Sport

Áras visit caps a stunning summer for Irish women's hockey

Deidre Duke says support has been overwhelming since returning home with silver medal

The Irish women’s hockey team pose for a selfie taken by Deirdre Duke during their team visit to Aras an Uachtarain. Photograph: Cyril Byrne

Johnny Watterson's face
Johnny Watterson at Áras an Uachtaráin
Sat Sep 8 2018 - 07:00

The summer breeze rose again, blew into the Phoenix Park from the hot July World Cup. And the warm vibe from London came with it. The Irish women’s hockey team once more brought their smiles and their silver medals. This time to the Irish President Michael D Higgins.

Later it was to be The Late Late Show and Ryan. Thin air. A State president and royalty all on the same day.

One by one from captain Katie Mullan through the team, parents, friends, brothers, sisters and grannies they were announced to the President and his wife Sabina under the big chandeliers in the State drawingroom of Áras an Uachtaráin.

Only the best goalkeeper at the World Cup, Larne’s Ayeisha McFerran, and Dublin’s Elena Tice were absent, McFerran back at US College in Louisville and Tice playing hockey in the Australian and New Zealand hockey leagues. But back at UCD for the Irish season.

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“Give her our regards,” whispered the President to George and Scarlett Tice.

Mullan, Deidre Duke, Nikki Evans and Megan Frazer had come in from their German clubs and were travelling back early Saturday morning. Duke, an intern in Taylor Wessing, a UK Law firm in Dusseldorf, Mullan in Alster, Evans in UHC Hamburg and Frazer in Mannheim.

For them and maybe the rest of the team, a final glance back at a summer that didn’t want to end. The Tokyo Olympic qualifiers in the late spring, which Ireland might host and then the Belgian European Championships in the summer. Time to dig in again.

Corny

“I think that before the World Cup not many people actually knew we had a national team,” said Deidre Duke. “Since we’ve come home the support we’ve got has been quite overwhelming.

“We set out a goal back in December that we wanted to promote our sport and, I suppose it sounds kinda corny, but inspire a younger generation to pick up a stick.

“There’s obviously been celebrations over the last few weeks. Our first round of the Olympic qualifiers could be in May or June. It hasn’t been announced yet which tournament we are going to and then obviously the European Championships in August. We really want to give that tournament a good go.”

Members of the Ireland women’s hockey team playing with President Michael D Higgins’ dog, Bród, on Friday. Photograph: Morgan Treacy/Inpho

They left the giant oil painting of 1798 Battle of Ballynahinch and grouped outside for the photograph, a Redwood on one side marking a visit by Queen Victoria in 1859 and on the other an Irish Oak planted by John Paul II on his 1979 tour. If trees could talk.

The President made his speech, one of relevance, before the dash to a wine reception at Old Belvedere Rugby Club, conveniently placed for the last formal stop of the day at RTÉ studios.

“I know that most of you have full-time and demanding jobs, or are studying for degrees or professional qualifications,” said Mr Higgins. “You have therefore had to deal with the significant challenge of combining your careers or studies with the intense training necessary to succeed at the highest levels of sport . . . For that you have, even more, our admiration.

Challenging

“Regrettably and despite the extraordinary sporting achievements of Irish women, individual athletes and those involved in team sports, who have made us so proud on the national and international stage, Irish sportswomen have often struggled to attain the same levels of recognition as their male counterparts.

“Thankfully . . . we are increasingly challenging traditional public perceptions.”

Ireland coach Graham Shaw spoke of the three-team Olympic qualifiers, his hopes that Ireland might host one of them. He spoke of surreal times since they came back from London’s Olympic Park as World Cup finalists. All wonderful and new. Also now reality seeping through.

“We are hoping this is only the start,” he said. “We want to build on this now and the Olympic Games are the next focus.”

Tokyo and an Olympic Games. Another milestone for an Irish women’s hockey team.

But today the tracksuits are cast off. First things first. The Late Late Show.