The buzz hasn’t stopped says Truagh captain Eve McKenna

By Michael McMullan

EXCITEMENT is the word of choice in Truagh as they prepare for Sunday’s Ulster Intermediate final showdown with Donegal champions Naomh Columba.

It’s not the club’s only outing this weekend. The senior hurlers are also in semi-final action against Castlewellan.

“The buzz just hasn’t stopped,” said ladies captain Eve McKenna.

“Everyone’s kept their flags up and I hope they do so for another while. The senior men were in the final and the reserve men have won their championship.”

Truagh ladies have had experience of finals in recent years but they’ve never worked as hard as this season.#

Anthony Treanor had stepped away as manager at the end of the 2024 after a long spell at the helm.

Then last year, after their new manager stepped away, Treanor answered the call in mid-season. Numbers and expectations were low.

“In the space of about six weeks he took us to the county intermediate championship final,” McKenna added.

“Unfortunately, we didn’t take it home but to get there was an achievement in itself for us.

“That sparked something in the group, it really motivated a lot of girls to get back to it this year and we were all ready from the get-go.”

When the group reported for their first gym session in the first week of January, there was a number on a poster, there for the entire squad to see.

“It was how many days it was until the 27th of September, the championship final day,” McKenna said.

“Every session from then until the 27th of September, there was a piece of paper stuck up in our dugout or in the gym to remind everyone how far away we were.”

It was a small detail yet massive. It was the context of where they had their sights set.

“The motivation was brilliant,” McKenna added. “I remember the Sunday before the county final, it said seven days and there was such a buzz at training when we came in and saw that number.”

The squad have never worked harder. The gym programme was followed to the last detail. The hard yards were put in during their January running sessions. It was all about September.

Scenes of joy

When the final whistle went, the scenes of joy were beyond belief.

“I turned round and Anthony was in front of me,” McKenna recalls.

“I leapt up off the ground and burst out crying, there’s photos of the girls after the game and everyone was in tears.

“It just shows how much Anthony meant and that we worked so hard all year.

“I don’t think there’s been a year where we have worked as hard at our football.”

Since then, there hasn’t been a fresh countdown ticking down to the Ulster final. Wins over St John’s and Cornafean set up this weekend’s clash with Naomh Columba.

Truagh can focus on their own game safe in the knowledge they have an excellent set of eyes in their management team.

“Peter Magaharan in with us, he’s brilliant for watching games and coming back with information about other teams,” McKenna added.

“We don’t know too much about them other than what they did at the weekend (a right battle with Cornafean).”

Peter will then fill them in with anything nuggets needed to nullify any key threat. After that, Truagh must deliver on what they’ve done since the countdown page went up back in January.

“At the end of the day, it’s about how you perform as a group that’s going to get you over the line,” McKenna concluded.

“If we play the way that we know we can, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be bringing back an Ulster title to St Mellan’s on Sunday.”