Reaching the Promised Land

Selena Oguz and Rosie Loughran speak to Niall Gartland about Errigal Ciaran ladies’ history-making year of 2007

SUNDAY, October 27, 2007 – a storied day in the history of the Errigal Ciaran club.

Facing the considerable might of reigning All-Ireland champions Donaghmoyne in the Ulster Senior Ladies Championship final, Tiffy Quinn’s side produced a colossal performance against the Monaghan titans to win out on a scoreline of 2-5 to 0-8 – a stunning achievement made all the more remarkable by the fact that only a few weeks previously they had celebrated their maiden senior championship win in Tyrone.

Now 18 years later, Errigal Ciaran ladies stand on the precipice of what would be a second-ever provincial title, taking on Antrim’s Moneyglass this Sunday at Brewster Park.

Among the supporters roaring the team on will be two of the players who played an integral role in their maiden success back in 2007 – Selena Oguz and Rosie Loughran (née McGarvey), whom we spoke to about their journey to the top of the provincial tree.

It’s fair to say an Ulster Championship was far from their collective thoughts at the outset of the season. Instead it was about finally getting to the Promised Land in Tyrone after years of near misses.

Oguz said: “Our aim was to try to get our first county title. We’d come so close so many times prior to 2007 – Carrickmore were always our nemesis in those days, and we always seemed to be pipped at the post.

“We definitely weren’t thinking about Ulster, but I do remember being down at the Kilmacud Sevens in Dublin that year. We actually met Donaghmoyne, I’m fairly certain it was the quarter-finals, and they beat us, but it was more about team-bonding and having the craic.

“Even though they’d won the All-Ireland the year beforehand, they weren’t really on our radar and they definitely didn’t know us. It was the first time I really encountered them.”

For Loughran, it was a case of having her fill of hard-luck stories. They plotted a path through Tyrone and captained by her sister Siobhan, finally got their hands on the Jarlath Kerr Cup with victory over St Macartan’s on county final day.

Loughran said: “In the previous years we’d always come close. Mark (Loughran’s husband) was manager in those days along Stephen Quinn. Those boys had us knocking on the door, the hard work had been done, and when new management came in, I think we just thought ‘enough’s enough’.

“It was incredibly special when we got over the line – my two sisters, Siobhan and Nuala, played in the team with me, as did my cousins Claire and Briege McGarvey. It just seemed to be the right time to win it.”

They didn’t stop there. They made light work of Clonduff and Lisnaskea on their maiden provincial voyage, setting up an Ulster final date with Donaghmoyne, who were bidding for their third provincial title in a row. The Errigal girls didn’t get themselves tied up in knots worrying about their opposition and that was one of the keys to their success.

Oguz recalled: “It’s a bit like the men’s football – once you get out of Tyrone, you just don’t know what might happen. At that stage, and I know it’s a bit cliched, anything else was a bonus.

“The Ulster final seemed to go by in a blur. I remember there wasn’t any massive focus on Donaghmoyne – we just went out and played football and enjoyed it. It was class at the end of it – we couldn’t believe it, we were Ulster champions, so that was amazing. I remember Lycrecia Quinn got player of the match, and she was only 16 at the time.

“One of my best friends, Siobhan McGarvey, was the captain, which made it even more sweet. I started playing for Errigal when I was 11 – there was only minor and senior football in those days. Myself and Siobhan started up at the same time, so it was nice to go on that journey with her.”

Errigal’s campaign came to an end with an All-Ireland semi-final defeat on the road against Cork side Inch Rovers. While the game itself didn’t go according to plan, it was still a special weekend according to Loughran.

“We played Inch Rovers down in Cork and I’ll never forget it – the whole of Ballygawley travelled the whole way down and stayed the weekend.

“They beat us well, but perhaps nerves had set in at that stage between the whole build-up and excitement of being in an All-Ireland semi-final. At that stage Cork ladies were in their prime, and Inch Rovers had a lot of county players so they were more experienced than us.”

Fast-forward to 2023 and Oguz was part of the Errigal Ciaran set-up that overcame St Macartan’s in another county final. Following a three-year spell teaching in Abu Dhabi, where she rediscovered her love of football, she decided to return to the Errigal fold.

“I’d an operation on my knee after we’d won the title in 2015 and took a step back at that stage. I suppose people thought I’d retired.

“I’d actually gone to Abu Dhabi to teach for three years, and I played for a club out there, Al Reem Shamrocks, that has a link to the McRorys from Errigal. I had a wee girl when I came back to Ireland and then I linked in again with Errigal.”

Part of the motivation for her return was playing on the same pitch as Cliodhna McElroy, partner of Selena’s son Joe. McElroy unfortunately sustained an ACL injury in the 2023 county final and is still recuperating.

“Cliodhna had surgery on her knee last year – I think she’ll be a massive addition when she’s back.

“She joined the panel a couple of years ago after transferring from Lisnaskea. It was really nice to be part of the same team as her.

“After that, I decided my body had enough at that stage. A lot of the girls involved in 2023 are still playing, and they remind me of us back in 2007.

“There’s loads of ability on the team – you have your big names like Aoife (Horisk), Meabh (Corrigan) and Maria and Claire Canavan. You have some really great players elsewhere as well – Michaela Moore, she’s with Tyrone as well, has been superb. Wee Emily Maguire was only coming into the panel a couple of years ago and she’s been excellent as well – it’s nice to see those younger girls making such a good impression.”

There are various ties between the 2007 trail-blazers and the contemporary Errigal Ciaran team. There’s even one girl still playing – Shannon Cunningham, while Kelly Marie McCrory is part of the management set-up. Joint-manager Eoin Quinn was part of the backroom team in 2007, and there are various family ties as well.

It’s a golden opportunity to land a prestigious provincial medal at the very highest grade, and Loughran knows days like these don’t come around too often.

“When you’re in the middle of the whole thing, maybe it doesn’t really sink in. For us at the time, it was mostly just relief as we’d suffered so many disappointments.

“Now, when I see how hard it is to win an Ulster, you’re just so grateful to have the medal, and I’m really hoping this current team will get to enjoy the same experience this weekend.”