Motherhood and football working in harmony for Galvin

Louise Galvin says motherhood has been a huge positive in her return to Kerry Ladies Football team  

FAMILY MATTERS: Louise Galvin with her son Florian and the cup after the Lidl Ladies Football National League Division 1 Final. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

The return of Louise Galvin to the Kerry Ladies football squad last season surprised many, because she and Kerry All-Ireland medal-winning husband Donnchadh Walsh had produced a bouncing baby boy Florian in March 2022. Yet Galvin was back training with Kerry in June, in time for their All-Ireland quarter-final clash with Armagh.

"Now to get back to performance levels required probably took until early this year rather than the end of last year," she says. "It was never the plan really to come back but then I was at home and Donnchadh was gone off out training that I realised I am not ready to give it up. I think being part of a team is kind of addictive and hard to let go of." 

Ahead of Sunday's All-Ireland final meeting with Dublin, Galvin says playing football as a mother has its advantages. 

“I compartmentalise things and Florian is well cared for. In fact, I take being a mother as a positive, even in the run-up to a game. Like we played Meath in Tralee at 7.30pm and that was the latest game we played all year.

"So everyone was asking how did I spend the day. I said with a dog and a baby I had plenty to occupy me. It means that mentally I am not overly focusing on the game as you have to feed the baby and change him so I take it as a positive as it keeps me grounded."

She laughs: "Now I pack the baby bag, make sure the food is ready and wherever the dog is going the dog’s bag is packed and then I leave it all behind me and Donnchadh takes over and I put it all out of my head. Donnchadh is well able.

"I suppose it gives one perspective too after the game, my son will treat me the same way whether I lose, win, play terribly or get a red card, he will not know any different so it’s all good.” 

Mind you, when she returned three months after the birth last year, Kerry co-manager Darragh Long was wondering what kept her. 

"Hannah Tyrrell, a friend of mine from rugby, her partner had a baby and it reminds me of a funny story that happened after the Irish soccer team had won their playoff game against Scotland and Áine O’Gorman was with her baby after the game. 

"Darragh points out to me that she was back and the baby was only a few weeks old. I said 'yerra that is grand Darragh, she did not have the baby though (it was her partner Rachel Neary)'. 

"No offence but I said I had the baby and it was a C-section. 'Oh right', says Darragh and the laugh we had was worth the confusion and mild embarrassment."

In fact, her professional background as a physio helped Galvin return as quickly as she did. 

“It did 100%, and I don’t know would I have gotten back to play again without it. I think it’s the fact that I am a physio and not a specialist in women’s health, because I know what I don’t know. 

"I went and paid to get women’s health advice, physio, and made sure I was 100% right before I started running again, that I was ready to do it and was not going to do any long-term damage. 

"It is something I have spoken to the GPA about and they were very helpful and agreed that we need to look into this. The other side of it was that I had done so much strength and conditioning work and had so much awareness of my body and injuries through the rugby side of things, had a gym set up at home, that I fair idea what I needed to do to get back.

"So I am here now and ready with the rest of the girls to have a go at beating Dublin and bringing the cup back to the Kingdom on Sunday evening.”