Lorraine McCormack

Originally published: Town Tattler Vol 1 Issue 6

We caught up with well known member of Portlaoise LGFA and long time Portlaoise GAA supporter, meet Lorraine McCormack.

Earliest memories of Portlaoise GAA

As a family we joke about, “if we didn’t enjoy sport we’d get left behind”, so my earliest memories of Portlaoise GAA would be attending my brothers Brian and Keith’s matches.

On a personal note it would be U12 with Joe Wright and Tony Ryan as managers, in the old GAA grounds, playing alongside the likes of Liadhan Cushen, Rachel Monaghan, Grainne Egan, Tara Moran and Rebecca Kelly to name but a few.

Earliest involvements

I started playing football in primary school under the guidance of Mr Fennell and Mr Ahern. From there then I joined the Portlaoise Club when I was U12, in 2001. It was the first U12 team and that year I won my first county medal beating Ballylinan in a replay in O Moore Park.

Who did you look up to?

As an individual with any interest in sport, who has passed through the doors of Scoil Chriost Ri, it was inevitable that you fell under the wing and guidance of Pat Critchley. His passion and commitment to sport in general is admirable and to hear the younger generation of today speak so highly of him proves what a legend he is.

Of course my family were huge influences in both my football and basketball days. Thankfully my playing days are over as some of the post-match analysis was a little brutally honest, especially in football. Basketball was more of a “foreign sport” so I got away with a bit more.

During your playing days, what were your highlights and disappointments?

Highlights: Winning the first Junior Ladies final since the ladies club was reformed. We played R & C Gaels in a comfortable enough battle. We then went on to win the Intermediate Championship the next year and broke into senior ranks in 2007.

Disappointment: missing out on a senior county medal, but take great privilege in being involved with the incredible bunch of girls who did last year.

Best players you played with and against?

Best players to play with would have to be Claire Dunne, current player, and Ash O Gorman, two solid backs who came out with many a ball, sometimes they didn’t even have a right to win.

Best players against: at juvenile level Claire Fox of St Conleths. Her skill and work rate were unbelievable for her age. Maggie Murphy and Mo Nerney of Timahoe, both incredibly talented ladies and their never say die attitude always kept us to the pin of our collars in many a close encounter.

Best players in the game today?

I cannot not mention our Scoil Chriost Ri girls, “the Troublesome 5”: Rebecca Reddin, Ciara Byrne, Gra O Reilly, Rachel Glynn and Shauna Dooley. These girls have no fear. They have won many an All-Ireland with the school and this experience shows in the kind of players they are today.

This year we have a few younger players join the squad, Eimear Marrum and Molly McNulty. Both girls have huge potential and we look forward to seeing them break Junior and Senior ranks.

What is your current involvement?

I am currently the Female Liaison Officer for the Junior and Senior ladies, or as previously referred to in another issue as the “young mammy” to the 50 ladies that we have.

I am also involved in the Club Health and Well-being and the Grants action groups within the club.

What is your take on the development of senior ladies team over the years?

A lot of great work has been done for the development of the ladies team over the last few years, and it is great to see before our own training sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays the huge turnout of U12, U14 and U16 girls.

The current ladies senior team, many of which I would have played with down through the years, have progressed enormously over the last five years, through the various coaches and disciplines. Every lost final up to 2020, as hard as they all were, has benefited this group of girls. Hindsight is a great thing I know.

The current management of Stephen Duff, Ivan Byrne and Teddy McCormack have capitalised on the foundation work that was done before them, brought the structure to another level, introduced a S & C coach and sports psychologist, both of which I never had in my time.

But most importantly they instilled belief in the group. They changed the tune of “ye are just there, next year will be the year”. 2020 was the year.

Who are the unsung heroes behind this?

There is many an unsung hero in the club. For me a special mention must go to Catherine Gavin and Deirdre Murphy. Both ladies have done and continue to do so much for the ladies, be it on the pitch or in the background.

Sonny Keogh, Liam Breen and Crocky Maher, they have all looked after us on pitch 4 and ensured we had the lights when needed in the run up to the county final and our run in the Leinster campaign.

The girls themselves: the last year and a half has been difficult and challenging and their dedication and effort hasn’t gone unnoticed.

The social group that we have within the team have done great work to keep the buzz and craic going within the group, organising various Zoom quizzes, awards nights etc.

What are your thoughts on the anomaly of different affiliations for LGFA and GAA?

All be it that there has been a lot of work done, there is plenty still to do in order to have the Ladies recognised under the GAA umbrella.

Huge work has been done with regards to facility standards for the ladies, Mens GPA and the Ladies GPA are together and the fact that they are getting nearly 50k supporters at big games, which are also being televised, shows that the Ladies GAA is getting more recognition.

This has also been aided by the backing from Lidl and the 20x20 campaign, which is great to see.

What are your hopes for Portlaoise GAA?

I would hope to see the club continue to grow and to continue its success on the field and of course a Leinster title for the Ladies later this year. September 8th, hopefully we will be allowed supporters by then.

Off the field there is great work being done across all parts of the club. The various action groups shows that there is a movement happening and giving ownership back to the players and members of the club.

There is a feeling of a cohesive club community and the possibility of us all being under the one umbrella of Portlaoise GAA is very much welcomed and needed.

It would be great to see dressing rooms and a clubhouse in the not too distant future, a place where we can all gather again and celebrate future successes.