Orlaith DuffPositivity & Pain All Part Of The Journey
Pages 16 & 17
Dee Ranger Ladies Underage Focus
Page 19
Royal Representatives
COVER: Dee Ranger
Ladies captain Orlaith
Sheehy with the Meath Intermediate Cup following the victory against Simonstown Gaels at Cortown GAA club. The players celebrate their win.
Dee Ranger Ladies
PHOTO BY JIMMY DUFF FOTOZ.
Maria Dardis On Board From the Start
Dee Rangers stalward Maria Dardis chatted to Conall Collier about the origins of the team, taking up the role of Chairperson of a club with more than 130 registered players and the challenges the team faced
Drumconrath woman
Maria Dardis has been involved with Dee Ranger Ladies from the outset in 2002 and now, more than 20 years later, she took on the role chairperson in 2024 of a club that has more than 130 registered players.
The support of the three GAA clubs in the area, Drumconrath, Meath Hill and Syddan - played a pivotal role in both the formation and the subsequent success of a club that was established to fill a void for the girls in the area and now caters for all under-age categories and two adult teams.
“I suppose I can say that I was involved from the start of Dee Ranger Ladies back in 2002. I have had tremendous support from my husband Thomas who helped set up the team and was the trainer for the first two years,” explained Maria.
“I had played with the very successful Meath Hill ladies for a year or two, but at that time I would have been only 14 or 15 and when that team disbanded it kind of left a gap.”
“There was no opportunity for girls to play football apart from with boys teams up to the age of 13 or 14 and maybe a bit of
basketball and rounders, but there were less opportunities for
girls, thankfully that has changed now.”
“Back in 2002 a lot of the girls who were 14 or 15 years old were
at the stage where, understandably, they didn’t really want to be playing on the boys teams in Drumconrath.”
“Similar issues were arising in the Syddan and Meath Hill clubs and the options were either to stop playing football or to do something about it.”
“We even had the situation where we had a very good player who went on to play with Meath, but that was only possible when she (Kelly Farrelly) got a transfer to a club that catered for girls, she transferred from Syddan (boys) to Dunboyne (ladies).”
“Myself, Kevina Callan and Evelyn Lynch decided that the best option would be to set up a ladies team. Evelyn had been involved with that successful Meath Hill Ladies team.”
“I had mentioned the idea of a women's team at a committee meeting of the Drumconrath club in 2001, to see if I would get support for a girls team.“I have to stress that the club officials were 100 per cent supportive and said they would do whatever was required as they could also see that it was needed.”
“I chatted with Evelyn (Lynch) and she brought the suggestion to Meath Hill, the reaction was positive and it was similar with Syddan.”
Maria continued by saying “The fact that three clubs were involved was actually a bonus because it didn’t place the burden solely on one club and that, as it turned out, was a big advantage from the start and it continues to this day.”
“We can rotate around the clubs for both training and games,”
Dee Rangers chairperson Maria Dardis multi-tasking after the warm up for the Leinster final in Kinnegad. Maria was on the Dee Rangers team that won the club’s first provincial tile in 2014
Steady progress was maintained over the last two decades and after an initial settling in period the club now caters for all the age groups and has also added a second adult team to help with the transition from under-age to the adult grade.
That appears to have worked out well in terms of player development and the second team qualified for a Junior final in 2024, losing narrowly to Clann na nGael, while the first team won the Intermediate decider and also made it to the Div 1 FL decider after winning FL titles in 2022 and 2023.
“We started in 2002, but in 2006 we had to take a break because we just didn’t have enough players for adult level, but we persevered and came back in 2009 and won our first adult title with a Junior B success,” explained Maria.
“We made steady progress in the Junior A grade, we got to the final in 2013 and lost, but made amends the following year (2014) and we went on to win a Leinster title as well.
Unfortunately, we lost the AllIreland semi-final that year to a team from Limerick that went on to win the title.”
“We won the intermediate in 2015 but we were relegated from senior at the end of 2016, we got to the intermediate final again in 2023, but we lost to Na Fianna.”
“Thankfully, we made amends in 2024 and will be playing senior club football again in 2025.”
“We have two adult teams now, we added the second adult team about four years ago and the under-age goes from under-11 through to under-18 at all age groups. There are around 130 players and about 40 adults who are involved in coaching and all that goes with fielding teams.”
“After this year’s success now, the win against Simonstown Gaels in the final, we can look forward to senior football next year and the challenge now will be to keep our place in senior.”
“We won the Meath Division 2 FL in 2022 and playing in Division 1 since has helped the development of the team, we got to the Division 1 final twice since promotion and we won the IFC this year, every year we have made progress and we just have to maintain that now.”
“It was a fantastic achievement for Dee Ranger Ladies to win the Meath IFC title this year, it was
really disappointing to lose to the Leinster final, but looking back, it was all down to goals, the Carlow team got them and we didn’t, that was the difference when the final whistle sounded.”
