Girls Play Too, Book 2 - by Jacqui Hurley

MERRION PRESS

Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

ABOUT THIS BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

RECORD BREAKERS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Valerie Mulcahy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Nicole Drought . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Sene Naoupu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Katie Walsh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Easkey Britton. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Niamh McCarthy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Nikki Symmons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Aileen Reid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Gemma O’Connor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Nicole Turner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Ursula Jacob. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Orla O’Dwyer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Emma Byrne . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Fionnuala McCormack. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Anna Geary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Lynne Cantwell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Katie McCabe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Gráinne Dwyer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Rianna Jarrett . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Nina Carberry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Chloe Magee. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Sinéad Goldrick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Elena Tice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Caroline O’Hanlon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Phil Healy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

vi

1 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50 52

GAME CHANGERS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 SPORTS STARS OF GIRLS PLAY TOO – BOOK 1. . . . . . . . . 56 MEET THE ILLUSTRATORS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

H

Record Breakers H Sinéad Aherne H Ladies Football Sinéad Aherne made history in 2020, when she became the first woman to captain her team to four consecutive Ladies Football All-Ireland titles. Over the last twenty years she’s been widely recognised as one of the top players in the country, winning five All-Irelands with Dublin and seven All-Stars.

Shirley McCay H Hockey Shirley McCay is credited as being Ireland’s most capped female international. Since making her debut for the Irish hockey team in 2007, she has won over 300 caps. She was part of the Irish team that won a World Cup silver medal in 2018 and qualified for their first ever Olympic Games in Tokyo.

Claire Bergin H Summer & Winter Olympian Claire Bergin holds the unique record of being the first woman to represent Ireland at both the Summer and Winter Olympics. In 2010, she competed in the bobsleigh at the Vancouver Games, before being selected as a member of the 4x400m relay team for the London Olympics in 2012.

H H H 2 H H H

H

Record Breakers H

Rachel Lee H Swimmer Rachel Lee holds the overall Irish record for swimming across the English Channel. It took her nine hours and forty minutes to write herself into the history books. In 2019 Rachel, her husband Tom and their friend Ronan Joyce set a new relay record for swimming the North Channel between Ireland and Scotland.

Rosaleen Gallagher H Paralympian Rosaleen Gallagher is Ireland’s most successful Paralympian in individual events. She represented Ireland at six different Paralympic Games, winning medals in athletics, table tennis, swimming and archery.

Dr Clare O’Leary H Mountain Climber & Adventurer In 2004, Dr Clare O’Leary became the first Irish woman to climb Mount Everest. It was the first of many major milestones to come. Soon afterwards she completed the Seven Summits and was also the first Irish woman to reach the South Pole, in 2008.

H H H 3 H H H

Valerie Mulcahy

O

Ladies Football

nce there was a girl called Valerie, who played football with the boys at school every day. For years she begged her teacher to start a girls’ team and when she was in sixth class, she finally got her wish. When her team got to the Sciath na Scol final in Páirc Uí Chaoimh it was like a dream come true. Unfortunately, Valerie split her knee open and had to be taken off. Even though she was hurt, Valerie insisted on going back on. She was glad she did when her team won and she lifted the cup as captain, in what ended up being her only chance to play in the famous Cork stadium.

After the success with the school team, Valerie’s mum set up a ladies football club called Rockbán. Within six years they won the junior and intermediate All-Ireland titles and Valerie’s star was on the rise. She also played soccer and represented Ireland at the World University Games in 2003, but playing football for Cork was her ultimate dream.

When Valerie first joined the Cork squad they weren’t winning many matches and she was usually one of the first players taken off. Valerie knew if she wanted to change that, she would need to work hard and score more. From that moment on, she practised taking frees and penalties every single day.

In the 2005 All-Ireland final, when Cork had a penalty to win the game, Valerie knew she was ready. She buried the ball into the roof of the Galway net, and Cork won their very first All-Ireland title. Over the next ten years, Valerie won nine more All-Irelands with Cork. She was the top scorer in seven of those finals and won six All-Stars, becoming one of the most recognisable faces in the game.

Valerie also used her profile to promote causes that were close to her heart. She was one of the first players to represent the GAA at the annual Pride parade and was a founding member of the Women’s Gaelic Players Association. Thanks to players like Valerie, the fight for equality for all has made the GAA a more inclusive organisation.

H H H 4 H H H

H H H 5 H H H

Nicole Drought

O

Motorsport

nce there was a girl called Nicole, who loved helping her dad with his car. He was a rally driver who raced all over the country and Nicole loved nothing more than watching him in action. After each race, Nicole’s job was to check the car and tell him what needed to be fixed. Her dream was that someday maybe she could race cars too.

Nicole had her first driving experience when she was eleven years old.

It was a ride-on lawnmower in her grandparents’ yard, but she treated it like it was her own racing car, going up and down the lawn at speed!

All Nicole wanted was her own rally car and she finally bought one when she was twenty, after saving up her money for years. This allowed her to race at the famous Mondello Park in April 2015. As qualification for her first race came around, Nicole was nervous with excitement. She was scared too, but she closed her eyes, took a deep breath and told herself she was good enough to do this. She raced with all her might and qualified on the front row.

Nicole’s rise in motorsport was rapid – a year later, she became the first woman to win a race in the Irish Touring Car Championship. Nicole knew it was a big deal, but she also knew it was only the beginning.

