EIMEAR BARRY
LAOIS
By Daire Walsh
It is seven years since the county last tasted provincial success and Eimear Barry has acknowledged that a victory in today’s Leinster LGFA Intermediate Championship final would serve as the perfect tonic for Laois.
Back on July 1, 2018, goals from Emma Lawlor and Meaghan Dunne proved crucial in earning the O’Moore outfit a 2-13 to 0-13 victory at the expense of Wicklow in a Leinster intermediate decider held at Netwatch Cullen Park in Carlow. While Fiona Kelly of Park-Ratheniska was between the sticks on that occasion, a number of Barry’s current colleagues were involved in that particular triumph.
Shanahoe netminder Barry was part of the panel – it was her debut season in the inter-county adult ranks – when Laois last claimed a Leinster LGFA Senior Championship crown back in 2011. The Midlanders ended up reaching an All-Ireland senior semi-final later on in the same year and Barry therefore recognises how much confidence a team can garner from securing a provincial title.
“It would be nice. 2018 was the last time it was won and there are probably still a few of those girls who were involved in 2018 on the panel now. Any final you get to, you want to win. Obviously it gives you good momentum going into the All-Ireland series, which is what it is all about,” Barry explained.
This year saw Laois returning to the intermediate grade after a two-season stint in the top-tier of the Leinster and All-Ireland championships. Barry and her team-mates gained promotion to senior football as a result of winning the TG4 All-Ireland intermediate championship final against Wexford in 2022 and in the same year Westmeath found themselves relegated to the second-tier of the female code.
It is the Lake County who will provide to the opposition to Laois in today’s Leinster intermediate showpiece here at TEG Cusack Park in Mullingar. This past spring saw Westmeath operating a level above their O’Moore counterparts in Division Two of the Lidl National Football League and having faced them as recently as last year’s NFL, Barry has some idea of what to expect from Westmeath this afternoon.
“They have been playing the top level teams in Division Two. Whereas we have been in Division Three of the league and it probably didn’t go according to plan [they finished fifth overall].
“No disrespect to anybody else in Division Three, but they have played higher level teams. You would imagine they would be up to the pitch of the game that bit more than we have had maybe.
“Obviously Westmeath have got some very serious forwards. A key thing for us in the game would obviously be not conceding goals and trying to shut out Westmeath. We’re an attacking team as well, so we’ll have to concentrate on our own game as well going forward. Trying to play as a team unit will be what we have to try and concentrate on.”
Since their campaign in Division Three of the NFL ended in a 3-9 to 0-10 away defeat at the hands of Wexford on March 30, Laois have had just one competitive outing. That was in the semi-final of the Leinster intermediate championship at Echelon Park in Aughrim a fortnight ago against Wicklow – who had advanced to the last-four courtesy of an earlier win over Offaly.
Despite going more than a month without a significant game under their belts, Laois progressed to today’s final with an impressive 3-11 to 0-5 victory. Barry – a secondary school teacher at Castlecomer Community School in Kilkenny – donned the number one jersey in this game having previously featured in three of the seven games they played in NFL Division Three.
Although there was a lull period in the second half of the contest, Barry revealed that Laois were generally satisfied with the performance and result against the Garden County.
“We were happy against Wicklow. Everything we had planned to do as a team was probably carried out. Maybe the game petered out a little bit in the second half and we maybe lost our shape a bit. In general we would be happy with the win against Wicklow and it’s nice to have a championship game under your belt,” Barry added.