DERVLA HIGGINS HAS had a few swerve balls thrown her way in her bid to establish herself as a Galway player and while nothing is certain in an environment that emphasises equality of opportunity regardless of reputation, the Athenry defender is now one of the premier corner-backs in the land and a front runner for an All-Star when the awards are announced next month.

So Higgins celebrated her 25th birthday yesterday in a good place. She has identified a pathway for adding to her physiotherapy qualifications, while her club is in the process of creating history to be the first to develop its own camogie facility. She has climbed camogie’s Everest and maintains an appetite to do it again and again.

All of that ties into the personal equilibrium. When Galway next trot out onto the Gort pitch – today’s meeting with Offaly has been postponed –  they will do so with a new jersey, courtesy of a ground-breaking five-year quarter-of-a-million-euro sponsorship deal with Westwood Global.

It represents a commitment to the development of camogie in Galway from the academies upwards, ensuring high performance sports services are available to give young hopefuls the best chance of reaching their potential, to raise the bar even further. But there is a human element to it as well.

“It’s huge and there is a lot of publicity around it at the minute,” notes Higgins.

“It’s all the way from U14 up until the senior squads, every single age-group that benefit from the deal. It’s going to be big for all players. It’s definitely a step in the right direction for female sport. It’s a benchmark, a starting point.”

The aforementioned new kit is an eye-catching one, complete with the LGBTQ+ rainbow colours representing inclusiveness. It follows in the footsteps of UL GAA, who incorporated the colours in their jersey last year and Galway’s camogs have now brought it to the inter-county sphere.

It has a real personal meaning for Higgins, though she reports that she did not suffer any negativity surrounding her sexuality. She recognises that so many have had different experiences, however. Providing exemplars and removing any hint of ‘difference’ about not being heterosexual is imperative.

“It’s a powerful statement. It shows the Gaelic games family is a place of diversity and inclusion now. I think it’s very important for the youth as well… I’m sure it’s going to help a lot of kids at home who might be looking up to role models; if they are struggling it might make it easier for them to deal with it.

“Myself, I actually have a girlfriend for the last five years. So it’s something that I am very proud of to have on the sleeve of the jersey. I think it’s a huge step in the right direction.

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“I was very lucky, I had a very good experience. It would have been while in college in Athlone. I came to terms with it, coming out to family and friends and stuff like that. And obviously I was involved with the Galway set-up at the time as well. And everyone, management, players and backroom people were very accepting of it. They never treated me any different.

“So I do think it is such a powerful statement. I know the Galway management and the county board along with our sponsors, it was their idea. It’s a statement of their behalf as well, to show the type of team and county we are. We are inclusive of everything and everyone.”

A general view of the new Galway jersey.

Source: Sam Barnes/SPORTSFILE

Higgins is looking forward to getting back to competitive fare now, though it has been a little different this year with clubmate Noreen Coen having stepped away after a decade in maroon.

Coen was a familiar face when she joined the senior set-up first but now it is her turn to fill the mentoring role as the Rabbitte sisters – daughters of former hurling All-Ireland winner Joe – Sabina and Olwen come into the fold. Mind you, she has a bit to go yet to accumulate the bank of knowledge of another clubmate, the legendary Therese Maher, who has been a key part of the management in recent years.

All the other big names have returned, with Murray cleverly having issued the challenge within minutes of winning the All-Ireland. He said it publicly in the post-match press conference but by then, he had already put it to the players. To be a great team, you had to do two-in-a-row.

“I actually remember clear as day in the dressing room afterwards, we had a few celebrations and the cheers and stuff but it was definitely something he mentioned on that day and I have heard him mention it quite a few times since then. And I think it just goes to show the determination that he’s put amongst us as players in the camp.

“And new year this year, it’s put behind us and we have a new target put in place. It’s good to ground yourself again. In order to succeed it’s important to focus on the new task at hand.”

Higgins had been flip-flopping between the intermediate and senior squads since 2015. After impressing as Galway got to the All-Ireland intermediate final four years later, she was ready to push on but the sliotar refused to bounce for her.

“I got a good bit of gametime but I fell ill with the Covid during the championship so that kind of wiped me out of it completely… I was out for the two weeks so obviously wasn’t doing any training. I have a set-up here in the house alright with a small gym so I was able to do a bit of that.

“But I will never forget the first evening going back training, we were in Dangan, and I was just doing the warm-up, the first 15-20 minutes where we do the dynamic stretches and sprints and stuff. I just had to put my hand up, my lungs were just gone. I was chasing my tail for the rest of the 2020 campaign trying to get my fitness back up.”

Heather Cooney’s cruciate knee ligament injury left a vacancy and Higgins capitalised on the opportunity. This is the importance of the Littlewoods Ireland Leagues. There will be chances but, in this team, if you get the jersey, you can make it yours. Which is why Higgins knows nothing can be taken for granted.

“Last year when I got back in fit at the start of the year there was only one thing on my mind, poor aul Cathal Murray knew that as well. Last year would have been the first year I got myself out there and established and got my spot on the team. This year, I am just hoping to try and hold onto it as much as I can.”

Competition is fierce with Cooney champing at the bit having returned to fitness and the Sarsfields contingent have to return yet too. But Higgins doesn’t fear that. She knows about ups and downs.

Higgins lifting the O’Duffy Cup.

