Mullingar Shamrocks

Founded 1953

Co. Westmeath

International Women's Day ...

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International Women's Day ...

As today is International Women's Day it is appropriate that Mullingar Shamrocks acknowledge in words and pictures the contribution women members have made to the club. The club has always adopted a progressive attitude to women's involvement in club administration. Detty Cornally has been President of Mullingar Shamrocks since 1991 and was the pioneer female administrator in the club and with an amazing work ethic set the standard for all club members. Detty is still going strong and continues to hold the office of President after all these years and there are very few aspects of the club business that she has not positively influenced. Detty also introduced a team of helpers to the club and this introduced several more women to the organisation. Many including Patsy Ryland became involved through Scór and Patsy has been dancing and preparing dancers almost since the beginning of Scór. Mary Cornally has a long association with Scór and now serves as secretary of the county committee. Jemma McNamee, a two-time All-Ireland champion was introduced to Shamrocks through Scór and has served the club in numerous singing, dancing and fund raising roles most spectacularly in 2016 when she directed the club's Grease-The Musical for its week long run in the Mullingar Arts Centre in 2016. Our only current county champion Katie McCarthy has also been a wonderful ambassador for the club in the GAA's cultural competition.

Several women members have served the club in senior administrative positions. Tanya Corroon served as Treasurer for a number of years when the task included maintaining the Clubhouse bar accounts.. Noreen Garry (Tye Adamson's late granny) held the post of secretary and Carole Finch recently served as PRO and continues to be a key member of the club's LGF section. Therese Colleary was the driving force behind several successful Golf Classics. The present club executive includes Detty, Karen Hegarty (Registrar), Joan Ormsby (Healthy Club Officer), Maria Carroll (Treasurer), Lisa Burke (Children's Officer), Debbie Newman as Chairperson of the LGF committee and two newcomers to the high table for 2019 in Sophie Hegarty and Andrina Finch. Maria Carroll succeeded Aoibheann Byrne in the financial chair and Róisin Masterson led the Finance Committee in 2018 with style and substance, co-ordinated the plans for the wonderful Strictly Shamrocks, and with Andrina and Geraldine McCormack was responsible for planning our recent Dinner Dance.

And of course Jordana McGrath, Marie Casey, Niamh Kennedy, Emer Sleator, Anna Gavin, Sandra Daly, Claire Finch, Niamh Gilmartin, Sandra Cannon, Helen Hassett, Ciara Maguire, Jemma McNamee, Casey McDermott and Shannon Daly raised the dancing bar to new heights in Strictly Shamrocks. Call to Springfield on any Saturday morning and you will find several women actively engaged in coaching young boys and girls and many mothers present in a supporting role. Lisa Burke pioneered greatness in LGF in Mullingar Shamrocks and Westmeath and has had many following in her footsteps with Anna Jones the latest to represent the county with distinction. Marie Burke and Anne Melody were involved from the start.

Mullingar Shamrocks has operated the One Club model before the phrase was invented. And then there is Gaelic4Mothers&Others that has added so much to the club. The great unsung heroes of the club are the women who have worked the Thursday night Bingo sessions. Tina McCarthy, Marion Glennon, Olive Collins, Tricia Carter, Martina Heffernan, Marian Madden, Mary Curley, Detty Cornally, Debbie Doyle and Charlotte Connolly have been nursing the weekly event for the last TWELVE years. And to those who are omitted from this account my apologies ... it wasn't intentional.

Please let us know but be gentle.

The theme of this year's International Women's Day is #BalanceforBetter. We in Mullingar Shamrocks have long recognised this factor and understand its value.

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