“Despite the disappointment of the Leinster defeat, it has been a great year for the club, and the local area with the men in Meath Hill also winning the Meath IFC title.”
“That means senior club football in 2025 for Meath Hill men and Dee Rangers Ladies, that’s not bad at all for a small area in North County Meath,” Maria concluded.
Award Winning Family Dental Practice
The Dee Ranger Ladies team in the official black and white playing gear sponsored by Clarke Rewinds Ltd in 2003 was (from left): back - Alice Martin, Emma Martin, Eileen Duff, Maura Fay, Sarah Crosby (Flanagan), Susan Cullen, Claire Kelly, Ciara Rowe (Curran), Niamh Reilly (Kiernan), Maria Flanagan (Dardis); front - Lisa Young, Briona Rowe, Claire Fay, Joanne Dillon (Duffy), Anne-Marie Dillon (Keenan), Shauna Rowe (Sweeney), Samantha Martin (Duff).
Emma Rafferty’s Contribution
Both On And Off
The Pitch
By Conall Collier
Dee Ranger Ladies
registrar Emma Rafferty took on the role for an initial one-year term and some 14 years later she is still making sure that all the players' details are properly recorded and updated on an annual basis.
The Syddan woman is now one of the more experienced members of the Dee Rangers Ladies panel, her husband, Sean Mahon, was on the Syddan Intermediate Football Championship title-winning team in 1999.
“I got the role of registrar to help out on the strict understanding that it was for one-year only and I must be very good as 14 years later I’m still doing it,” explained Emma who also has the benefit of advice from her brothers, Matthew, Patrick, James and Cormac.
“I'm probably one of the oldest members of the playing squad at the moment, but it’s not all about the football, there are great friendships established and it’s a good mix across the age range,”
“We are lucky in one sense that as a club (Dee Ranger Ladies) we don’t have the burden or the expense of maintaining our own pitch, but yet we have three
pitches available to us, Syddan, Drumconrath and Meath Hill.”
“We have a brilliant sponsor in Charlie Clarke, make sure you mention that, and has been on board since the club was established and is very supportive, other sponsors also help out, but Charlie Clarke is the main man.
“The local politicians also provide help and assistance and I’d like to acknowledge that also,” she added.
DISAPPOINTED WITH THE LEINSTER INTERMEDIATE FINAL DEFEAT
Emma said she was disappointed with the Leinster Intermediate final defeat by Bennekerry Tinryland in November, but she also reflected on a hugely successful 2024 for the club, both at adult and underage grades.
“We were all very disappointed to lose the Leinster final, it was great to get to the decider and it’s not something that’s going to come around every year, but we also have to look at it positively and acknowledge that it was an achievement to get that far,” she stated.
“The team (Bennekerry Tinryland) that beat us play senior in Carlow, but are graded at intermediate level for provincial competitions.”
“Great credit has to go to our manager Darren Clarke, he’s from Ardee so it’s not too far away and his mother is a Syddan
woman anyway.” “Darren took the reins in 2022 and had the belief that we were good enough for the senior grade, hopefully,
after winning the Meath IFC, we can prove him right in 2025 when we go up to the senior grade,” she added.
NEXT GENERATION: Player and club registrar Emma Malone (Rafferty) and her daughter Croía with both wearing the latest style around Syddan, Drumconrath and Meath Hill.
Emma said she was disappointed with the Leinster Intermediate final defeat by Bennekerry Tinryland in November, but she also reflected on a hugely successful 2024 for the club, both at adult and underage grades.
“We were all very disappointed to lose the Leinster final, it was great to get to the decider and it’s not something that’s going to come around every year, but we also have to look at it positively and acknowledge that it was an achievement to get that far,” she stated.
“The team (Bennekerry Tinryland) that beat us play senior in Carlow, but are graded at intermediate level for provincial competitions.
“Great credit has to go to our manager Darren Clarke, he’s from Ardee so it’s not too far away and his mother is a Syddan woman anyway.”
“Darren took the reins in 2022 and had the belief that we were good enough for the senior grade, hopefully, after winning the Meath IFC, we can prove him right in 2025 when we go up to the senior grade,” she added.
Looking back at her own contribution to the club, Emma was quick to deflect any plaudits that came her way, instead highlighting the help, encouragement and assistance from many people who are involved in the Syddan,
Drumconrath and Meath Hill clubs and the co-operation that goes into making Dee Ranger Ladies a success.
“I got involved with the club about 15 or 16 years ago after another Syddan woman, Mary Meade asked me to play for Dee
Rangers, I wasn’t really expecting too much, but then I got a text one evening about training,” recalled Emma.
“I had played up to u-14 grade with Syddan on the boys teams and after that I went to play camogie with Mattock Rangers in Collon, it kept me involved in sport.”
“When I turned up at the training I was amazed, there were so many players and there was a manager and selectors as well, it just took off from there, that was around 2009.”
“It went well that year as we won the Junior B final, that was the first success for the club, that was like instant success for myself, but it gave everyone a great boost.”