Source: James Crombie/INPHO

It was a shock to be sent off in the All-Ireland semi-final defeat of Tipperary last year, and not having any clue why. She stressed initially that it would cost her side the result and then for a little while after, that she would miss the decider, but referee Ray Kelly was quick to put her out of her misery and report that a mistake had been made.

“To be honest, it was a complete whirlwind. When it was happening, my head was up in the clouds, I didn’t know what was going on. You were doubting yourself straight away. Did I do something or did something happen that I wasn’t aware of?

“I wasn’t long off the pitch, Murray had a glance at me and I was chatting to one or two of the girls; they seen everything that happened. They reassured me that, ‘you are actually fine, it wasn’t you’. It was the night of the next day that it came around, the statement was put in by the referee and stuff that it was just a genuine mistake.

“It didn’t carry on for too long. It was all forgotten about, head down then for the All-Ireland final. Thank God, it could have been a completely different story altogether and that would have been shocking but I got over it.”

And how. She played her part too in publicising Athenry’s fundraising initiative that yielded around €700,000, which will see two natural pitches, a full Astro-turf pitch with floodlights, clubhouse with dressing rooms and a centre for the community.

“They are putting a 1.5k floodlit walkway around the pitches as well with a particular emphasis for those with special needs. It’s going to promote female sports as well. If people know the facilities are there they might come down and watch the match and do a bit of exercise as well. It’s a community base but we need it. We have over 450 members. It’s something we struggle with every year trying to get pitches and training slots.”

The focus is back on Galway now though, in a competition the Tribeswomen won in 2019 and reached the final of last year.

“Cathal Murray said that since day one. If you are performing in training and you are putting the work in, he always gives every player equal opportunity to put your hand up in league games. That is why we do so well in the League as well I suppose. We are so competitive amongst ourselves to get on the team for the Championship.”

Higgins is the living embodiment of that philosophy and of the benefit of a healthy, inclusive environment enabling individuals to blossom.

Good news for Galway, bad news for opposition forwards.

Kilkenny celebrate their league success in 2021.

Source: Ryan Byrne/INPHO

1. Kilkenny’s hopes to retain crown

Following the conclusion of last year’s Division 1 final, Kilkenny looked set to complete a clean sweep and end the year as All-Ireland champions.

As the reigning holders of the O’Duffy Cup, they had just staged an impressive second-half display to defeat Galway and get their 2021 season off to an ideal start. That was the Cats’ second successive victory over the women from the west after narrowly edging out a tense battle in the 2020 All-Ireland final.

The win was all the more impressive given how they had absorbed a relentless sequence of Galway attacks in the first period. Brian Dowling’s side were being out-paced and out-fought.

But despite Galway’s dominance, there was still just three points between the sides at the break. And Kilkenny made better use of the half-time breather and came out roaring on the restart.

The 2021 championship didn’t go to plan for Kilkenny as they fell short against Cork in the All-Ireland semi-final, but retaining their grip on the National League will be a key element of their 2022 reboot.

Kilkenny will face Limerick in their Group 2 opener later today and will have a mouth-watering clash with Cork to gear up for next month.

2. Galway’s winning run

From being thought of as a distant third in the camogie rankings to capturing two All-Ireland titles in three years, Galway are now the dominant side in the sport.

They wilted in the second half of last year’s league final, but soared to new heights with a complete performance in the All-Ireland decider.

Cathal Murray’s side now find themselves in the same position as the 2021 Kilkenny team, and the key question is whether they can go one better and sustain their winning run through this year’s league and championship?

Galway have been drawn in Group 1 for this year’s league, and have managed to avoid the other Big Two in Kilkenny and Cork.

Their Round 1 tie against Offaly this weekend has been postponed. However, they do have some big ties to face against Dublin and Down later this month before taking on Tipperary in March.

Cork’s Pamela Mackey after last year’s All-Ireland final defeat to Galway.

Source: Laszlo Geczo/INPHO

3. Cork’s wait for silverware

In most cases, four years would not be considered a long time to wait. But given Cork’s pedigree in camogie, they would probably class it as a famine.

They’re the leading county on the All-Ireland championship roll of honour, with 28 titles tucked away in their locker. Their most recent O’Duffy Cup triumph was in 2018 when they emerged as back-to-back winners.

You have to go back to 2013 to find their last National League title, a two-point win over Wexford. They’ve reached the Division 1 final three times since then but all attempts ended in defeat.

They’re still showing enough quality to reach finals, including last year’s All-Ireland decider, but a team of this calibre needs to put some silverware back on the board.

There’s been some changes in the Cork camp which will make their 2022 season all the more intriguing to watch. Matthew Twomey took over from Paudie Murray as manager last year, and has drafted in the services of Davy Fitzgerald as part of the backroom team.

Twomey takes up his new role having previously worked in the Cork backroom team and is a highly-rated coach.

Round 1 Division 1 Fixtures – 5/6 February

Group 1

Saturday, 5 February: Galway v Offaly, Gort – Postponed

Saturday, 5 February: Tipperary v Down, The Ragg, Throw-in, 2pm

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Group 2

Saturday, 5 February: Kilkenny v Limerick, John Lockes Callan, 2pm

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CLARE HURLER COLM Galvin has announced his retirement from inter-county hurling. 

The midfielder, who celebrated his 29th birthday on Wednesday, was part of the side that famously lifted the Liam MacCarthy Cup in 2013 and won an All-Star the same year. 

Galvin also claimed three U21 All-Ireland and Munster titles with the Banner between 2012-2014.

