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Tangney: If it wasn’t for the GAA community, I don’t know how I would’ve coped

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5 years ago

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COUNTY: Fiadhna Tangney in action for Kerry in 2019. The talented footballer from the Black Valley is looking forward to a bright future after she and her family endured a very difficult period in 2020. Pic: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile.

The following article was written by Joe Saunders, a Dingle native who is studying journalism at the University of Limerick.

 

In this day and age, everyone has been affected by the virus, but few more so than Fiadhna Tangney. The 20-year-old footballer from the Black Valley has seen first-hand what the virus can do, with her father Gene (56) being hospitalised for months with one of the first severe cases in Ireland last March.

A fit and healthy man who loves nothing more than being outdoors was bed-bound for three months in an induced coma in University Hospital Kerry (UHK). Thankfully, he has returned home since and is on the mend. The work done by all those who looked after him didn’t go unnoticed by Gene’s loved ones; they raised €27,000 for the hospital through the Ring of Kerry Charity Cycle.

Those few months were a difficult time for the family. Fiadhna went from studying sport science at UL one week, to being in lockdown and worrying about her father, whom she couldn’t even visit, the next.

“Thinking back on it, it was a really tough time - like a nightmare,” Fiadhna says. “Sometimes I look back on it and think, ‘did that really happen?’ We couldn’t go into the hospital because of COVID so we were just having phone calls to see how he was getting on.

“There was one time where we got a call and they told us that he mightn’t make it through the night. That was the harsh reality of it.”

As Fiadhna spoke over the Zoom interview, you could feel her sense of relief that they have overcome the worst of this whole situation, and she spoke of how much of a crutch the messages of support and love she received from the football community as a whole was.

“I was getting messages from big players that I didn’t even know, it was unreal. We were all completely blown away. I was getting jerseys in the post and all, my room was like the O’Neills shop. The likes of Aishling Moloney from Tipperary and Grace Kelly from Mayo checking in to see how I was doing… It was just class.”

“Getting those messages from players that I idolised myself was something else. I used to tell Dad who was asking for him and all that and he’d be like, ‘Jeez that’s great, do they know I’m sick?’ That’s his line now these days. If it wasn’t for the GAA community, I don’t know how I would’ve coped.”

Football has been a huge part of Fiadhna’s life, lacing up her boots in the famous green and gold of Kerry from a young age. Her footballing talents were evident early on and she made her Kerry senior debut at the age of 16. Her passion for the game shone throughout the interview, and she spoke out on many important subjects surrounding the ladies’ game.

“I think that it’s time now that the GAA and the LGFA came together under one umbrella. If I’m going to training and so is my brother, at the same time in the local club, we’re both playing for two different associations and it doesn’t really make any sense at all. We’re not living in the dark ages anymore. We’re all playing the same game and putting in the same effort.”

With the turmoil of 2020, Fiadhna has decided to give the Kerry jersey up for the time being but remains open to returning in the future. Instead, she’s focusing on running her own coffee trailer business near the Gap of Dunloe for the summer, once the college semester ends.

“It’s stuff like that I have realised I’d just love to do. I want to travel around Ireland a bit too and who knows what the world will be like after I graduate next year.”

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Home cup tie for St Paul’s could be epic

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3 weeks ago

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7 November 2025

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Paudie O’Connor National Cup (Round 1)

Utility Trust St Paul’s v GCU Brunell

Saturday 7.30pm

Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre

The St Paul’s women’s team will be hoping to get their National Cup adventure off the ground on Saturday when they welcome 2024 champions Brunell to Killarney. Tip-off in the Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre is at 7.30pm.

Paul’s have displayed some fine early season form, although their unbeaten start in the Super League came to an abrupt end last weekend when they lost to the Trinity Meteors in Dublin. James Fleming’s side weren’t at their best on the day but they were well in contention heading into the final quarter with the scores at 47-45 in favour of the hosts. The Meteors pushed on in the fourth, however, eventually running out 63-53 winners.

St Paul’s scorers on the night were Maisie Burnham (13), Tara Cousins (12), Lorraine Scanlon (12), Lovisa Hevinder (9), Denise Dunlea (5) and Leah McMahon (2).

The Killarney club are now joint second in the table alongside the Meteors with both teams holding a 4-1 record. Killester are top having won each of their first five games.

Paul’s opponents on Saturday, Brunell, have won three out of five league matches so far.

LAKERS

The Utility Trust St Paul’s Lakers have now won three of their last four games in Division 1 of the Men’s National League following an impressive home victory over Moycullen in Killarney.

Eoin Carroll and Jack O’Sullivan made significant contributions of the Boys in Black; Carroll hit 17 points and collected 13 rebounds while O’Sullivan had 14 points, 12 rebounds and some spectacular blocks.

Steve Kelly posted 30 points and the durable Sam Grant played every second, adding 21 points along the way.

The Lakers started well before the visitors found their footing and the sides went in level at the half-time break after scores by home captain Carroll. There was still nothing to separate the teams entering the fourth quarter (68-65) but buckets by Carroll, Pablo Murcia and Grant opened up a nine-point lead. Moycullen fought back admirably, however, cutting the deficit to just four, but Luke O’Hea’s charges held firm to prevail by eight (88-80).

Next up is a cup tie against the Tipperary Talons, a side they defeated by 30 points just a couple of weeks ago. The cup can be very different to the league, though, and they will need another solid performance to advance to the next round. Tip-off in in Killenaule is at 6.30pm on Saturday.

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Chances of Kerry v Cork Munster final in 2026 decrease as Munster GAA delay seeding plan

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3 weeks ago

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7 November 2025

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After facing a backlash from Limerick, Clare, Waterford and Tipperary players, Munster GAA have postponed their plan to keep Cork and Kerry separate in the 2026 Munster Football Championship.

The new seeding system – which gives the two highest ranked Munster teams in the National League byes to separate semi-finals – will now come into play in 2027, twelve months later than initially planned.

This will give Clare and Limerick a chance to earn promotion to Division 2 of the league, potentially overtaking Cork if the Rebels were to get relegated to Division 3.

Despite traditionally being the two main contenders for Munster football honours, Kerry and Cork haven’t met in a provincial decider since 2021. The Kingdom have won each of the finals since then (one versus Limerick and three versus Clare) by an average margin of 15.75 points.

More high-profile Kerry v Cork finals might be desirable for fans of those teams, businesses in Killarney and Cork, and neutrals alike but Munster GAA’s plans to effectively keep the great rivals on opposite sides of the draw understandably drew criticism from the other participating counties. A statement by the GPA confirmed that players from Limerick, Clare, Waterford and Tipp had met via Zoom to discuss the matter. They were said to be “deeply disappointed and concerned” by the decision.

The 12-month delay will at least give two of those disaffected teams an opportunity to benefit from the new seeding process.

The draw for the 2026 Munster Football Championship will take place on November 27 under the old rules. As 2025 finalists, Kerry and Clare will get byes to the last four (but they will not necessarily be kept apart).

Nine members of Kerry’s squad are up for All-Stars at tonight’s awards ceremony in Dublin with Joe O’Connor and David Clifford also in contention for the prestigious Footballer of the Year award.

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