Glanmire Ladies Football Club to mark 25th anniversary

Glanmire Ladies Football Club was officially formed in February 2000 by a group of volunteers — Barbara Buckley (first Chairperson), Genevieve Garde, Angela Fitzgerald, Linda McElhinney, Roseanne O’Callaghan, Jenny Long and Brian.

The very first bit of success came in that inaugural year when the club’s U14 team won the East Cork B championship, under the management of Seán and Linda McElhinney and Tom Kavanagh.

The following year came their first at A level when we they won the U12A East Cork championship.

Over the next decade the club focused on building sustainable underage structures, coaching programmes and links with local schools. A deliberate emphasis on coaching, volunteer recruitment and player development began to pay off. The first notable county-level success at A grade came in 2011, when a strong U12 side won the Cork championship.

“However, we struggled at adult level and for a while plied our trade at Junior C level in the county leagues and championships,” said Brian Lotty.

“Additionally, a notable achievement during this period was attained when the first player from our club, Kathryn Fahy, won an All-Ireland medal while playing in goal for the Cork U14 team in 2001.”

NEW LEVEL

The club reached multiple All-Ireland Féile finals and won the Féile All-Ireland outright in 2017.
“2017 was also a very successful and very significant year for our adult team as we won the County Junior B title. 

The club annexed 17 trophies in all grades that year. Much of this progress was achieved under the stewardship of Michael Hannon who held the reign of chairman for nine years.”

The club’s development work was rewarded at adult level in 2018, when Glanmire’s adult team went on a championship run that ended with the club winning the All-Ireland Junior Club Championship

Following that success Glanmire LGFA continued to grow as a community club. There was a continued expansion of membership (with several hundred girls and women registered and more than a dozen underage teams across age groups), strengthened sponsorship links and ongoing youth development programmes.

They reached three intermediate county finals in a row but, heartbreakingly, came up just short on each occasion. Another innovation was the formation of a Mothers & Others programme.

In 2023 their perseverance paid off when they reached new heights in the adult ranks. The team secured the Cork Intermediate County title, the Munster title, and then progressed to Croke Park where they claimed the All-Ireland Intermediate Club Championship — a historic treble that brought the club to national attention and marked its progression from Intermediate through to senior status success.

Throughout its history the club has emphasised inclusivity and community involvement — volunteers, coaches and various local businesses have been named as long-standing supporters. The club owes a huge debt of gratitude to their main sponsor Ryan’s SuperValu, who came on board in 2020 and were instrumental in aiding the construction of dressing rooms this year at their pitches at Buckleary’s Cross under the leadership of current club Chairperson, John McAllen.

To mark the 25th anniversary a dinner will be held at Vienna Woods Hotel, on Saturday next, November 1, with special guest Marty Morrissey.