However, the Clonlara clubman has been plagued by injuries — an ongoing groin problem, most recently — and missed the whole 2020 season before returning last year.

“It’s a scenario that I never thought or hoped would ever happen but unfortunately following a succession of injuries and repeated setbacks, I’ve had to make the difficult decision to retire from inter-county hurling,” Galvin said in a statement released on Clare GAA’s social media channels today.

“A decade on from making my senior championship debut against Dublin in Cusack Park, I’d love to have continued playing for Clare but after ongoing conversations with Brian (Lohan), realistically my body just isn’t able for the workload required at the highest level any longer.

“Central to this is a persistent groin injury that has never healed properly, which has proven extremely frustrating as well as mentally draining.

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“It’s not easy to step away from the panel, many of which I have hurled alongside since our formative years in a Clare jersey but I sincerely wish the lads and management all the very best for 2022 and beyond.

My focus now is to try and get rehabilitated for my club Clonlara who, along with my parents Kevin and Geraldine, my fiancé Orlaith, siblings Ciara and Ian, friends and extended family, have been so supportive to me throughout my inter-county career.

“I’ve also been blessed to have played with so many great players and equally fortunate to have been coached and managed by people who have given their all for the county. As a result, I’ve been able to fulfil my lifelong dreams of playing at all levels for Clare and made some truly unforgettable memories along the way.”

Galvin (left) and John Conlon celebrate with the Liam MacCarthy after the 2013 All-Ireland final.

Source: Ryan Byrne/INPHO

“To have shared provincial and national successes with such passionate and loyal supporters is something I’ll always cherish and even when things didn’t always go our way, we always felt we had the full backing of the Clare support.

“Knowing the commitment and talent that we have, hopefully there’s much more to come from Brian and the lads in the near future. I look forward to watching their progress and fingers crossed I get the opportunity to experience the celebrations myself from the stands.

“It’s up to Ian to carry the torch for the family now. No pressure”.

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THE REIGNING ALL-Ireland camogie champions Galway have received a huge boost ahead of the 2022 season as long-serving midfielder Niamh Kilkenny is returning for another year.

Kilkenny, who first joined the Galway panel in 2006, enjoyed a stellar campaign for the Tribeswomen last year as they collected their second All-Ireland title in three years.

The42 understands that she is back in the Galway fold ahead of the National League which gets underway this weekend. Cathal Murray’s charges have been drawn in Group 2 and will host Offaly in their league opener in Gort this Saturday afternoon.

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Galway reached the Division 1 final last year where they were narrowly defeated by Brian Dowling’s Kilkenny.

The St Pearses’ star midfielder is a six-time All-Star award winner and was named the  Camogie Association/WGPA Senior Players’ Player of the Year after Galway’s All-Ireland triumph in 2019. 

Kilkenny has also been shortlisted for the top award again in 2021, and is likely to pick up another All-Star after being included in the nominations last October.

The camogie All-Star awards banquet was postponed due to Covid-19 restrictions and is set to take place in 2022.

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CORK BOSSES KIERAN Kingston and Keith Ricken have unveiled their starting sides for tomorrow’s league double-header against Clare in Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

The hurlers play in their Division 1 Group A opener at 5pm as they set out on a new campaign after last year’s All-Ireland final loss at the hands of Limerick.

Nine of the side that started that clash in Croke Park last August are included here. Ciaran Joyce, a star of last year’s U20 winning teams, makes his debut at midfield, while Sean Twomey is another U20 graduate that is selected in attack.

Conor Lehane, recently recalled to the setup, will play his first game for Cork since November 2020 while Ger Millerick, who missed the All-Ireland through injury, is named at full-back, and there are starting attacking places for Alan Cadogan and Shane Barrett, the pair that came on in the second half of that 2021 senior decider.

The Cork footballers will attempt to bounce back from their opening loss to Roscommon, when they face Clare tomorrow night at 7pm in their Division 2 encounter.

Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

Source: Laszlo Geczo/INPHO

Shane Merrit and Mark Buckley are given chances to impress as they make their first senior starts for Cork, while Kevin O’Donovan comes into the defence and Blake Murphy is introduced to the attack. Cian Kiely, John Cooper, Joe Grimes and Mark Cronin are the four players that drop to the bench.

Cork (Hurling v Clare)

1. Patrick Collins (Ballinhassig)

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2. Niall O’Leary (Castlelyons), 3. Ger Millerick (Fr O’Neills), 4. Sean O’Donoghue (Inniscarra)

5. Tim O’Mahony (Newtownshandrum), 6. Mark Coleman (Blarney), 7. Robert Downey (Glen Rovers)

8. Ciaran Joyce (Castlemartyr), 9. Darragh Fitzgibbon (Charleville)

10. Conor Lehane (Midleton), 11. Seamus Harnedy (St Ita’s), 12. Sean Twomey (Courcey Rovers)

13. Shane Kingston (Douglas), 14. Alan Cadogan (Douglas), 15. Shane Barrett (Blarney)

Subs

• 16. Ger Collins (Ballinhassig)
• 17. Cormac O’Brien (Newtownshandrum)
• 18. Damien Cahalane (St Finbarr’s)
• 19. Daire O’Leary (Watergrasshill)
• 20. Sam Quirke (Midleton)
• 21. Conor Cahalane (St Finbarr’s)
• 22. Luke Meade (Newcestown)
• 23. Robbie O’Flynn (Erins Own)
• 24. Jack O’Connor (Sarsfields)
• 25. Patrick Horgan (Glen Rovers)
• 26. Padraig Power (Blarney)

