Clare's Ryan and Moloney taking dual code inspiration

They may have suffered heartbreak with their native county in the TG4 All-Ireland Intermediate Football Championship decider at Croke Park back in August, but Laurie Ryan and her Clare colleague Chloe Moloney subsequently enjoyed a happy ending to 2023 in another sporting code.

Just over three months on from a defeat at the hands of Kildare in GAA HQ, Ryan captained Athlone Town to a breakthrough Women’s FAI Cup title following a penalty shootout victory over Shelbourne – who had defeated the Midlanders in the competition’s 2022 showpiece. Along the way, Athlone had overcome a stern challenge posed by a Peamount United side that featured the aforementioned Moloney.

Yet the Kilmurry Ibrickane woman also ended the domestic soccer season with silverware to show for her efforts as the Dublin-based Peamount claimed a much-deserved Women’s Premier Division crown. Having fallen short in their quest to secure All-Ireland glory with the Banner as team-mates, Ryan was delighted that both she and Moloney capped off the year so memorably in opposite camps.

"It’s funny, we’re probably each other’s biggest supporters. We both obviously want each other to do well. When we had Peamount in the cup, it was on in Athlone and she would have called to my house before the match just because she was around Athlone early!," Ryan recalled of their quarter-final showdown in the Women’s FAI Cup.

"We still are the best of friends off the field, but we’re obviously ultra-competitors then when we play against each other. It’s nice to have that relationship there, where you have someone who is going through the same journey as you. For both of us to get silverware after losing in Croke Park, it was probably that little bit extra special for both of us as