Members of Mullingar Shamrocks G4M&O who are travelling to New York later this year (full photo caption below).

Mullingar Shamrocks G4M&O heading for bright lights of NY

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Twenty five women from Mullingar Shamrocks Gaelic4Mothers&Others will swap the green fields of home for the bright lights of New York City in October as they take part in the International Festival of Football in Rockland GAA Club.

The adventure begins on October 8 when they fly out from Dublin to JFK airport. The trip was booked through Mullingar Travel, organised by Connie Galligan who “has made planning our trip a breeze”, according to Niamh Kelly, one of those travelling.

Once in New York, they will “dive straight into the festivities” starting with an opening ceremony on the Thursday, a fun run in Central Park on the Friday, the main Festival of Football on Saturday, and a lively closing party to wrap up an unforgettable weekend, Niamh told the Westmeath Examiner.

They have a panel of more than 40 ladies and 25 of them will make the trip stateside this year, while the rest cheering them on from home.

Niamh paid tribute to their dedicated coach, Niall McGurran, who “has been the driving force behind our progress, bringing endless encouragement, energy, and expertise to every training session”.

The G4MO initiative, supported by the LGFA, gives women of all ages and abilities the opportunity to get active, learn new skills, and enjoy the game in a fun, non-competitive environment. “Our team is a shining example of diversity and we have players from across Ireland – Westmeath, Galway, Kerry, Donegal, Down, Leitrim, Mayo, Dublin, Kilkenny, Tipperary, Cavan, Louth, Kildare, Longford, Laois, Offaly – and further afield from England, Scotland, Spain, Latvia, California, Wales, and South Africa,” Niamh said.

The group are grateful to their sponsors for their support throughout the year: JA Shaw & Co, Mary Street Pharmacy, MidlandJobs, Phoenix Marketing, Specsavers Mullingar, TEG, and Wines Direct. Their support has helped make this trip possible and kept the team thriving both on and off the pitch, Niamh said.

“As the countdown to October continues, our team are training hard, fundraising together, and looking forward to representing our club, our county and our countries on an international stage – all while showing the world the spirit of G4MO,” Niamh said.

“Our journey to New York has been fuelled by the incredible support of our club, local businesses and our community. We’ve hosted a Spinathon in The Kinnegad Plaza, a table quiz in Clarke’s Bar, a Paint and Sip night with Andrina Finch in the Shamrocks clubhouse, and more,” she said.

Upcoming events include bag packing in Dunnes Stores, a bake sale at Shamrocks GAA, and a raffle in Clarke’s Bar.

Sponsors

Others who have sponsored the trip include ABC Bouncy Castles, Apache Pizza, Belvedere House and Gardens, Bloomfield House Hotel, Clarke’s Bar, Clypso Hair Salon, Conor Moore Entertainment, Des Maguires Hair and Beauty, Diesel Shop, Athlone, Dromod Boxty Ltd. Encore Sauna, Galvin’s for Men, Gannon Eco Ltd, John Geoghegan, Keane’s Pharmacy, Green Road, Kilmurray Hardware, Little Green Shop, Mileage Tyres, Mullingar Autos, Mullingar Park Hotel, Mullingar Pewter, Mullingar Pharmacy, Mullingar Shamrocks Club, North Midlands Credit Union, Omniplex Mullingar, Pita Pit , SteriPack Ireland Ltd, Supermacs, and Swarbriggs.

Members of Mullingar Shamrocks G4M&O who are travelling to New York later this year (back from left) Aine Faughnan, Anne Ryan, Marie Meehan, Niamh Kelly, Julia Jegorenkova, Sandra Mulligan, Kirsten McCormack, Kylie Kavanagh and Jolanta Plesanova; (front) Fiona Healy, Lisa Corcoran, Sarah Dowling, Clara Gomez Barron, Jean Bourke, Orla McCormack, Jane Thornton and Laura Keenan. Missing from the photo, Yvette Keogh, Maria Baker, Elaine Frayne, Kacie Wellington, Laura Morgan, Aoife McAnaney, Karen Hennessy and Rachel Beirne.
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