Cork (Football v Clare)

1. Míchéal Martin (Nemo Rangers)

2. Kevin O’Donovan (Nemo Rangers), 3. Kevin Flahive (Douglas), 4. Tadhg Corkery (Cill Na Martra)

5. Rory Maguire (Castlehaven), 6. Sean Powter (Douglas), 7. Matthew Taylor (Mallow)

8. Shane Merrit (Mallow), 9. Colm O’Callaghan (Éire Óg)

10. Daniel Dineen (Cill Na Martra), 11. Blake Murphy (St Vincent’s), 12. John O’Rourke (Carbery Rangers)

13. Mark Buckley (Dohenys), 14. Brian Hurley (Castlehaven), 15. David Buckley (Newcestown)

Subs

• 16. Chris Kelly (Éire Óg)
• 17. Cian Kiely (Ballincollig)
• 18. Paudie Allen (Newmarket)
• 19. Paul Ring (Aghabullogue)
• 20. John Cooper (Éire Óg)
• 21. Joe Grimes (Clonakilty)
• 22. Fionn Herlihy (Dohenys)
• 23. Eoghan McSweeney (Knocknagree)
• 24. Mark Cronin (Nemo Rangers)
• 25. Cillian Donovan (Macroom)
• 26. Luke Fahy (Ballincollig)

The league returns this weekend.

Source: Inpho

1. Fascinating league awaits

The crowds at last weekend’s football league ties showed a massive appetite is there for inter-county games after Covid restrictions were lifted. There are plenty of enticing contests coming up over the next few weeks on the hurling front with the round 2 showdown between Limerick and Galway and the round 4 clash of Waterford v Tipperary among the stand-out ties. And keep an eye out for the form of Dublin, who enjoyed some eye-catching results in the pre-season and could take a leap forward in 2022. 

2. Henry Shefflin era begins in Galway 

All eyes will be on Galway as Shefflin takes his first steps as an inter-county boss. Like most managers, he’ll be looking to come out of the league with a good idea of his best 20 players ahead of the Leinster campaign. He cast the net wide during the pre-season, using 47 players, and will be hoping a couple of young guns put up their hands in the five games ahead.

It’s easy to forget that at the end of last year’s league Galway were widely considered the biggest challengers to Limerick’s throne. They’ve lost Joe Canning and Aidan Harte, yet their spine remains formidable: Daithi Burke, Fintan Burke, Padraig Mannion, Cathal Mannion, Joseph Cooney, David Burke, Conor Whelan, Brian Concannon and Evan Niland.

3. Will Limerick keep rolling on? 

Their form in the Munster Hurling Cup suggests they will. An experimental Limerick outfit featuring a handful of regulars had nine points to spare over Clare in the final of the pre-season competition last month. They lost S&C coach Mikey Kiely but poached Cairbre O’Caireallain from rivals Tipperary in the off-season. Mike Casey returns from a cruciate injury, with youngsters like Colin Coughlan and Cathal O’Neill vying for first-team opportunities. There’s also interest in how the abolishment of water breaks will affect them, given the adjustments Paul Kinnerk could make after each quarter in the past two seasons.

Brian McGrath could have a big year for Tipperary.

Source: Morgan Treacy/INPHO

4. Transition in Tipperary

The retirements of Padraic Maher and Brendan Maher, plus the knee injury that could keep John Bubbles O’Dwyer out for the league means Tipperary head into the league down a lot of experience and knowhow. Colm Bonnar will need to find a couple of replacements in his defence, with Brian McGrath an obvious candidate to nail down a starting place.

The return of Patrick Bonner Maher is a boost and John McGrath’s scintillating form in the club championship was also most welcome. The stars of Tipperary’s two All-Ireland U20 winning teams are getting older. Now is the time to find out if they can produce the goods at senior level. The league will tell a lot in that regard.

5. Cork’s response to All-Ireland final 

A chastening defeat to Limerick last August and the subsequent All-Stars snub left a bitter taste in Cork’s mouth after a progressive 2021 season. They lost Eoin Cadogan, Billy Cooper and Colm Spillane to retirement, but Mark Keane joined the squad and Conor Lehane returned after a return to form with Midleton.

Kieran Kingston’s priority in the league will centre around finding athletes in the middle third to match Limerick, with the half-forward line of particular concern. They could do with a couple morale-boosting wins in the league give them momentum. 

Clubmates Michael Fennelly and Henry Shefflin meet on the sideline in round 1.

Source: Ken Sutton/INPHO

6. Battle to survive in Division 1

The task facing Offaly in Group A is a difficult one. They open the campaign against Galway on Sunday, before ties against Cork, Clare, Wexford and Limerick. Having come from Division 2 and the Christy Ring in 2021, it’s a big challenge for Michael Fennelly’s young team. If they can stay competitive and avoid heavy beatings it will leave them in good stead for the Joe Mcdonagh Cup.

The same is true for Laois and Antrim in Group B, although with only one team going into the relegation play-off they have plenty to fight for. Antrim surprised many with a fine league campaign last year and Cheddar Plunkett spoke recently about his desire to prove the O’Moore County belong in the top tier. 

