Annaghdown selector Niamh Duggan drawing from prolific well

She attended a very special reunion a little over a fortnight ago and on 4 December of this year, there will be another anniversary of a significant team milestone in the playing career of former Galway footballer Niamh Duggan.

Back in October 2004, Duggan struck an opening period goal as the Tribeswomen defeated Dublin to claim the TG4 All-Ireland SFC crown for the very first time. To commemorate this monumental achievement, there was a 20th anniversary celebration at The Ard Ri House Hotel in Tuam recently with Duggan being amongst those to make it along on the night.

Meanwhile, 12 years on from securing national glory with her county, Duggan was joint captain of an Annaghdown team that overcame an Aimee Mackin-inspired Shane O'Neills outfit in an All-Ireland intermediate football championship decider held in Parnell Park exactly three weeks before Christmas. In addition to being a proud moment for herself, Duggan remembers the great boost this victory gave to the people of Annaghdown.

"It was huge at the time. We meet up every so often or even when you bump into players on the panel now and again, there would always be that connection. It’s still talked about in a way, between the homecoming and different kinds of things that stand out for everybody," Duggan recalled.

"It has been referenced the last few years, it brought a great lift to the parish. It was December time as well, so it was darker evenings and things like that. Gaelic games in general had quietened down at that stage. It gave everyone a lift.

"It’s the great thing about sport that, when there is a bit of success, that it gets people talking about something positive and distracts them from anything negative. The bad news that can be to the forefront."

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