Emma further went on to say
“The reaction locally was all positive and the under-age started up again with a u-16 girls team for 2010, that age group was to cater for some of the girls who were too young for adult football.”
“It was unusual in a sense, most under-age teams tend to start from the youngest and work up to the oldest, but we did it the
opposite way around and we worked down from u-16”
“We made progress at adult level and had a good manager in John Mulvany, after a few semifinal and final appearances, we eventually won the Junior A title in 2014.”
“Philip Duff took over the manager’s bib in 2015 and 2016, David Fedigan from Hunterstown was with us for five years, PJ Cudden then took on the role and after that Darren (Clarke) came in.”
“We would have training twice a week, first team and second team train together, and a game at the weekend, the players know that they have to train to have any chance of playing and we work around schedules to assist individual circumstances.”
“The second team has been a great addition in bringing players through from under-age without having to go straight into the competitive first team environment and had a good year in 2024 getting to the Junior E final and a League final, that's very positive for the first team into the future,” concluded Emma.
Winding The Clock Back Some 20 Years
By Conall Collier
rumconrath man
DCharlie Clarke and his wife, Kathleen, would be well known through the business, Clarke Rewinds Ltd, and also through a wellestablished connection of more than two decades with Dee Ranger Ladies.
It has proved to be an enduring relationship since the tentative first steps of the fledgling club saw them appear for that memorable first game all those years ago in a set of Electro Celtic jerseys.
For the uninformed, Electro Celtic was a club that had appeared in the Meath & District League (soccer) from the mid1980s and was also supported by the Clarke business.
Answering the call for some assistance, the Drumconrathbased business had an unused set of new Electro Celtic-branded playing gear and it was provided for the local ladies GAA team at the time.
However, Clarke Rewinds Ltd quickly stepped up to the plate with 'proper gear' and so began a connection that has been maintained to the present day with the logo once more on a new set of playing gear for a Dee Ranger Ladies under-age team that lined out in a Meath U-14 Div 9FL decider in midNovember.
Each team in the Dee Ranger Ladies club now has its own set of playing gear, all sponsored by Clarke Rewinds Ltd.
“I remember how it started and I suppose it’s just something that
Clarke Rewinds Ltd quickly stepped up to the plate with 'proper gear' and so began a connection that has been maintained to the present day
developed over the years and we are delighted to be associated with the club,” commented Charlie Clarke.
“My daughter Elaine would have played with the club for a number of years, but she now lives in Tasmania.”
“I was sponsoring the ladies teams locally for a few years before Dee Rangers was
established and the link was maintained.
“We were at that Leinster final in Kinnegad in November, I was disappointed for the players, but they had a good year winning the Meath Intermediate title.
“They’re doing great work catering for all the young players in the area, long may it continue,” he concluded.
The most recent sponsorship of the club’s under-14 team that played in a League Final in November 2024, also carrying the Clarke Rewinds Ltd logo for an enduring relationship of close to a quarter of a century.
Sideline View The New Norm For Darren Clarke
BY CONALL COLLIER
Dee Ranger Ladies manager Darren Clarke has enjoyed significant success since he took the reins in 2022 and the St Mary’s, Ardee clubman can reflect on many memorable encounters between Meath and Louth teams over the years, none more so than the Leinster SFC final of 2010 at Croke Park.
The former Louth forward announced his retirement in 2023 after a lengthy career that concluded with back-to-back Louth SFC medals with his club in 2022 and 2023.
At county level he was a member of the Louth senior panel for over a decade and scored seven points in the 2006 Tommy Murphy Cup final victory against Leitrim. He was also on the Louth panel for the 2010 Leinster SFC final against Meath at Croke Park.
“I missed the 2010 final through injury, I was on the sideline, but who will ever forget that day in Croke Park and that famous, some might say infamous, ‘goal’ by Joe Sheridan at the Canal End of the ground,” recalled Darren without too much difficulty when I insisted on a brief discussion.
“The fall-out from that game didn’t do Meath football any favours and in fairness, looking back at it now some 14 years later, it wasn’t Meath’s fault or indeed Joe Sheridan’s fault, but it wasn’t viewed that way at the
time. I remember that we (the Louth players) met on the Tuesday night after the game and I know it was the same in Meath, I think Leinster Council could have handled it in a different way instead of throwing it back on to the Meath to make a decision, it was a no-win situation for everyone,” he stated.
Playing with St Mary’s, Ardee, apart from a brief spell with St Sylvester’s in Dublin where he won a Senior Football League medal, Darren has strong links with Meath, and particularly with the Syddan club.
“I have strong Meath connections, my grandfather (Patsy Farrelly) was a chairman of the Syddan club and my father would have played for Syddan, there was an uncle (Pascal Farrelly) who was on the Meath minor team in the 1980s,” explained Darren as the discussion turned to his role with Dee Ranger Ladies.
“It wasn’t a surprise when I took on the role of manager and it came about when Thomas Conlon (a selector) was chatting to me about the possibility of managing Dee Ranger Ladies a few years ago.”