7. Wexford start life after Davy Fitzgerald

Plenty of counties enjoy a first-year bounce when a new manager arrives at the helm and Darragh Egan will be aiming to hit the ground running in the league. He put together an interesting management team with the recent additions of Gordon D’Arcy and Billy Walsh to his set-up. Wexford are coming off the back of two poor seasons, yet the task of replacing Davy Fitzgerald cannot be underestimated.

It’s likely they’ll play without seven defenders for the first time in five years and that will take some adjusting for the players. The 2019 Leinster champions looked flat and open at the back in their one-sided Walsh Cup final loss to Dublin last weekend. Egan will be expecting a response against Limerick on Sunday. 

How will Wexford fare under Darragh Egan?

Source: Ryan Byrne/INPHO

8. Kerry and Kildare rise

The promotion race in Division 2A will be worth watching given the recent successes in Kerry and Kildare. The Kingdom’s pre-season win over Tipperary coupled with Kilmoyley’s run to the All-Ireland intermediate final are major positives for Stephen Molumphy as he prepares for his rookie league campaign. 

Similarly, Kildare hurling has been steadily improving in recent years after relentless work at underage level. Their U20s beat Wexford last year while Naas lifted the Leinster intermediate title and will play Kilmoyley in Saturday’s All-Ireland decider. Promotion to the top tier in hurling would be another major sign of progress for the Lilywhites.

9. Fresh tactics and talent

Hurling’s evolution has been led by Limerick in recent years. To take down the Treaty, their rivals may need to bring something new rather than attempting to mirror their style. What fresh ideas might Shefflin bring to Galway or Bonnar to Tipperary? What did Cork’s management learn from the All-Ireland defeat to Limerick? What has Liam Cahill up his sleeve as he attempts to get Waterford over the line? Then there’s the young talent that will emerge in the weeks ahead and announce themselves on the national stage. 

10. Managers’ approach

It will be interesting to see how managers approach the league given championship starts in mid-April. There may be less experimentation, although the last time a round-robin format took place the league wasn’t taken as seriously by many leading counties. 

There’s also a sense that teams won’t want to make the Division 1 final given it takes place two weeks out from the beginning of the provincial openers. Plenty to watch out for.

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JUST TWO YEARS after suffering relegation from Dublin’s top-tier championship, the St Sylvester’s Ladies team are preparing for an All-Ireland final.

St Sylvesters’ captain Danielle Lawless [right] is gearing up for the currentaccount.ie intermediate All-Ireland final against

Source: Seb Daly/SPORTSFILE

Their new manager Anthony Cooke has been credited with much of their quick recovery, guiding them to an intermediate county final last October where they accounted for Castleknock to become champions.

A Leinster title followed in December after overcoming Longford Slashers before defeating Fermanagh champions Kinawley Brian Borus in the All-Ireland semi-final.

Their rapid rebirth is now just one win away from reaching the pinnacle of this grade and earning a shot at redemption in the senior ranks.

“He [Cooke] came in with new ideas and it’s something that we all kind of needed,” says St Sylvester’s captain Danielle Lawless ahead of the decider clash with Castlebar Mitchels on Sunday.

“He’s just been phenomenal, the hard work he’s put in on and off the pitch.”

“I suppose we were kind of struggling with numbers.

“We had a few people leave the team, going away or working. I just don’t think the commitment was there and I just think Covid was a bit of a blessing in disguise.

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“People got a break from football and a break from the disappointment and we came back fresher than ever, and this year has just been unbelievable.”

St Sylvester’s is blessed with inter-county talent. Sinéad Aherne, Niamh McEvoy, Nicole Owens and Kate Sullivan are four Syls players representing their native Dublin, while defender Kim White plays for the Down Ladies. 

Aherne, McEvoy and Owens have played key roles in the Dublin side who who narrowly fell short of completing an All-Ireland five-in-a-row last year.

Unsurprisingly, their input is at the core of St Sylvester’s impressive progress through this year’s championship. In the All-Ireland semi-final, Aherne and Sullivan combined for 3-6 to help their side to a 12-point victory.

“She’s [Aherne] been on form all season and we can always rely on her. And the five other girls up front can be relied on as well so they all compliment each other.”

Remarking on the overall impact of all of St Sylvester’s inter-county contingent, Lawless adds: 

“Just the experience that they bring to our team and new ideas. They’re always willing to help the girls and they improve us. We miss them when they’re gone but when they come back, we all compliment each other so it’s massive to have five superstars on our team.”

Lawless describes the All-Ireland final as “uncharted territory” for Syls some 10 years on from their last great milestone when the club reached a Leinster final.

They don’t know much about their opponents Castlebar Mitchells, preferring instead to focus on their own strengths and what they can achieve as a team.

“We haven’t really thought about it. Winning the All-Ireland semi-final hasn’t even sunk in yet and I don’t think it will until the whistle blows and we’re standing on a pitch in an All-Ireland final. But it would mean a huge amount to our town.

“The support was phenomenal when we won Dublin and Leinster. I know that’s going to continue to the final so it will mean a huge amount to the community but definitely to the girls as well. We’ve never been here before.

“As a team, we’ve gotten a lot closer. We’ve all gone through this together so it’s been really good.”

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Updated Thu 11:07 PM

THE DRAW HAS been finalised for the semi-finals of the Sigerson Cup, which will take place next Thursday 10 February.

DCU, the reigning champions, will play UL in one clash with MTU Kerry facing NUI Galway in the other fixture.

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Both games will be played at neutral venues to be confirmed with the live-streaming details for the games, also yet to be announced.

