Breaking the glass ceiling: Armagh’s 2005 All-Ireland success

Shaun Casey recalls Armagh ladies’ surge to All-Ireland Junior honours 20 years ago

THEY say you have to lose one to win one, but Armagh ladies were keen to buck that trend in 2005. They wanted to prove that, if you’re good enough, you can just go and win it. Don’t worry about silly old sayings.

In the years leading up to their All-Ireland Junior triumph, that had been the running theme. Donegal had bounced back from their 2002 final defeat to claim the title the following year. They beat Kildare in 2003, who subsequently went all the way in 2004.

Sligo had lost the ‘04 decider to the Lilywhites but returned in ’05 ready to claim their prize. Armagh, featuring in their first-ever All-Ireland final, had other ideas. Sligo would get their hands on the trophy, but their wait was extended by another 12 months.

“Prior to us winning it, Kildare had won it, and Donegal had won it the year before that. Each of them had lost a final and then won the next one,” recalled Armagh captain Bronagh O’Donnell, whose twin sister Alma was also on the team.

“So, there was the talk that you have to lose one to win one and I think that spurred us on. I wouldn’t necessarily agree with that and that helped get the bit between our teeth a little bit more.”

There was a different feel in the Orchard County that year. Armagh had never even reached the final before, never mind win the actual thing, but in 2005, they felt they could go all the way.

The joint management team of Hayley Boyle and Jacqui Clarke inspired the changing room. They had walked the walk during their own careers and left no stone unturned in delivering an All-Ireland title for Armagh.

“Something seemed to have changed that year. We got a couple of new people into the panel. We won the Division Two league as well so when I look back, it felt there was a big progression throughout the year and things were moving in the right direction.

“Prior to the championship starting that year, we had played Dublin in a challenge match. I can’t remember if we won by a point or they won by a point, but we were coming off the field thinking we could compete with a senior team.

“That definitely gave us a good sense of confidence – that we could actually go on and win the junior. We couldn’t wait for every match and we felt very prepared.

“Our managers at the time, Hayley and Jacqui, were incredible. They set a new standard for analysing games, our own performance and what the other team was going to be doing.

“Both of our managers had played in and won All-Ireland Juniors with Tyrone and Down so in the lead up to the final they were a really good source of knowledge,” the former Crossmaglen player, who now lives in Dublin, continued.

“I remember we did a training weekend before the final and Hayley had a ghetto blaster set up. We practised walking around the pitch and everything that was going to happen before the game so that we were mentally prepared.

“She had crowd noise playing as we were walking around the pitch in Killeavy. That was her one memory from playing – the noise hit her, so she wanted us to be prepared for that.

“Jacqui brought her own thing to it too and while everyone was nervous, we had the approach that we’d just focus on the game. When the game was over, then we could look around Croke Park in awe of where we were.

“We’d gone up to Croke Park maybe the week before, one mid-week evening, just to run around so it was just another match. There was plenty of time afterwards to take it all in, so we didn’t need to waste our energy or nerves beforehand.”

That mental preparation was well worth the practice. Despite being much the better team on the day, Armagh lacked composure in front of the posts. By the end of the contest, Armagh had posted an astonishing 25 wides.

They dominated, but it didn’t tell on the scoreboard. The sides were tied at half-time, 0-7 apiece, and by the time the final whistle sounded, Armagh sat just three points in front.

As O’Donnell describes, the team never panicked. “My memory of it, I felt that we were the better team and even though we weren’t moving ahead the way we should have, we were still in front, and we had enough to win it without panicking.

“We weren’t moving far enough in front but we weren’t behind either. We had a lot of self-belief, and I don’t remember a sense of panic that we could lose towards the end. There’s just relief and you can laugh now about how close we came to not winning it!”

The final whistle sparked wild scenes. Orange and white jerseys spilled onto the hallowed turf of Croke Park from all angles, but O’Donnell didn’t get the chance to savour the moment. She was dragged away for the most important moment of them all.

“There was a sense of elation and a little bit of disbelief but just complete joy. It was around the time that Croke Park decided that no fans were allowed on the pitch, but for some reason all the Armagh fans got on, and it was so amazing to see everyone.

“I got identified very quickly by Croke Park (as captain) so I was brought away from all that and I didn’t get to experience the madness of it all, but I had a very important job to do so it wasn’t too bad.

“I do remember once I got up the steps, looking out over the crowd of Armagh people and it was pretty amazing. It was a bit surreal.

“I was trying to make sure that I remembered that feeling and the experience. There were people lining the walkway congratulating me and I think I was probably a bit shaky legged going up.

“I was very aware of how lucky I was because very, very few people get to do that, and it really was a ‘pinch me’ moment so I was trying to take it all in as best I could.”

O’Donnell added: “I did have a speech prepared because I was so afraid of forgetting someone, but that bit of superstition came in and I didn’t really look over it. When it came to the bit, I could hardly read my own handwriting.

“I got a lot of slagging from the girls afterwards because with my south Armagh accent I said I was ‘trilled’ instead of ‘thrilled’. Some of the Lurgan girls gave me a bit of stick so there was a good bit of banter over it.

“I still look back, and I can’t believe that I actually got to do it and it was one of the best days of my life.”

Armagh’s rise was unheard of. While Sligo finally got over the line at junior level in ’06, Armagh were also back in Croke Park, competing in the senior decider. Cork, just starting out on their period of domination, shaded the encounter.

While living in the capital now, Armagh’s only All-Ireland winning captain still has a keen interest in matters up north.

She tunes into all the games she can and hopes Armagh can finally, 20 years on from their last appearance in the final, deliver a senior crown.

“I think we were incredibly unlucky in 2006 and in the aftermath of that. It was great to get that far but as time goes on you realise that we you don’t get back there that often. That probably brings more regrets as the years go on.

“All the girls now will be really disappointed that they haven’t already got the senior. They’ve got great players, no weak links, their bench is so strong.

“They got the National League Division One last year but have been unlucky with injuries and stuff like that. I really hope that in the next couple of years, that we will actually see a senior All-Ireland in Armagh.”