“That put the idea into my head, I was doing some coaching courses at the time also and I was still playing, I won Louth Senior Football Championship medals with St Mary’s in 2022 when we defeated Newtown Blues in a replay and in 2023 against Naomh Máirtín.”
“I had some experience on the fringes of management with
Louth inter-county teams, but taking on Dee Ranges was the first direct managerial role and I have to acknowledge the level of commitment and dedication from the players from the outset was phenomenal,” he added. That commitment and dedication was reflected in onfield results with successive League titles won in 2022 and 2023 and a 2024 Intermediate Football Championship title also secured, all significant achievements.
“I suppose I can claim a successful tenure in the sense that we got to six finals in the three-year period (2022 – 2024), but the credit has to go to the players, they were and are really focused and I couldn’t speak highly enough about them,” stated Darren.
“We won the Div 2 FL in 2022, the Div 1 FL in 2023, we made a
good effort to defend the Div 1 title but we just faltered at the final obstacle in the 2024 decider against Dunshaughlin Royal Gaels.”
“We got to the intermediate semi-final in 2022, lost out to Skryne, we got to the 2023 final and lost to Na Fianna, but then we made amends when we edged out Simonstown Gaels in the 2024 decider.”
“Add in the appearance in the Leinster final in November for number six, we were just a bit off-the-pace there against a very strong team from Carlow, but it was a tremendous game of football.”
“Things just didn’t pan out for us on the day, we missed a number of goal chances and Bennekerry / Tinryland scored goals, that made the difference.”
“We had set a target at the start of the campaign to win the
Meath and Leinster titles in 2024, but I can’t be too despondent, a first championship success for the club in a decade is a tremendous achievement.”
EXPERIENCE WAS THE MAJOR FACTOR IN LEINSTER FINAL
“Experience was a major factor in that Leinster final, the Carlow team had plenty as they had claimed senior titles in Carlow in 2021, 2023 and 2024, and narrowly lost the 2022 decider but they play in the intermediate grade for provincial competition”
“They are consistently playing in the Leinster Intermediate Club Championship and that was a big advantage on the day, it’s a bit of an anomaly because they will be eligible to compete at the same grade in 2025 if they win the Carlow Senior Championship again,” he concluded.
wishes & Continued Success to Dee Ranger Ladies
Darren Clarke, Dee Ranger Ladies Manager
Enthusiasm Key for Captain Fantastic Orlaith Sheehy
DEE RANGER LADIES CAPTAIN ORALITH SHEEHEY CHATS TO CONALL COLLIER ABOUT MAKING HER DEBUT, NOT TAKING SUCCESS FOR GRANTED, TURNING HER ATTENTION TO A FORTHCOMING WEDDING
Dee Ranger Ladies captain Orlaith
Sheehy made her debut on the adult team some 14 years ago and has enjoyed a successful stint in the intervening period culminating with a 2024 Meath IFC title and Div 1 FL final, a 2024 Leinster IFC final appearance and a call up to the Meath Senior Ladies panel for 2025.
The Syddan woman is a nurse at Dublin's Beaumont Hospital and there was some goodhumoured banter with a colleague at work who had a cousin on the O’Dwyer’s (Dublin) team that the Meath women defeated in the Leinster Intermediate Club semi-final at the beginning of November.
Orlaith has a brother, James, and a sister Jenny and now that the football is finished she will be turning her attention to a
forthcoming wedding in February.
“Leaving the football to one side for a moment, there is a wedding in the pipeline in February that myself and my partner Daire (Rowe) are looking forward to,” explained Orlaith.
“A Dee Ranger Ladies player, Briona Rowe, my partner's sister, will be getting married to a Nobber man Brian Meade.”
“I'm sure there will be some talk of football on the day and we will have the Meath Intermediate Cup at the reception, it's unfortunate that we couldn't have the Leinster Cup as well,” she added.
Orlaith has great memories from her first year playing for the adult team and since then she has captured Meath and Leinster Junior titles as well as Intermediate and League titles.
“I made my debut for the adult team in 2011, that’s a good while ago now, but I enjoy the football and I have to acknowledge the support we get from the three clubs that are involved, my own club Syddan, Drumconrath and Meath Hill,” she said.
“It probably works well because each club wants to do the best they can for us and that point has to be stressed, a lot of organisation and co-ordination goes into the process off the pitch and I think that is reflected by the performances on the pitch.
Dee Ranger Ladies Captain Orlaith Sheehey
“I have enjoyed great success with the club, Meath and Leinster titles in 2014 and then the more recent successes that I have mentioned, some players can go through a career and not win anything and that is something that we have to remember.”
“I don’t take the success for granted, I can honestly say that I have been very fortunate to achieve the success with a good team, a good group of players and mentors as well.”
“It’s not all about the team, although we will get glory when we win, but there is so much effort in the background that people don’t see.”
“I can see how we didn’t handle promotion to senior the last time we won the intermediate title, we just weren’t ready at that stage, now, however, I feel that we are better prepared for a senior campaign.”