DCU held off Ulster University in their quarter-final yesterday, with David Clifford inspiring UL for their triumph against Queens University.

Tuesday’s quarter-finals saw NUI Galway defeat Letterkenny IT, while MTU Kerry easily overcame Maynooth University.

DCU are the only recent champions involved while NUI Galway last won in 2003, MTU Kerry in 1999 and UL have never claimed the title.

🏆 The @ElectricIreland Higher Education Sigerson Cup Semi-Finals

It is down to the last four and we have two massive games.

Streaming details to follow!!!@GAANUIG v @MTUKerryGAAClub @DCUDocEirGAA v @ul_gaa

#⃣ #GAA #FirstClassRivals #SigersonCup pic.twitter.com/iDKXUqHre5

— GAA Higher Education (@HigherEdGAA) February 3, 2022

The Fitzgibbon Cup quarter-final line-up has been finalised tonight.

The last-eight stage will see NUI Galway hosting Waterford IT, IT Carlow play at home to UCC, while TUS Midwest travel to GMIT and UL host MTU Cork.

Tonight’s games saw UL hammer TU Dublin by 5-25 to 1-14 in Group D, which left TUS Midwest as runners-up in the group.

MTU Cork fell to GMIT by 1-19 to 1-17 in Group C. Both sides were already through the three-team group, but GMIT’s victory saw them finish top with the Cork side in second.

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Updated Thu 9:30 PM

SATURDAY’S HURLING SCHEDULE will commence for Tommy Guilfoyle in Dr Hyde Park.

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He’s jumped on board as coach to the Roscommon senior hurlers this year, alongside new manager Francis O’Halloran, a pair of Clare natives trying to spread the hurling gospel.

They’re having a puck around at 9am in the Roscommon county ground, to acclimatise themselves to the surroundings before Sunday’s league opener against Tyrone.

Guilfoyle, a long-serving stalwart in Clare hurling forward lines, will be on the sideline for that Division 3A fixture but in between he’ll be back home immersed in local hurling matters.

The plan is hit the road and by Saturday lunchtime be parked up at the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick. He’s on co-commentary duty for Clare FM, this is a game close to his heart. His alma mater St Joseph’s from Tulla partake in a moment of history, their first appearance in a Dr Harty Cup final, the premier Munster hurling colleges competition.

There will be a healthy representation of players from his own club Feakle. The semi-final win over Waterford’s De La Salle took place in Mallow and saw another day of hurling double-jobbing.

After that mid-afternoon game, he was headed to the Connacht GAA Air Dome in Mayo to witness Roscommon win a pre-season provincial league final at the expense of Sligo.

It’s a hectic time but covering so many miles on the road is worth it as he sees the impact in East Clare of this novel hurling journey.

“It’s been building since Christmas really, winning the quarter-final and the semi-final and now this unique occasion.

“The last day, the game was on the Saturday and the lockdown finished on the Friday, so we were back to normal opening. Someone described Tulla on Saturday evening as like Paddy’s weekend, there was a carnival atmosphere around the town.

“The crowd have played a big part in it. They’ve got great support from local clubs and businesses. 

“I’ve been at colleges games own the years but the after the quarter-final, the emotion and joy on the field, I never saw that level before. Parents, past pupils, grandparents, teachers, ex-teachers. There was a big sing-song on the field, I never saw it after a game.

“Just relief and great joy. So many outside people that weren’t parents or pupils to turn up to a game, and for it to take off with a school team. Saturday afternoons, watching St Joseph’s Tulla is the place to be.”

The final hurdle to be surmounted is on Saturday after a campaign filled with milestones. St Joseph’s had never won a game before in the Dr Harty Cup, that was their modest aim at the outset this season. Their team had climbed steadily through the ranks and have flourished in this knockout format, clipping the wings of St Colman’s Fermoy, CBC Cork and De La Salle Waterford.

The victories have been founded on stirring comebacks and the remarkable free-taking expertise of forward Sean Withycombe, who has hit 1-38 in their last three victories.

“Sean’s father is a Kerryman, he’s very proud of that,” says Guilfoyle.

“It’s the sum of the team more so than individuals. In the quarter-final, the corner-back Dara Ryan popped up with a score when all looked lost. The inspiration and the winnings have come from different areas.

“It’s very much player driven. That comes from a great belief amongst themselves where they’re never beaten.

“This is a once in a generation team based on the strength of the clubs around. They wouldn’t have a conveyor belt coming every year. Down the years Tulla would be looking in the road to Flannan’s, the aristocrats of hurling. I suppose Tulla were wondering, ‘Could it be us?’ ”

Feakle and St Joseph’s Tulla player Adam Hogan.

Source: Lorraine O’Sullivan/INPHO

It is a team anchored by three local clubs – Tulla, Feakle and O’Callaghan Mills supply 12 of the starting side between them. There was one player apiece from Clooney-Quin, Crusheen and Broadford in their starting fifteen for the semi-final.

They have been powered by a strong spirit and sense of unity in their playing group. Life off the pitch has illustrated to Guilfoyle how the players look out for each other and the locality is there to provide valuable support.

“What really bonds this group together is Ronan O’Connor and Oisin O’Connor, the brothers from Feakle, they’ve had a double tragedy in the last couple of years. They lost their father Pat to a farming accident and last year they buried their mother Denise, she died of cancer. It was tragic and such a tough blow for them.

