Truly inspiring - Ladies’ football champions

VERY few teams in any sport dominate their code as comprehensively as the Cork Ladies’ football team. Very few teams frustrate their opponents so spectacularly with their never-say-die attitude and a steely competitiveness that sometimes seems almost unnatural.

Last night they returned to their home city bringing the 10th All-Ireland title in 11 years to the southern capital to a lively and heartfelt welcome.

By any standard, in any setting or context this achievement reaching across a decade is excellence writ large. Even as ladies’ football becomes ever more popular it is hard to imagine that this record will ever be matched much less surpassed. Not even the great Kilkenny hurling team comes close to achieving this kind of persistent success.