McQuade energised for 2025 campaign

By Jonathan Hogan

AFTER a gruelling yet rewarding 2024, which saw Shannan McQuade lead Fermanagh up the steps at GAA HQ to claim the All-Ireland Junior title and help Tempo secure the Intermediate crown, the county captain is more driven than ever.

“It’s given me more excitement going into this year with Fermanagh,” McQuade said, as she turns her focus to the 2025 season with renewed determination and purpose.

The Erne ladies returned to training in early December, and despite weather disruptions to their preparations, McQuade and the panel are raring to go for Sunday’s league opener against Leitrim.

“It was a very long season for me last year, going straight from Fermanagh into Tempo, and I’m very grateful for that,” McQuade reflected.

“Normally long seasons might put you off football, but it’s given me more excitement going into this year with Fermanagh. You never know how many years you’ve left really playing county football. I’d say I’m getting into the latter part of it, there might not be too many left, so I’m looking forward to giving it my all again this year.”

Ahead of Sunday’s opener, McQuade acknowledges the challenging start for the Erne ladies, with tough away games against Leitrim and Derry.

“It’s hard to know what to expect going into Sunday,” she said. “We’ve a lot of new girls this year, which is exciting, but we haven’t been together much in months. I suppose that’s the same for every other team – we don’t know how many players Leitrim have lost or gained since last season either. They did very well in the All-Ireland Intermediate and they’ll be a great test for us, they’ll be gunning now for Division Four.”

Reflecting on a vastly different Fermanagh side three years ago, when they suffered a heavy opening defeat in Leitrim, McQuade is hopeful of demonstrating how far they’ve come with a more positive outcome this time.

“It was three years ago, and a lot of our big players weren’t there that year, so there’s been plenty of changes since then, and Leitrim have had lots of changes too. We’ll take it one game at a time, but we hope we can get the league started off with a win.”

Fermanagh will be bolstered by the return of several key players, with McQuade highlighting the importance of experienced figures returning to the squad.

“Courteney Murphy and Sarah McCarville are big leaders within the team, so it’s brilliant to have them back. They’ve been there through league and championship campaigns before, so their experience will be invaluable. Having them committed this year is a real boost.”

The county captain also highlighted the addition of Devenish’s Aisling O’Brien, who brings added pace to the attack, along with Blaíthin Bogue, who has returned from Australia to join the team for the start of the league campaign during the AFL off-season.

“Ash O’Brien has a lot of experience, and we’re delighted to have her back. She was committed from early on, even before we won the All-Ireland, and having someone with her energy and leadership is fantastic for the squad, so we love having her back. It’s amazing to have Blaíthin back too, she’s a teammate of mine at club and a good friend. She’s done very well to get out to Australia, and we’re lucky to have her for as long as possible now before she goes back out.”

While the squad features a mix of experienced players and fresh faces, McQuade is particularly excited about the promising talent coming through, with the likes of Maeve Mulligan, Áine McCarney, Niamh Boyle, and Alannah Maguire, to name a few, joining the panel.

“Obviously I’m a teacher and I’ve been in Mount Lourdes and St Fanchea’s, and I’ve trained with the u-14’s with Fermanagh this year as well, so actually getting to see the underage coming through, it’s so exciting what is coming up and the commitment that maybe wasn’t there before. I’m not sure if it’s the training at club or underage county, but it’s exciting seeing that pathway being established now.”