When offers came to drive Formula One cars, Nicole couldn’t believe it. As a child she had dreamed about racing the world’s fastest cars and now she was sitting in them for test-drive events around the world.

When Nicole finished runner-up in the Britcar Endurance Championship in 2020, it was a sign of just how far she had come. In the space of five years, she had gone from her first race on a track to taking podium finishes on the world stage. Nicole became an ambassador for Formula Female, an initiative which helps young Irish girls get into motorsport.

Now that she’s blazing a trail as Ireland’s top female racing driver, she hopes she can inspire more girls to follow in her footsteps.

H H H 6 H H H

H H H 7 H H H

Sene Naoupu

O

Rugby

nce there was a girl called Sene, who was born and raised in New Zealand by her mum. When her brother took up rugby, Sene went to all his matches and it wasn’t long before she was playing too. She was only thirteen when she was asked to join the local senior women’s team. Even though she was playing against people who were much older than her, Sene loved the rugby culture.

Sene was also very good at basketball and won a scholarship to play at college. But when the time came to choose between the sports, Sene decided her future was in rugby. She put all her effort into becoming the best player she could be and she was soon invited to train with the New Zealand national squad. Sene had grown up watching the Black Ferns and knew it was a huge opportunity, but she was so overcome with anxiety she couldn’t perform to her best.

Unfortunately, Sene didn’t make the team and her battle with anxiety lasted for several years. She put pressure on herself to be perfect and developed an eating disorder. She lost the strength to play rugby and for a long time Sene felt like her life was out of control. It was only when she moved to Ireland in 2009 that she found a new perspective. When she saw an ad for open trials for the Irish rugby sevens programme, Sene felt like maybe it was her second chance. Instead of putting pressure on herself, she decided to just enjoy playing. When the coaches told Sene she had made the team, she was overcome with joy.

Sene made her Six Nations debut in 2015, helping Ireland to win the championship. The following season she was named Player of the Year. In a short space of time, Sene had become one of Ireland’s key leaders. As she accepted her award, Sene thanked her coaches and teammates for giving her a second chance in the sport she loves. After years of chasing perfection, she had finally found the perfect life in her new home.

H H H 8 H H H

H H H 9 H H H

Katie Walsh

O

Horse Racing

nce there was a girl called Katie, who grew up surrounded by horses. Her dad, Ted, was a famous jockey and trainer, and Katie and her siblings loved nothing more than helping out in the yard.

Katie was always happier outside, and being around animals made her feel comfortable. She struggled in school and developed a stammer because she was nervous about speaking – it got to the point where she couldn’t even answer the phone at home. With horses though, Katie felt at ease and talking to them helped to grow her confidence.

Katie first learned to ride on a pony called Flash. He belonged to her older brother, Ruby, and while Ruby's dream was to become a jockey, Katie never expected she would follow the same path. She was interested in show jumping and eventing, and even represented Ireland, but the older she got, the more she was drawn to the speed of racing.

Her plan was to get her amateur riding licence and ride one winner for her dad. But as soon as Katie felt that rush of victory, she knew she couldn’t give it up. She worked hard and small wins turned into big wins – never more so than at the Cheltenham Festival in 2010, when she rode two winners in three days.

Katie’s star continued to rise over the next few years – she was the first ever woman to win the Kerry National in 2014 and a year later she wrote herself into the history books once more when she won the Irish Grand National. Her dad and her brother had both had success in the race and were among the first to run up to celebrate with her, as she entered the winner’s enclosure with tears in her eyes.

Even though Katie had lots of success, winning was never the most important thing for her. She rode horses because she loved them.

When she retired in 2018, she did so with a smile on her face, just as she had fifteen years earlier, when she started out on a journey she never expected.

H H H 10 H H H

H H H 11 H H H

Easkey Britton

O

surfing

nce there was a girl called Easkey, whose parents named her after their favourite wave. They were both surfers and passed their love and respect for the ocean on to their children. Easkey learned to surf when she was four. She was the u8 national champion by the time she was six and made the Irish surf team when she was only twelve.

Competing came naturally to Easkey and it was no surprise when she became senior national champion. For Easkey though, surfing was about so much more than competition. It was a chance to see the world, experience different cultures and promote a positive message about the ocean.

When Easkey was growing up there weren’t many opportunities for female surfers to share their stories. She thought maybe she could change that, so she started looking for something a little bit different to do. She was only sixteen when she travelled to Tahiti and became the first Irish person to surf the famous ‘hell-wave’.

In 2007, she was the first woman to surf the big wave spot, ‘Aill na Searrach’, at the Cliffs of Moher, and when the moment was featured in a documentary, Easkey’s profile began to rise. Four years later, she realised the world was watching when she became the first, and still only, Irish woman to be nominated in the global WSL Big Wave Awards.

Easkey decided to use her profile to bring surfing to parts of the world where it had never been seen. An iconic image of her surfing a wave in Iran wearing a hijab was captured for a documentary called Into the Sea. Up to that point, no woman had ever surfed in the waters in Iran. Easkey feels that in the ocean you are free to be whoever you want to be, and she used that belief to create an initiative called Waves of Freedom, to empower people through surfing.

Easkey travels all over the world giving talks about the positive impact the sea can have on people’s mental health. It is fitting that she was named after a wave, because she has dedicated her life to teaching people about the power of the ocean.

H H H 12 H H H

H H H 13 H H H