Therese Maher recalls relief at Galway's 2013 final success

Galway's Therese Maher at the final whistle in 2013. Picture: INPHO/Dan Sheridan

Galway camogie star Therese Maher knows that many people will recall the photograph of her at the final whistle of the 2013 All-Ireland final — a winner after five All-Ireland final defeats.

Maher, who features in this week’s Laochra Gael, says she’s often asked about that image: “It’s very hard to articulate emotions. That was just how my body reacted. The resounding emotion for me was relief and I think any sports person that has been trying to win something or achieve something in their career, when you get to that point and if you’re doing it for a long time, it is relief.

“There’s loads of emotions that follow: Joy, elation, sadness as well, but when I look back on it now all I can say is that’s how I felt at that time.”

Making the programme gave her a chance to re-evaluate her career. “There was probably a stage where I took camogie very, very seriously. When you’re so focused on trying to win an All-Ireland... and sometimes maybe I look back now and think: ‘Did I really enjoy the journey or was I just so focused on winning that All-Ireland?’

“A lot of years between — with the club, we won four county finals in a row, we won five leagues, and it just seemed I was always going with the gear bag and I did enjoy it.

“But did I enjoy it enough? That might be something I might look back on. At the time, when you’re in it, I don’t think you enjoy it as much, but as I get older...”

After coming so close so often was winning an All-Ireland medal a validation of her time with Galway?

“It probably made my career. As in, I can look back on it now fondly and say: ‘I did win one’.

“It would have been hard to walk away had I not won one. I think any sports person that plays at that level, the ultimate goal is to win an All-Ireland with your county and having been to the well five times previously and come away with no All-Ireland, had I not won one: Yeah, it would have been very disappointing for me.”

She came close to retiring in 2011. “After that All-Ireland, I was disillusioned,” says Maher.

“It was a culmination of a few things: My father had passed away earlier that year, it was the loss of another All-Ireland ... There were a lot of losses in camogie and I think I was just extremely disappointed, because in 2010 Wexford brought a ferocious physicality and intensity and were deserved winners. 

“We went back to the well again in 2011. We brought the physicality that matched that, but we still came away without the win, so it was doubly disappointing. But I also knew that there was a team there probably good enough to win it... I still felt, as a player, I still had something to offer. I probably didn’t want to retire on such a disappointing note.”

- ‘Laochra Gael’ with Therese Maher is on TG4, Thursday, January 21 at 9.30pm.