“There has been great support from the school, the teachers and all the parents of their team-mates, not alone when it happened but continue to do so. The lads live just up the road from me. Their fellow players and school mates have really stuck together, in its own way it has really bound them together.

“I remember being around the house at the funerals and the most striking was the amount of students that were there for the few days. The school continues to oversee the supply of dinners and stuff like that. Ronan is the captain, he was on the Clare minor team last year.

“It shines through very strongly that they are a very united bunch. The hurling has been a great outlet for them. The support has been brilliant from everyone and continues within the parish and the clubs and more importantly, the school.”

Galway’s Aidan Harte.

Source: James Crombie/INPHO

On the hurling front they have plenty expertise guiding them. Terence Fahy is the Clare U20 hurling manager. Tomas Kelly steered Inagh-Kilnamona to last year’s county senior showpiece in the Banner county. Aidan Harte has come across the border from Gort, bringing with him a wealth of playing experience in Galway colours which included the highlight of contributing to their 2017 Liam MacCarthy Cup win.

That trio of teachers adds profile to the sideline, opponents Ardscoil Rís have people of similar stature in current Clare senior Paul Flanagan, former Limerick senior Niall Moran and Clonlara’s Cormac O’Donovan, the supplier of a famous match-winner in Clare’s 2009 All-Ireland U21 final glory.

Ardscoil Rís coach Niall Moran.

Source: Ryan Byrne/INPHO

“The Clare connections add to the intrigue,” says Guilfoyle.

“I’d be a past pupil of Tulla, we had great teachers down the line. We won All-Ireland colleges B back in the ’80s. Seanie McMahon that went on to play for Clare centre-back, his father Michael was involved. John Stack was another great man that put in a lot of effort.”

“The lads now have great experience and know-how. The new school was built seven or eight years ago, and there’s an all-weather pitch there, that all helps and this team has that new identity.

“Let’s hope they can do themselves justice on Saturday. Play the game rather than the occasion because Ardscoil have been there before and they have that winning tradition.

“There’s great excitement around. Everyone wants to be a part of this.”

• Dr Harty Cup final: St Joseph’s Tulla v Ardscoil Rís, Gaelic Grounds, 1pm – Saturday 5 February.

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Israel unquestionably has the military advantage in its ongoing conflict with Hamas. But in the fight to control the public narrative of the conflict, Israel’s edge seems to be slipping.

In previous rounds of conflict, the Israeli government was often able to capitalize on its widely followed official social media channels, as well as statements by leaders, to help shape the narrative in its favor, portraying itself as a nation unjustly under attack with the sole goal of defending itself.

But this time around, Palestinians speaking out against the Israeli occupation and its overwhelming military bombardment of Gaza have had far more success in telling their side of the story on social media — eroding Israel’s edge in the battle of perspectives and gaining a rapt audience in the US.

From making solidarity videos on TikTok to using Twitter to organize international protests to posting videos to Instagram showing Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, Palestinians and those around the world sympathetic to their plight have made social media a central weapon in the narrative fight against Israel. Those weapons are deployed on many fronts: using different platforms to target multiple audiences — in the region and around the world — while also using apps to coordinate actions among themselves.

The majority use it to counter the Israeli government’s claims and promote a pro-Palestinian narrative, though some take to social media to praise the actions of Hamas.

“It’s like a TikTok intifada,” said Michael Bröning, executive director of the German think tank Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung’s office in New York, using the Arabic term used to describe previous Palestinian uprisings.

Social media played a central role in past Israel-Gaza wars, where clips on YouTube and messages on Facebook and Twitter aimed to report events in real time. But the emergence of new platforms like Telegram and TikTok have allowed more — and younger — people to engage with this flare-up online. And now that social media platforms are a key delivery system for news consumption, many on the apps can experience the complexities of the region in real time, muddying the usual easy storylines.

“There is a penetration of the mainstream narrative,” said Marwa Fatafta, a Berlin-based policy analyst at Al-Shabaka, a Palestinian-focused think tank headquartered in New York City. “People are able to see with their own eyes, without being censored, what’s going on minute by minute.”

But Palestinians have also found the proliferation of social media to be a “double-edged sword,” in the words of two experts. Far-right Israeli Jewish mobs have reportedly coordinated attacks on Israeli Arabs via the messaging app Telegram, for example, and lies hyping the Palestinian “threat” have spread wildly on WhatsApp. “Palestinians are coming, parents protect your children,” read one message.

“We’re getting more unfiltered perspectives from the Israeli side,” said Emerson Brooking, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council think tank in Washington, DC, and co-author of LikeWar: The Weaponization of Social Media. The ultimate result is that “it’s not two sides presenting their perspectives. It’s much messier and much less centralized than it was before.”

That messiness has allowed Palestinian voices and their stories to emerge during the crisis while weakening the usual monopoly the Israeli government has on messaging. It’s an asset Palestinians don’t want to lose.

“We’re the weak ones. Social media — our cameras and our videos — is one of the only means that we have. They have the weapons and the laws and the infrastructure,” said Inès Abdel Razek, advocacy director for the Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy. “Palestinians just want to explain why this is happening and contextualize.”

Palestinians are winning the online war against the Israeli government

The online activism of Mohammed El-Kurd, whose family in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah is slated for eviction from their home by right-wing Israeli settler organizations, made him an instant celebrity. A poet, he’s used his facility with words and social media — namely Instagram — to make his case against Israeli occupation and for the residents of his area.

