Ciara Whyte back in green and red of Mayo after Aberdeen adventures

Following a prolonged absence, Mayo's Ciara Whyte has spent the past few weeks gradually readjusting to the life of an inter-county footballer.

A regular fixture for the Connacht county over the course of several years, Whyte subsequently journeyed across the water in 2023 to study for a masters in physiotherapy at Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen.

She also worked part-time in the Scottish city as a sports massage therapist in a private physio clinic, before returning home on a permanent basis after her graduation from Robert Gordon towards the tail end of 2024.

It was around this point that Whyte spoke to Mayo ladies manager (and her fellow Ballina native) Liam McHale about rejoining the county panel and she soon found herself back in pre-season training for the green and red’s forthcoming campaign in Division One of the Lidl National Football League.

"I came back to Ballina and I always knew I was going to see if they’d have me back, when I came back. I was chatting to Liam and I said I’d give it a go. I was a bit apprehensive because I hadn’t been there for two seasons, so I knew my body probably would be in a bit of a state of shock initially," Whyte explained.

"I went back in and it’s looking good so far. The body was in a little bit of a state for the first few weeks, but I’m getting back into things now. I actually never worked with Liam before and there’s a good few now from Ballina in there, which didn’t used to be the case.

"When I came in, I didn’t really know him, I had never met him before. He’s really open and he’s really friendly. I think that works really well with the team we have at the minute. It’s a learning environment and it’s really open. There’s just not a lot of negativity, it’s very positive."

Whil