'I actually prayed before I took that free': Gill and Donohue on a highly sought-after club All-Ireland

Athenry’s Jessica Gill celebrates a late score. Pic: Ryan Byrne

Two stalwarts of the Athenry camogie club celebrated a significant achievement in FBD Semple Stadium on an emotional Saturday evening. 

For 44-year-old Therese Donohue (formerly Maher) and 36-year-old Jessica Gill, they won their first All-Ireland senior club title. Both are mothers to three children.

Gill landed the final score from a pressure-free position in the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time in their dramatic 0-14 to 0-12 victory over St Finbarr’s; they outscored their opponents seven points to one in the fourth quarter.

“The last free, I won’t lie to you, I have a picture of my (late) father in my sock,” she said. “I actually prayed before I took that free. I said please, this one free and this one chance, let me put it over because it was an important free. I just steadied myself and hit it as best I could and thankfully it went over. My father was a massive part of my camogie life.

“It is quite emotional for everyone that has lost people and who are involved in your life.

“Kate Moran has very much been the main person in our thoughts. Obviously, today we are so joyous in winning but we most certainly think of the Moran family because it can’t be easy for them. She would have been playing so we are really thinking of all of the Moran family and Kate today.

“I’m privileged to be playing and to have my kids see me play.

“I honestly can’t believe we are after winning the All-Ireland club. It is something I would have dreamt of. I suppose coming into the game I believed we could win it but I thought it would take a massive effort. The final 10 minutes, Finbarr’s were pulling away a little bit from us. They were on top. I don’t know what happened…something inside us…and we brought it back.

“Our goal this year was to win the county final. Everyone was saying everything else is a bonus but it really wasn’t. We wanted to go and win it out.” 

Therese Donohue said the win was extra special.

“It is special because it is with the club. We lost two (All-Ireland finals) with the club. I’m just privileged to be still playing, that my body held up and I’m still enjoying it. That ship, I thought, had well and truly sailed.

“The game of camogie is healthy, a great display from both sides, no more than the last day it went down to the wire.

“I was playing where the sun shone on that side of the pitch and it melted a bit of the frost but when I came over the other side it was different, there was no bounce in the ball, it was skimming along the surface and it was very hard to pick it.

“But I was saying to the girls, it is now, it is over today. So you got to fight to the bitter end. We always knew Finbarr’s were going to have their purple patch, they are a fantastic team. 

"They’ve come through a lot of extra-extra times. Once we levelled, it was either going to go one way or the other.”