“I was very proud to have the role of captain in 2024 and while it was disappointing not to win the Leinster Intermediate final in November, sometimes you just have to accept that it just doesn’t work out.”
“Leaving the Leinster final to one side, it was very good year
for the club and we can look forward to senior championship football for 2025 after winning the Meath Intermediate title.”
“I said in my acceptance speech that it was probably the happiest sporting day of my life after the presentation of the Intermediate Championship cup in Cortown”
Orlaith further went on to say “We had worked really hard over the last three years and winning that final against Simonstown Gaels completed a great run of success, we won the Division 2 FL in 2022 and in the Division 1 FL, we beat Oldcastle in the 2023 final.”
“It’s not going to be easy now that we have stepped up to the senior grade, but we have the experience of two years in the Division 1 FL as well and we got to the Division 1 FL final this year, but we just lost out late in the game against a very good Dunshaughlin Royal Gaels team.”
“The standard at senior level in Meath is phenomenal now, but we have a lot of good players and we are ready to give more than a good account of ourselves when we get the chance,” concluded Orlaith.
Dee Ranger Ladies Captain Orlaith Sheehey with Leinster final referee Kevin Phelan and Bennekerry Tinryland captain Shannen Cotter before the toss at Kinnegad in November.
A 100-Mile Journey of Discovery
Now retired from playing football, Samantha Martin has an array of medals in her collection including a Meath Junior B, Junior and Intermediate along with a Leinster Junior plus a wonderful collection of memories.
Samantha chats with CONALL COLLIER about her time playing for Dee Ranger Ladies
Meath Hill woman Samantha Martin made a 100-mile journey to Carlow before, as a teenager, she discovered that there was a new club in her parish, Dee Ranger Ladies.
Some 20 years ago Samantha made the trip to Carlow as part of a Meath team for an intercounty football blitz.
Two decades later, and now retired from playing football, Samantha has an array of medals in her collection including a Meath Junior B, Junior and Intermediate along with a Leinster Junior plus a wonderful collection of memories.
“I wasn’t aware that the Dee Ranger Ladies club had been established until I was asked to go to a training session locally after I had played for Meath in an under-age football blitz in Carlow,” commented Samantha by way of explanation.
“Celine Nulty from the Meath Hill club had put me forward for the Meath u-14s, Ollie Bowe was the coach of that team and I went to play at the blitz, I had been playing for the boys under-age teams at the time.”
“After the blitz Oliie (Bowe) introduced me to Eimear Ross from Syddan who told me about the Dee Ranger Ladies when she found out I was from Meath Hill.
“There was only the adult team at the time, this was about 20 years ago, and Dee Rangers was only after starting up so I got to play on that team, it was great to have regular training and games and it was very enjoyable.”
“I was on the Dee Ranger Ladies team that won the Junior B in 2009, I scored 2-2 in that final and it was a great occasion. We had great support with us that day, but we always had brilliant supporters whenever and wherever we played.”
“Looking back on that success, it was a great boost for everyone at the time, we won the Junior A in 2014 and added the Leinster title that year as well. I had a good run with the club, we won the Intermediate in 2015 and that gave me the chance to play senior club football in 2016 before I retired,” she added.
After she hung up the football boots and got married in 2017, Samantha maintained her interest in the fortunes of Dee Ranger Ladies as an enthusiastic
supporter along with her husband, Derek Duff, who played football for Drumconrath.
“I gave up playing after I got married, but myself and my husband still go to the games
and it was a brilliant achievement when the girls won the 2024 Meath Intermediate Championship,” said Samantha.
“Derek played for Drumconrath, but he retired
“I wasn’t aware that the Dee Ranger Ladies club had been established until I was asked to go to a training session locally after I had played for Meath in an under-age football blitz in Carlow”
around the same time as myself and we had an addition to our family when Rian arrived, he is two now and my parents, Jennette and Simon probably have him spoiled.
“The Leinster intermediate final in November in Kinnegad was a brilliant game, while it was disappointing not to win, overall it was a good year for the club.”
“The victory against Simonstown Gaels in the Meath Intermediate final in Cortown was a wonderful occasion, the fitness levels of the players are just amazing. The mindset now is a little bit different compared to when I started playing all those years ago, there is a huge commitment required.”
“I am looking forward to watching the girls play senior in 2025 and I think that the current team is much better equipped for the challenge compared to when we got promoted after winning the intermediate in 2015,” she concluded.
Meath Hill woman Samantha Martin who was a lively forwarad for the club and helped Dee Rangers Ladies to Junior B, Junior A and Intermediate success as well as FL titles between 2009 and 2015.
HAND IT TO ORLAITH AND OONAGH
Meath and Dublin footballers Orlaith Duff and Oonagh Whyte teamed up off the pitch in 2021 to launch the first GAA and leisurewear brand specifically for women
They established Field Queens, a high quality GAA and leisurewear brand, designed by female players for female players.
