Valerie Mulcahy announces intercounty retirement

Legendry corner forward Valerie Mulcahy has confirmed her retirement from the Cork Ladies Football team tonight, writes Shaun Cronin.

Mulcahy, 33, announced the news in an interview she did during the recent Ladies Football All-Star trip to San Diego, which was screened on RTÉ Nationwide programme tonight.

The Rockbán clubwomen leaves the game after a close to 15-year career at intercounty level, which saw her start in all 10 of the county’s All-Ireland wins in their history.

In the interview with Marty Morrissey, Mulcahy said she decided to follow her “gut feeling” to walk away from the game.

“I have decided to retire after a great career,” said Mulcahy

“I have thought long and hard about it, my gut feeling is that I have achieved what I wanted to achieve out of the sport. I am quite content leaving the sport now.

@valeriemulcahy Best wishes to you on your retirement and many thanks for all your years of service

— Cork LGFA (@CorkLGFA) April 11, 2016

“When I was in it, it was all consuming so I am going to try and enjoy other aspects of my life now and look at the girls from the stand.”

Mulcahy, who works as a teacher in Gaelcoláiste Mhuire in Cork city, confirmed in a further interview with Mary White in the Evening Echo that she plans to continue playing with her club and spend more time with her wife Meg Blyth.

She spent her entire time at intercounty level - which also saw her claim 10 National League medals (nine Division 1 and one Division 2) - under Eamonn Ryan, who left to join the Cork men’s side as a selector at the beginning of the year.

Paying tribute to her on Nationwide tonight, Ryan said Mulcahy made the “difficult things look quite simple”.

“I would put her up there with Maurice Fitzgerald, Diarmuid Connolly and Mikey Sheehy”, said Ryan.

“She was that calibre of forward. She made difficult things look quite simple, nothing fazed her.

“While the rest of us would probably have been at times quite ate up before big games, Valerie loved the big occasion and consequently, performed to her best because she was never beset by worries or insecurities on the big day.”