Áine O'Sullivan
So who is Áine O'Sullivan?
I hail from the Royal County Meath, in a village called Ratoath. A small place growing up and now a built-up commuter area for Dublin. I come from a family of six children and am the second youngest, with two older sisters, two older brothers and one younger brother.
Sport was always a part of family life growing up in the era of Sean Boylan and Jack Charlton, it was hard not to be interested. We had a family business where we sold flags, so all summer we would have sold flags and bunting for everyone to decorate in support of Meath or Ireland in the good days.
We branched out into t-shirts in the summer of the Meath v Dublin replay saga in 1991. All the kids had a t-shirt with the results of the previous Leinster finals in anticipation for the following weekend. There was an amazing atmosphere in support of our boys in green.
After secondary school in Ashbourne Community School, I completed a two-year PLC course in Interior Design in Liberties College Dublin, followed by a four-year degree in Design in Mountjoy Square.
By profession I am a Visual Merchandiser, working in many retail outlets such as River Island, A-Wear, New Look and IKEA over the years of studying and after graduating.
Fun Fact: I was one of the first 50 staff employed for the IKEA Dublin store where we designed and carried out the shop fit.
Life Today
In 2007, just after graduating from DIT, myself, Áine Killian at the time, met a Portlaoise Townie, Fergus. Not an avid GAA supporter but a Liverpool supporter so that was great, ABU and all that.
We are married 11 years this October and I have been living in Portlaoise for over 12 years. We viewed a house in Bellingham during the bad snow in January 2010 and I fell in love with a show house. We moved into that house on Valentine's Day 2010.
Since then we have had three children, Billy, Danny and Sally-Anne.
After having Billy, I decided to search for a local job before my maternity leave was up. Shaws were moving to their new residence beside Lidl and I dropped my CV into the old shop. The rest is history.
I worked in the fashions department and completed visual merchandising and window displays. I worked there for over seven years, making many lifelong friends along the way, some of whom have strong connections with Portlaoise GAA and other GAA clubs in Laois.
In 2019 we decided to sell up in Bellingham and move to Fergus' home house on Harpur's Lane. It was such a good move for us considering what was ahead with the pandemic.
During the pandemic I decided to relook at my career and return to college. From deciding to complete an SNA course I got the bug. I completed my Level 5 and 6 SNA modules in 2020/21 and then completed a Level 5 Full Award in Early Learning and Care in 2021/22, achieving Student of the Year.
This year I am completing my Full Award in Level 6 in the same area and hope to continue to a Level 8 degree on a part-time basis, hopefully securing a role as a Further Education teacher in Early Learning and Care in years to come.
Interest in Sport
I have a big interest in sport. I love GAA and soccer, but I would watch any sport where we can cheer on a good sportsperson or team.
Growing up, myself and my siblings were big Meath GAA fans, even though our parents hailed from Dublin and Leitrim. I've many memories of going to Croke Park for matches over the years with family and friends, along with following the Meath team bus for celebrations to Navan and Kepak while meeting Sean Boylan and holding "Sam".
My two older brothers were heavily involved in GAA and soccer in our village and still are. I would have been an avid supporter on the sideline to their playing careers and have great memories of attending their matches.
They both played for Ratoath GAA and Ratoath Harps FC. Conor played a stint for Drogheda United and Sean went to West Virginia in America on a soccer scholarship.
Myself and an older sister visited him while he was there. It was a great experience. He came home from America to play in a final or two during his four years of study.
I also remember welcoming home the Irish soccer team in 1990. What an era to grow up in.
I'm a Liverpool supporter since primary school. One brother supported Leeds, one Newcastle and the youngest was a Manchester United fan, so weekends were full of banter.
We were all members of our local athletics club which I enjoyed competing with and I later joined Portlaoise Athletic Club.
Joining the Streets of Portlaoise event a few times was lovely and displayed the essence of a great community.
I would have loved to have been in Croke Park on July 31 to see both Laois and Meath win All-Ireland Ladies titles and to see Emma Duggan play, considering her Portlaoise roots and my Meath loyalties.
To keep fit I like to walk or jog when I can, but my main love is the gym. I joined Ladies Only Lifting in 2017. Yvonne Culleton welcomed me and helped grow my interest in training.
Playing Days
I played football for the Ratoath ladies GAA team and my school team growing up but hung up my boots when I secured a job at 14 years of age, starting in a local SuperValu. That was the beginning of a long service in the retail industry.
