is currently working as a healthcare assistant at Mowlam Nursing Home in Kilrush, having already worked there part-time over the last year. She admits that previous experience was a help in adapting to the new challenge.

“If I had been just thrown into it, it would have been terrifying. It can be a little more stressful and we are trying to keep a positive atmosphere around the nursing. I love working in there and have great fun. The main thing is to just stay positive for the residents, and we have managed that so far so we just have to try and maintain that over the coming weeks. Some of them would be asking about what the latest news about it is where as more of them tend not to take any notice and just go about their daily lives. We just work to keep them occupied and keep them active and that is the main focus at the moment. It is obviously in the back of all our minds at the moment and it is a worry but we just want to keep trying to do a good job for the residents. We are all working extra hard together and there is a real sense of a team effort”.

There is also a great team effort underway as the Clare ladies squad continue to train on an individual basis through online meetings and tutorials. Catriona feels that bond within the group is a vital resource at the moment.

“We are training away individually and everyone is motivating each other to keep going. We are hoping to be back playing before the end of the year and if that happens, then we will hopefully be ready for it. We have been having our online meetings and staying in contact which is great. Everyone is working to keep each other going and if there was ever a day that you might be lacking motivation a bit, all you have to do is get in contact with one of the girls and they will get you back on the right road again. It can be tough to keep going on your own but having the online element really helps in keeping motivated and keeping that group ethos. It is great to just get out into the fresh air and just forget about the stress for a while. It can be a great release also to be able to do the online classes and meetings with the girls after coming in from work” she said.

For the moment, maintaining a routine is a challenge for everyone. The lockdown measures meant that people could no longer visit their loved ones in a nursing home setting while the numbers of residents across the country who have lost their lives to Covid-19 continues to rise. Catriona feels while it is difficult to maintain those measures, there is an acceptance that they are for the greater good.

“We have two people working with us who are musicians and they bring in their instruments for a bit of music to try and keep some level of normality. We have prayer services which add to that sense also, and they have Mass on TV each morning which really keeps them going because their faith really is a big part of their lives. The visitors have been cut off and that can be hard for the residents to deal with but they are getting through it. By not letting people in, it is also not letting the virus in which is the most important thing. We have them on Facetime to their families which is a great resource to have. They find it a bit weird at first but they are getting to see and talk to their loved ones which they really enjoy” she explained.