"Putting our county rivalries aside, we worked together to create this brand," stated Orlaith Duff.
“It was and is the first GAA glove specifically designed and tailored to fit the female hand,” she added.
For more information on Field Queens visit the website by logging on to www.fieldqueens.ie or email fieldqueens1@gmail.com
Dee Ranger Ladies Crest
The Dee Ranger Ladies Crest was designed by former player Shauna Rowe.
Shauna incorporated a symbol from each club in the amalgamation into the crest.
SYDDAN
Represented by the Keegan Cup.
DRUMCONRATH
Represented by Saint Peter & Paul’s Keys.
MEATH HILL
Which is represented by Saint Brigid’s cross.
THE BRIDGE
There is a bridge connecting the three symbols to recognise the coming together of the three clubs / parishes.
Wishing Continued Success to Dee Ranger Ladies
The bridge also symbolises the River Dee which runs through each of the parishs and this is where the name Dee Ranger Ladies originated from.
Pictured is former player Shauna Rowe with the Meath LGFA 2015 volunteer of the year award. Shauna was the designer of the Dee Ranger Ladies Crest.
Positivity And Pain All Part Of The Journey
By Conall Collier
Orlaith Duff has experienced the highs and lows of sport for both club and county in more than a decade with Dee Ranger Ladies and the Royal County that saw her win Meath, Leinster and AllIreland titles alongside a 12month challenge to recover from a cruciate injury.
Orlaith, a twin, made her debut on the Meath senior team as a 17-year-old. She has now retired from inter-county football and got married in December 2023 to Syddan man Cormac Rowe.
“I have a twin brother James, a younger brother Cathal and sister, Áine,” she explained as she reflected on what was a challenging 12-month period on the sideline during her recovery from the dreaded cruciate injury.
“I missed out on the 2020 AllIreland Intermediate final win with Meath due to that cruciate injury, but I recovered and Meath followed that with back-
to-back All-Ireland SFC titles in 2021 and 2022.”
“I got the injury playing with Dee Rangers against Navan O’Mahonys and it was a bit unusual I suppose, but my first game back about a year later was also against Navan O’Mahonys.”
“When it happened (the injury) I was in severe pain, I got the ball and went to turn, but my foot got caught and to make it worse, another player fell on top of me.”
“I didn’t hear this ‘pop’ that you are supposed to hear with an injury like that, but a few weeks later one of my playing colleagues told me that she heard it.”
“I went to my physio (Barry McEntee) and he wasn’t too optimistic, but he said that I would have to get a scan, I knew that myself anyway and was probably grasping at straws, hoping that it mightn't be too serious.”
“I had the scan and can remember getting the phone call from Dr Cummins in
Drumconrath, he was very apologetic when he was breaking the news to me as he totally understood what it meant.”
STRICT REGIME FOR RECOVERY
“I had to follow a strict regime for recovery and I was determined to get back playing with the club and with Meath as well.”
“I did the rehab as best I could, I had good preparation from my physio and I also did a lot of testing in the Santry Sports Clinic to make sure that the balance and strength was correct and I got through that first game back.”
“I was part of the Meath team that won the All-Ireland SFC, it was a great time to be playing with such a special group of players.”
“There was a good culture within the group and a good management team, from losing two All-Ireland finals to winning three-in-a-row, the Intermediate and two Senior, it was a fantastic run and a great boost for everyone,” she added.
Dee Ranger Ladies player Orlaith Duff
Despite all the success with Meath during what was a significant contribution by the Royal County for ladies football, Orlaith highlighted the important role that the club played in her development and outlined how delighted she was to give something back whenever the opportunity arose.
A TREMENDOUS HONOUR TO REPRESENT A SMALL AREA IN NORTH
“Going back to Dee Rangers after each Meath game, it was a brilliant time, it was a tremendous honour to represent
what really is a small area in North Meath but an area that has helped me to achieve what I have achieved,” she stressed.
“If I have helped to encourage more young girls to play sport than that’s the best reward I would be looking for.”
“Dee Rangers have had a remarkable few years and our manager Darren Clarke deserves credit for his contribution. He has high standards, not too different from what I was used to with the Meath team, and that was and is a vital ingredient for the success that the club has
achieved. hat also made it easier when I decided to retire from inter-county football, there wasn’t a noticeable difference in the standards between club and county.”
“The exploits of the Meath team have boosted the club game in Meath, it was something that I noticed when bringing the trophy around to schools.”
“There is also the LIDL sponsorship and the TG4 coverage of the games, it’s great to see all women’s sport getting publicity, not just the Gaelic, but all sports,” she added.
A REFLECTION ON 2024 AT CLUB LEVEL
Reflecting on 2024 at club level with Dee Ranger Ladies, Orlaith focused on a year in which a Meath Intermediate title was secured along with a Leinster final appearance.
“We won the 2024 Meath Intermediate title, we were determined to make that goal a reality and now I am looking forward to Senior football in 2025,” she stated.
