Ciara Brown is living the ultimate dream to be playing Gaelic Football with Antrim, from being a spectator watching the 2012 All Ireland Final, to being water girl for the side in 2016, to now being an All Ireland winner, she is enjoying every second.
Brown who hails from the St Pauls club, took her first real steps on the hallowed turf at Croke Park as a water girl a number of years ago, but since then has lined out in back to back All Ireland Finals, from being a young girl in awe of the Antrim players, one day dreaming of the chance to play at Croke Park.
“Absolutely crazy because back then when you were one of the fans in the crowd, you didn’t think that was, that’s what you always ever wanted, but you don’t ever think it was going to happen that sort of way, and then as the year’s went on they actually made it again to the final.
They didn’t win though but I was water girl, so I got to travel with the team and that was like, that was the end for me, I was like this is amazing, I can’t wait till I get to be here one day. I got to walk through the change rooms and it was all just put in perspective for me and then finally we got into the All Ireland Final a few years ago against Wicklow, we weren’t successful then either but that was my first time lining out in Croke Park, it was absolutely amazing even just being in the changing rooms was a different perspective over anything I had played in before.”
The Saffrons would however get their day in the sun last year, quite literally in the case of their All Ireland Final Replay, played at the Athletic Grounds in intense heat, from the anguish of losing in 2021, ten years on from being a child watching Clare Timoney loft the cup in the Hogan Stand, Browne joined her teammates in ending a famine of ten years.
“It definitely was crazy, it was a rush and a mix of emotions, for everybody and you could just tell by the vibe given off by the training that everybody was ready to go, everybody all turned up on time, gave 100% at training, you could just tell everybody wanted it as a unit, there was no individuals, there was no divide, everybody was together as a unit and was ready to push on through.”
Winning that All Ireland Title set up to take part at the Intermediate grade, a first real time the side were set to compete at the grade, setting their goals early on in the season, objective one according to Brown was promotion from the league, everything else since then has been a whirlwind of emotions for the side, overcoming everybody’s expectations.
“Our main goal this year was to get out of Division 4 for the league, so that was our main push, we were looking to get out of there cause we didn’t feel like we should be playing in there for a very long time, but after that progressed through the championship and stuff and it was more of we’ve nothing to lose, so we’re pushed through with nothing to lose, get as far as we can, but I think we have overcome everybody’s expectations at the minute and we’re standing going into the All Ireland Semi-Final here.”
Antrim are now in the position of being 60 minutes away from a potential spot in the All Ireland Intermediate Final, in their first season at this grade, 12 months on from playing in the Junior Final, they are on the trajectory to make history for their county, something Brown defines as being quite surreal.
“It definitely is so obviously getting to an All Ireland Final is all you ever want to be fair when you are playing, but especially being in it last year and then winning in and taking the step up just to get back there again this year, even where we’re at at the minute, getting through to the All Ireland Semi-Final already seems surreal, never mind pushing on and getting back into All Ireland Final, back-to-back making some history for our county as well.”
Now a mainstay in the Antrim side, the 21 year old remembered fondly her first experiences with Gaelic Football, starting at the age of six, Ladies Gaelic Football did not have huge numbers when Brown would have been growing up, but with the help of Brian Coyle, she would take her first steps to putting on the Antrim jersey.
“I actually just attended a wee summer scheme when I was only six and one of their wee multisport games was Gaelic football and one of the guys knew Brian Coyle, who’s St. Paul’s manager at the time and he still is after all that and he passed on to me and he used to come and collect me every Saturday morning and bring me up the road to play Gaelic and ever since then it’s stuck since I’ve been six that’s where I started and this is where I am now, from St Pauls and Brian Coyle.”
Following on from that, Brown has been that fan and young kid who idolised the Antrim players over the year’s thrilled to be chosen as a water girl in their final, now she is the one who is deemed a role model by the Antrim kids who greet her after games, something that has taken some getting used to.
“Me and Lara Dahunsi, she’s one of my best friends, we always talk about that whenever they come up after the match and they want a photo or they want you to sign their boots, or their ball or their flag it’s absolutely amazing like because I’m just a normal person, I’m just here training playing for fun, it’s amazing that these girls look up to you and you genuinely are a role model for a lot of them.”
A work life balance can always be difficult when adding an Inter-County GAA career into the mix, for Brown who had a baby a year ago, she found it tough at the time, balancing work, family life, her football career amongst other things.
But now the Antrim midfielder has managed to find the right balance, her love and enjoyment of the sport is the main factor, taking the good with the bad, believing what you get from the sport is better than what you have to give up.
“It definitely can be difficult at times trying to find the time to get everything done, to be honest, but I think it all comes with the enjoyment of the sport, so you have the enjoyment to be able to give up those sacrifices, to be able to make it to all the trainings and without that enjoyment I feel like it would be very hard but because we push on, we win our matches the things you get from it are a lot better than what you have to give up to get it, if you get where I’m coming from, it is very difficult I just had a new wee baby there recently, just a year ago and trying to balance that at the start was very hard, but now him being able to see everything we overcome and stuff is just worth it all in the end.”
Sunday will be their biggest test all year, winning two pieces of silverware already, they must test out the Banner County, if they want to record back to back All Ireland appearances, that achievement would be specular, as would what could come afterwards, Antrim have been in their slumber, slowly building this side for the last few years, now they are getting the rewards, Brown feels this is how they have became so successful as a team.
“I’ve actually said this before, that is one of the main reasons I think that we have came on so much this year, over the last few years we’ve been building this panel and the friendships the girls have made have kinda got rid of any clicks, so there is no wee split, wee divides,, people not liking each other, people not getting on everybody’s unit, everybody wants to be there for each other and we all have the same goal, so there’s no one stopping a side making a difference, everybody’s together, everybody’s pushing hard and given everything they have.”
Diarmuid Kearney
Diarmuid Kearney is a freelance Sports Journalist based in Co Kerry. He has more than 5 years experience covering domestic and international soccer for different media organisations, while also working for local and national print and digital organisations covering GAA.