Tipp All-Ireland winner Teehan keeps faith on winding road to Offaly jersey

PLAYING FOR OFFALY: Mairéad Teehan missed out on the 2024 due to injury but is back to her best. Pic: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

For those who live in frontier territory, every county boundary feels like the 38th parallel across Korea, or the Maginot Line. Home is where the light touches, what lies beyond is nothing more than “that shadowy place,” or an Irish equivalent to the elephant graveyard about which Lion King Mufasa warned his son Simba.

For supporters and players alike, winning matches and championships might be the primary ambition, but keeping the neighbours in line is a close second. And when the border itself is a source of acrimony, that feeling is multiplied.