“We were all really disappointed to lose the Leinster Club final against the Carlow
Going back to Dee Rangers after each Meath game, it was a brilliant time
team, those games don’t come around too often and the previous one for us was 10 years earlier in 2014, thankfully we won that one.”
“If someone had told me in 2014 that it would be 2024 before we would get to another one I wouldn’t have believed it, but that’s what happens in sport, and you have the make the most or every opportunity that you get to play,” she concluded.
Orlaith Duff was part of the Meath panel that won
Dee Ranger Ladies Underage Focus
Dee
Ranger Ladies Chairperson Maria Dardis, and Registrar Emma Rafferty, Both
Stressed the Importance of the Club's Under-Age Teams and Some of the Achievements in 2024 Are Recognised In This Piece
The under-age started up again with a u-16 girls team for 2010, that age group was to cater for some of the girls who were too young for adult football," commented Emma Rafferty.
“It was unusual in a sense, most under-age teams tend to start from the youngest and work up to the oldest, but we did it the opposite way around and we worked down from u-16," she added.
Maria Dardis also highlighted the crucial role recalling the foundation of the club back in 2002.
“We started in 2002, but in 2006 we had to take a break because we just didn’t have enough players for adult level.”
“We have two adult teams now, we added the second adult team about four years ago and the under-age goes from under-11 through to under-18 at all age groups," stated Maria.
That continuity through the age grades facilitates the steady development of players and with the second team at adult level now well established, there is a pathway for players to progress.
The club has enjoyed a number of successes in 2024 at the under-age grades and the Under-17 Football League final for produced a tremendous victory in the decider against a very good Clonard side
On the day the Dee Ranger Ladies emerged with a hardearned one-point win following a thrilling encounter with a 2-9 to 3-5 margin. The trophy was presented to a delighted Dee Ranger Ladies captain Ciara Gosling.
The Dee Ranger Ladies also made it to the Under-16 Div 4FL final where they tackled St Mary's, Donore in what turned out to be a memorable encounter between two talented teams.
The team mentors included Shane Dardis, Ian Curran, Paul Gorman Áine Carry (FLO) and Adrienne Woods (FLO) and they were delighted with the performance of the girls although disappointed to lose out after extra-time and free-kicks.
There was enthusiastic support for both teams and the spectators were treated to an epic game of football with immense skill on show for over 80 minutes before the outcome was decided on the free-kicks.
The Under-14 team was edged out by neighbours Rathkenny who had three points to spare at the final whistle on a 3-2 to 1-5 scoreline.
The Under-13 Div 7 FL title was also brought home following a great performance in the decider against Clann na nGael where a 2-7 to 2-4 victory was recorded by the Dee Ranger Ladies squad.
Dee Ranger Ladies who won the Under-17 FL final (from left) were: back - Cadeans Mooney,Cara Reilly, Holly
Lucy
Aine Dillion, Nicole Dardis, Natasha Sheehy, Meave Sheehy, Áine Nevin, Kellie Mooney-Gorman, Ava Curran, Emily Woods, Kate Myles; front - Aine Gosling, Meena McConnell, Ciara Gosling (captain),Grace Halpenny, Niamh Byrne, Aoibhin Caroloan, Millie Carry, Sarah Tighe.
Dennis, Sarah Duff,
Woods,
Dee Ranger Ladies Underage Focus
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(from left) were: back - Adrienne Woods (FLO), Paul Gorman (coach), Nicole Byrne, Ava Curran, Sarah Tighe, Aine Dillion, Niamh Byrne, Ella Sheerin, Aine Nevin, Sadhbh Smyth, Natasha Sheehy, Maria McGowan, Rose McMahon, Holly Dardis, Kate Myles, Ian Curran (coach), Shane Dardis (coach); front - Cara Reilly, Amy Flanagan, Millie Carry, Anna McKenna, Kellie Mooney-Gorman, Ava Curran, Holly Dennis, Nicole Dardis (captain), Lucy Woods, Aine Gosling, Aine Carry (FLO).
The Dee Ranger Ladies Players Who Won the Under-13 Div 7FL Final
(from left) were: back -
Niamh McMahon, Naomi McCallion, Eleni Marry, Sophie Tighe, Ava Hickey, Lucy Sheehy, Tara Dillon, Laoise Finnegan, Sadhbh Callaghan, Sophie Roe, Maire O’Connor, Greta Skackaite; front - Chloe Tighe, Emma McKenna, Chloe McGovern, Niamh McCluskey, Holly Brennan, Molly Timmons-Sheehy, Sophie Bradley, Molly Byrne, Katie Kieran. Absent on the day of the final was Ruth Aver.
Dee Ranger Ladies Players and Mentors Who Qualified for the Under-16 FL Div 4 Final Wishing Continued Success
DEE RANGERS
Syddan’s Tom Duff with grandchildren Rachel (left), Emma and Sarah Duff and a 1953 medal presented to a Dee Rangers team that won a final played in Navan against De La Salle. Tom Duff was on the Syddan team that won the Keegan Cup in the 1956 final victory against Skryne.
ee Ranger Ladies Players Celebrating the Meath LGFA Team Of The Year Award in 2014 at the Newgrange Hotel, Navan.