Now, news organizations around the world ask him for interviews, providing him a platform to make his case — and that of Palestinians more broadly.

“It’s not really an eviction, it’s forced ethnic displacement, to be accurate, because an eviction implies legal authority,” he told CNN last week, describing the attempt to evict his family from their home in Sheikh Jarrah. “While the Israeli occupation has no legitimate jurisdiction over the eastern parts of occupied Jerusalem under international law, it also implies the presence of a landlord.”

The day after his interview, Israeli forces removed him from Sheikh Jarrah — a moment captured on social media.

The rancor from Israeli authorities may have stemmed from the fact that El-Kurd managed to distill the Palestinian position on a sensitive issue in American media, where the Palestinian plight is heard less often than the Israeli one.

Meanwhile, Palestinians in Gaza keep uploading videos showing their experience under bombardment. One TikTok video from last week, which has been “liked” over 4 million times, purportedly shows Gazans running after an airstrike. Another popular TikTok video featured images of crying Palestinian children and the destruction of a high-rise building after an Israeli attack.

It’s not just images of suffering that dominate Palestinian-focused TikTok, though. Beauty bloggers like Miryam Beauty are posting videos in which they paint their face the colors of the Palestinian flag, a way to show support for that cause without having to say a word.

These uploads allow Palestinians battling with police in East Jerusalem, withstanding Israel’s attacks in Gaza, and watching the conflict from afar to speak with a common voice. “Palestinian sentiment has been awakened and unified,” said Fatafta. “There’s a new sense of identity and new sense of understanding and solidarity with Palestinians.”

There’s another reason for the Palestinian success online, American University’s Thomas Zeitzoff told me, namely that their plight against state violence reminds many in the US of the Black Lives Matter movement. That’s led progressives in Congress, for example, to explicitly link what they’re seeing online to the fight for racial justice at home.

“We must recognize that Palestinian rights matter. Palestinian lives matter,” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) wrote last week in the New York Times.

Celebrities, who tend to avoid sensitive global conflicts, have also waded in. Two of them are Gigi and Bella Hadid, supermodels whose father is Palestinian. Gigi posted to her more than 66 million Instagram followers last week that “You cannot pick & choose whose human rights matter more.”

It seems that celebrities and politicians lifting Palestinian voices have brought the issue into the mainstream. The US fashion Instagram account @diet_prada posted a cartoon asking its nearly 3 million followers to “Stand with the oppressed” — and calling Israelis the “oppressors.”

Of course, that narrative still has to compete with pro-Israel content on social media platforms. The problem for Israel is that, when it comes to official government accounts, at least, attempts to sway the conversation to the pro-Israel side often ending up doing just the opposite.

Israel’s social media game is weak right now

Israeli government accounts on Twitter, Instagram, and elsewhere, which have millions of followers, make it easy for the official line to reach an audience. But that’s not always a good thing.

Take this thread post from the state of Israel’s verified Twitter account, which includes rows and rows of nothing but rocket emojis — 12 full tweets’ worth.

Once you get to the bottom of the thread, it becomes clear that the emojis are meant to represent all the rockets Hamas has indiscriminately launched into Israel, threatening and killing the nation’s citizens.

But in the midst of a conflict that has also seen an overwhelming Israeli aerial bombardment of Gaza, seeing the country’s official Twitter account tweeting nothing but rows and rows of what at quick glance can also look an awful lot like warplanes struck the wrong chord with many on social media, including some who perhaps didn’t bother to scroll all the way down to the tweet explaining the thread.

Others simply objected to what seemed like a blatant attempt to focus solely on Hamas’s actions devoid of any context. Some of the responses were brutal:

It was far from the first time an official Israeli account stepped in it.

An Instagram post from the Israel Defense Forces’ official account showed two stacked photos of a high-rise building in Gaza. The first, labeled “Before” in Hebrew, showed the building standing tall. The second, labeled “After,” showed the building as a pile of rubble. The text accompanying the images extolled the IDF’s “significant achievement” of destroying yet another multi-story tower in Gaza, which it said was “used by terrorist organizations.”

Here, again, though some supporters praised the post, many people were disgusted by the bragging tone.

“[E]very time i think there’s a limit to the sheer joy someone can take in human suffering, the IDF social media manager bursts through,” one Twitter user wrote.

And then there’s Gal Gadot, the Israeli actress famous for portraying Wonder Woman, who tweeted that while “Israel deserves to live as a free and safe nation, Our neighbors deserve the same.”

Gadot disabled comments on the tweet for all the vitriol she received, with some claiming the former Israeli military soldier was putting out “propaganda” for her country. Still, this was a far more measured comment than what she wrote in 2014 during the last time the Israeli government fought against Hamas.

“I am sending my love and prayers to my fellow Israeli citizens,” she wrote on her official Facebook page at the time. “Especially to all the boys and girls who are risking their lives protecting my country against the horrific acts conducted by Hamas, who are hiding like cowards behind women and children.”

So even when celebrities weigh in or official social media account take a more straightforward approach and attempt to show the plight of Israeli citizens living under constant rocket attack from Hamas, the results often fail to stir the same level of sympathy and outrage simply because Israel’s overwhelming offensive and defensive military capabilities — including its powerful Iron Dome system, which intercepts a huge percentage (though not all) of the rockets Hamas fires — creates a vast disparity in the number of deaths and injuries suffered on both sides.

As of Thursday, the death toll was over 200 for Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank and over 10 in Israel.