Louise: Kingdom well placed
Star attacker Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh — who will be honoured on Saturday with the ladies football prize at the 2013 Bord Gáis Energy Munster GAA Awards – believes wins in the Munster championship and Division 2 of the NFL leave the Kingdom well placed ahead of 2014.
“It’s a massive honour to win,” she said. “You could have picked any of a number of Kerry players, so I’m delighted to have been chosen, it was a good year for us. It was disappointing not to have got to Croke Park as we wanted to do that after getting to the 2012 final but winning silverware was a dream come true. There’s a lot to look forward to for next year.”
Ní Mhuircheartaigh starred as Kerry twice beat Cork in the provincial championship – scoring six points in the final — and only on Sunday the final year PE and Irish student in UCC scored nine points as Na Gaeil claimed the All-Ireland Club ladies JFC title with a win against Edinburgh side Dunedin Connollys.
“It was great to end the year like that,” she said. “We got a Garda escort coming back and a lot of people were out to see us, it was a great occasion.
Two other recipients at Saturday night’s gala ceremony in the Malton Hotel in Killarney will be Michelle Casey and Colin Crehan.
Limerick ace Casey is the camogie winner after she captained her county to victory in the All-Ireland intermediate championship.
Clare’s Crehan, meanwhile, is the current minor singles and double All-Ireland champion in handball.
Ger Cunningham, sports ambassador with sponsors Bord Gáis Energy, hailed all three winners.
“Michelle Casey has led Limerick with distinction this year as a rock at centre-back,” he said, “while Kerry All-Star Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh was in devastating form when the Kingdom won their first Munster Championship in a decade.”
Munster GAA Chairman Robert Frost echoed those comment.
