Au pair brings back clash of the ash
Jenny Doebler started playing camogie with the Sarsfields club in Glanmire, Cork, in April 2007.
Although she’d never picked up a hurley in her life, the 21-year-old has played championship games with Sarsfields and has even completed a coaching course.
Jenny, who works as an au pair for the brother of minister of state, Billy Kelleher, brought hurleys and helmets back to Bremen, northern Germany, where a number of her friends are now playing the sport.
“They really like it, because it’s such a different game from the ones we’re used to,” Jenny said.
“I hope to get more people playing it so we can have a number of clubs.”
Sarsfields camogie club officials see no reason why someday they won’t be able to take to the field against a German side.
Club chairperson, Gillian O’Callaghan, said everybody involved in Sarsfields was very proud of Jenny’s achievements.
“She’s a very driven person and so enthusiastic about the game that it wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest if we ended up having a match between Sarsfields and a German side,” Ms O’Callaghan said.
“It’s an extraordinary adventure for somebody who only took up the game recently. But she deserves to be in the side on merit. She’s very athletic and has a good eye for the ball.”
“We’re probably the first camogie club in the country to import a German player,” Ms O’Callaghan joked.
Jim Hackett, who trained Jenny last year, said her achievements were phenomenal.
“She took to it like a duck to water,” he said.
When Jenny goes back to Germany later this week, she will continue coaching her friends.
While she was working in Glanmire the German players were studying DVDs of the game given to her by friends, including the legendary Teddy McCarthy who won All Ireland hurling and football titles in 1990.