Pictured are Christine Meade (left), Becks Goodwin, Maria Dardis, Aoife Traynor, Lisa Young, Aoife Conlon, Emma Rafferty, Kelly Farrelly, Orlaith Duff, Bríona Rowe and Shauna Rowe.
ROYAL REPRESENTATIVES
Sinead Carolan won a Leinster Minor Championship in 2000 at minor level.
Eva McConnell, Alanna Reilly, Alanna McNulty and Lara O’ Neill played on the Meath minor team that won a Leinster title in 2021.
Aoife McNulty won a Leinster Minor Championship in 2019.
Ava Curran won a Leinster u-14 title in 2023.
Niamh Byrne won a Leinster u-16 B title in 2023.
Orlaith Duff represented Meath at u-12, u-14, u-16, Minor, u-21 and Senior level. She has won the following: U-16
All-Ireland Championship 2009; Div. 3 National League 2019; All-Ireland Intermediate Championship 2020; Div. 2 National League 2021; All-Ireland Senior Championship 2021; Div. 1 National League 2022; All-Ireland Senior Championship 2022.
Orlaith Sheehy received her call up for the Meath Senior Ladies Panel for 2025
Orlaith Duff has represented both club and County with honour and distinction over the years, winning many titles along the way.
Fantastic Dee Ranger Ladies captain Orlaith Sheehy, has received her well deserved call up to the Meath Senior Ladies panel for 2025
Then And Now
Ava Curran and her Aunt Bríona Rowe (joint-captain) after the Leinster JFC win in 2014 and a decade later Ava and Bríona with the Meath Intermediate Cup. Ava got to play in the Leinster Intermediate final in Kinnegad against Bennekerry Tinryland when she was introduced in the second half as number 29.
PATHS TO 2024 CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS
First round
Dee Rangers 3-9, Walterstown 1-5
Second round
Dee Rangers 2-15, St Ultan’s 2-9
Third round
Dee Rangers 3-12, Summerhill 1-7
Semi - Final
Dee Rangers 1-15, St Michael’s 1-10 Final
Dee Rangers 1-11, Simonstown Gaels 0-11 LEINSTER IFC
Quarter Final
Dee Rangers 4-18, Shamrocks (Offaly) 0-5 Semi Final
Traditional Fish & Chips Home Made Pizzas Kebabs Southern Fried Chicken
The Dee Ranger Ladies management team included Thomas Conlon (left), Kate Meade, Darren Clarke (manager), Maria Dardis and Neil McKenny.
Syddan CLG
Eva McConnell (left), Alanna Reilly, Lara O’Neill and Alanna McNulty with the silverware following the 2021 Leinster championship victory
The Dee Rangers Ladies second team that made it to the Junior E final where they played Clann na nGael
Emma Halpenny of Dee Rangers avoids the Bennejerry Tinryland duo of Orla Woods and Ruth Bermingham during the Leinster Intermediate final at Coralstown/Kinnegad GAA in November. PHOTO: TYLER MILLER / SPORTSFILE
Dee Ranger Ladies Selector Thomas Conlon
Always willing to carry the training tops after the warm up - Emma Carry is the right person for the job.
Dee Ranger Ladies
SIDELINE VIEW: Watching the action at the Leinster Intermediate final in Kinnegad in November were Ava Curran (left), Emma Rafferty (orange bib), Áine Byrne (first aid bag), Kelly Farrelly, Aoife McNulty, Hannah Carolan and Jodie Loughran.
Dee Ranger Ladies players wait for the arrival of Leinster LGFA president Trina Ní Muireadhaigh ahead of the Leinster final against Bennekerry Tinryland at Coralstown / Kinnegad GAA in November.
The Dee Rangers players who enjoyed a memorable 2024 with a Meath a Meath IFC title success and an appearance in the Leinster IFC decider (from left): back - Aoibhin Carolan, Meena McConnell, Eimear McCluskey, Aoibheann Sheehy, Orlaith Duff, Jodie Loughran, Áine Byrne, Eva McConnell, Grace Durnin, Sinead Carolan, Emma Rafferty, Aoife McNulty, Aoife Conlon, Emma Halpenny, Ellen Cassidy, Front: Ava Curran, Lara O'Neill, Emma Carry; front - Grace Carry, Anna Myles, Megan Malone, Kelly Farrelly, Briona Rowe, Lisa Young, Orlaith Sheehy, Alanna Reilly, Alanna McNulty, Ellen Carolan, Niamh Byrne, Hannah Carolan.
Photo: TYLER MILLER / SPORTSFILE.
The Dee Rangers players in the pre-match huddle ahead of the Leinster final against Bennekerry Tinryland in November.
Leinster LGFA president Trina Ní Muireadhaigh meeting the Dee Rangers players before the intermediate final at Coralstown / Kinnegad GAA in November
