“You Want To Be The Best Version Of Yourself That You Can Be”

When people talk about the magic of sport, it is a term that Deirdre Murphy can relate to when recalling how her journey began.

It has been a journey filled with success both on and off the field, with the Clooney-Quin woman going on to help steer the fortunes of UL as the GAA Development Offier in a period that saw the college winning all bar one of the top level titles in the Higher Education competitions. Those talents and experience are also being harnessed at the moment by the new Club Clare hurling supporters group, with Clare manager Brian Lohan knowing only too well what someone like Deirdre can bring to the table.

Her role in helping to establish the Women’s Gaelic Players Association in 2015 was one of the seminal moments in Irish women’s sport, with the Association working to raise both the profile and the revenue being directed to female players. During her time involved with the WGPA, she was credited with helping to secure vital government funding, something that former WGPA President and Galway star Aoife Lane described as the “greatest achievement” for the group.

Sport has always played a huge part in her life, and the manner in which she first introduced to it is one she still recalls fondly.

“I remember my first hurley. Dad showed me a block of wood as I was going to bed and he told me that he was going to turn it into a hurley, and it would be in the press in the morning. I remember opening the press the next morning and found a little hurley there with red tape around the bottom of it and from there, I cannot remember a time when I didn’t enjoy having a hurley in my hand and enjoying playing the game. It was part of my life from that point onwards” she said.

Her father Mike did not just make that first hurley, but he was also key in cultivating her love for the game. His coaching guidance at both club and county level is something she credits as a major influence on her career. He was on the sideline as Deirdre helped Clare to the 1999 Intermediate All Ireland title along with the Munster crown in 2006. Her mother Betty was an ever present too while her wife Mairead, herself a former intercounty star with Limerick, is also credited as being a huge support.

Her first game on the field came in third class at Clooney school as she lined out with the boys, but at ten years old, the reestablished Clooney-Quin camogie club would take her on a journey that is still going almost 30 years later. She still recalls fond memories of those first steps into the sport and credits the epic games at Clooney school with the Murphys, Harrisons and Daffys as having a big influence on her progression.

The competitive streak is as strong as ever as she recalls a heavy defeat against Whitegate in her first ever camogie game, but the pride is evident as she counters that with the memory of victory in the U-12B final 12 months later.

“On my hen night, there was a photo of me at some underage race and there I was crouched down ready to go while everyone else was just standing up looking around them. Maybe I am competitive without realising I am at times, but in anything you are doing, you want to do it well and sport was that outlet for me. You want to be the best version of yourself that you can be” she stated.

At 16 years old, the call came from Trish O’Grady to join the Clare senior camogie panel, and there was no need to ask twice.

“Trish said to me on the phone that she would need to ask my parents but I told her there was no need, I would be there” she recalled.

That was 1997, and it was not until 2014 that the intercounty journey came to an end.

“I think I did 18 seasons, but I remember alright there was a joke going around toward the end that I was on the panel longer than Aoife Keane was alive” she smiled.

During that time, Murphy was part of some of the biggest days in Clare camogie history and had the honour of lifting the silverware when they were crowned All Ireland Junior champions in 2008. Four years later, more history was made as she was part of the Clare side who won a first Munster senior title since 1944. She was nominated as an All Star on seven occasions, while in 2014 she was named the Clare Player of the Decade.

“When I first came on to the scene in 1997, there was a brilliant team there and while they were just short of winning an All Ireland, they were as good as what was around. I was lucky enough to play in an All Ireland semi-final in Nowlan Park at 17 years old, but there were some tough days too. We went from that to drawing with Roscommon in a National League game so there were definitely ups and downs along the way” she recalled.

Having qualified as a Business and German teacher, Australia beckoned in November 2006 for a five month stint. On her return, the plan was to resume her teaching career but a job with the Camogie Association as a Development Officer in the Munster region was the one she secured. It was a role she held for six years, before making the move to UL where she was appointed as the Gaelic Games Development Officer at the college.

During her time in that role, UL won the Ashbourne Cup in 2014, 2016 and 2017. There were back to back O’Connor Cup wins in 2014 and 2015, along with the 2017 crown. There was also plenty to celebrate with a Clare angle in 2015 as a Brian Lohan managed side claimed Fitzgibbon Cup honours.

Her desire to strive to be the best she could be was replicated in the manner in which she went about the task.

“You always want to feel that if you are beaten by a better team, its not for the lack of being on a level playing field. I brought that to my role in UL. There were no scholarships at the time so we got Bank of Ireland on board. It comes down to having good people involved and getting everything you need in place. We always got a brilliant reaction from the players, and they were driven to win so it was always a pleasure to deal with them. It didn’t matter if it was the Fitzgibbon, Sigerson, Ashbourne or O’Connor Cup because everyone felt like they were treated equally and that helped the club in general. It was a great role to be in and there were fantastic people involved, and that has continued over the last few years too” she said.

With this years third level competitions falling victim to Covid-19, Murphy feels that not having them as part of the overall college experience is something that students will miss. Having seen those benefits at close hand during her three years in the role, she feels that more could be done from the top levels of the GAA to help in building a bright future for those competitions.

“It is a place where lasting friendships are made and it allows people who want to strive for improvement to see what the likes of Beth Carton or Tony Kelly are doing. I think the GAA have been undermining those competitions for years now and have been making it more difficult for people to commit to them. It could probably be played before the National Leagues rather than having the finals weekend in the middle of the National League fixtures. The likes of the McGrath Cup and those competitions are something of a cash cow and probably squeezed out the third level competitions in that timeframe. A better window might be able to be found now with the new split season format” she outlined.

Having been that central figure in establishing the Women’s GPA, which she served on until 2019, Murphy feels that there has been strong progress made in some areas but that more can be done to strive for an even keel across the codes.

“I think the quality of coaching in the women’s game has really improved and there is much better access to the likes of S&C programmes, video analysis and all those things that players want so they can get the best out of themselves. There is still a big disparity in terms of the finances available for men and women, and while it is important that we see that being addressed, it is not all about the money either. Players have that access now to the knowledge of how to better themselves, and I think the profile of the game has improved too. Things are going in the right direction but plenty more can be done. Parents are happy now to see their daughters involved in sport and that notion from 20 years ago that it was not ‘ladylike’ has been blown out of the water. The pathway for players to get involved in sport is much better now so if a young girl wants to play, there are plenty options out there for her” she noted.

If a 2021 club championship gets underway later this year, Deirdre Murphy will be lining out once more for her beloved Clooney-Quin. She is as passionate about the game now as she was on that first morning when she found the magic hurley, and shows no signs of it waning. She says that she hopes she “might be useful to the club” this year, but there is no one that will doubt she is still a key cog with plenty to offer.