I also played for the girls' basketball team in secondary school, something I enjoyed, but had no local club to join.
Looking back, there wasn't as much opportunity for girls to stay in sport as there is now and I'm delighted that has changed for the better.
Getting Involved with Portlaoise
From making connections with colleagues in Shaws I realised the strong GAA presence there was in this town. This was especially conveyed to me by Anne McCormac, an avid Townie whose stories about matches brought memories back of my own match-going days.
As Billy was reaching the age of four, I was eager to have him join the GAA and soccer clubs in town. I didn't really know how to join but I saw a sign inviting 2013-born children to Rathleague and contacted the club Facebook page.
Billy began his GAA journey with Portlaoise GAA and in 2018 there was a call for parents to help at nursery level. Myself and Mark Mulligan were in the wrong place at the right time.
I never thought I would end up coaching but we were asked to take on the 2013-born team at U7 level. To my surprise I really enjoyed it. The coaching courses were interesting and it sparked an interest in coaching, but mainly it brought back a sense of community I felt I had lost after moving to Portlaoise.
I volunteered with Billy's team for two years until they completed U8s. Then it was Danny's turn. Danny is a January baby and had many friends born in 2014, so joining the 2015 group initially didn't go as smoothly.
Covid didn't help as the 2015-born team never had their U5 year. Since the return of sport, however, the club and its volunteers have brought that group on brilliantly.
This period coincided with Danny's ASD diagnosis. Wanting him to still be able to participate in a sport I loved sparked an interest in finding what more could be offered for children who find participation difficult.
From my SNA studies I completed Autism in Sport and Inclusion in Sport courses through Cara Ireland.
Prior to Covid I volunteered alongside Pat Critchley in schools through the club-school link initiative. In 2019 I completed a term helping Pat and the GPO in Holy Family School with Junior and Senior Infants.
Then it became Sally-Anne's turn. I volunteered with her U5 year and the girls U6 group. Sally-Anne loves playing camogie and football with her friends and the enthusiasm shown by the children is a credit to the coaches and the improved school-club links.
In 2021 I joined the G4M&O team of the club. It was a chance for fun and exercise during a period when gym access was limited.
This year I was also asked to take on the role of Disability and Inclusion Officer in the club. I was honoured to accept.
Town All Stars
The main action we completed this year was helping the Town All Stars go from strength to strength.
We provided the club's first inclusive Cúl Camp, organised a trip to Croke Park for the GAA Inclusion Day and helped create experiences that will stay in the memory for many of the children and families involved.
To set up the Town All Stars I initially contacted Mike Henchy in 2020 and he directed me to look at The Rock GAA Club who had recently established an inclusion programme.
Later, through the club's Health and Wellbeing Group, I worked with Catherine Doyle, Mike Henchy, Leona Conroy, Kimberly Keogh, Sal Dwyer and many others to turn the idea into reality.
What began with 15 places quickly expanded to over 30 children and a waiting list. We ran a four-week programme during September and October 2021 which proved hugely successful.
This season we reconvened earlier in the year. Laois Sports Partnership and Susan Crawford from Get Autism Active were instrumental in helping coaches and volunteers build on the foundations already laid.
The group continues to grow and progress. Sal Dwyer now leads a committed group of coaches delivering developmentally appropriate activities for children with a broad range of additional needs.
The group finished the 2022 season on a high with newly sponsored training tops and the programme continues to go from strength to strength.
We also hosted Portlaoise GAA's first Inclusive Cúl Camp in conjunction with Laois Sports Partnership. Almost 30 children attended over three days in Rathleague.
To finish the summer we attended Croke Park's Inclusion Day, a dream come true for many of the players, families and coaches involved.
As Disability and Inclusion Officer, I hope the Town All Stars continue to grow and inspire. They are very special children and a constant inspiration to everyone involved.
What type of club would you like to see?
I see the club continuing to go from strength to strength across boys, girls, men and women. The growth of the club has been phenomenal and there is still so much more to come.
The development of the amenities in Rathleague will have a huge knock-on effect on the future growth of the club.
I would like to see a club that grows its community and creates a welcoming atmosphere for every new family that comes through the gates.
One thing I have learned through my studies is that it is not always the product that counts but the process. Winning medals, cups and producing elite players is important, but the journey is just as important.
The process is a learning curve for players, coaches and families alike. Retention from nursery through to senior level will be a testament to the club's dedication to ensuring everyone enjoys their experience.
If we get that process right, players will continue to commit to their club long after their playing days are over.