From West Clare to Templemore - Marrinan's busy 24 hours

This afternoon Fidelma Marrinan will be part of a West Clare Gaels side that are seeking to dethrone reigning champions Banner Ladies in a Clare SFC decider.

Tomorrow the 23-year-old — who worked in retail at the Central Sports store in Kilrush until recently - taking her professional career off in a different direction as she begins her induction into the Garda Training College in Templemore, Co. Tipperary.

Being a top-tier county champion in the Banner County and a member of An Garda Siochana have been dreams of Marrinan for a number of years. While she will have to go through a lengthy process to achieve the latter, she finds herself just 60 minutes away from realising the former.

"If we win, it will be an early night for me," she says. "I'm starting my training in Templemore, so that will take eight months. 12 weeks in, 12 weeks out, 12 weeks back into Templemore. Then you could be stationed anywhere. I think they put a lot of people to Dublin now, but hopefully I get a bit closer to home," Marrinan said of her career transition.

"Ever since I was about five, six years old, I don't know where I got the idea, but I’ve wanted to be a guard.

"That’s why I did criminal justice in college [SETU Waterford]. I came out of it and I know a lot of people were saying 'just go work for basic experience of life before you go in, because it is a tough enough job, make sure you’re ready for it’.

"That’s what I did. I worked for a bit and I think I’m ready now.

"I haven’t won a county title and it’s something that I’d love to add. It’s huge for your community, your family and everything like that. We played in the county final a couple of years ago and I think there’s a bit more about this team. There’s a bit more belief in us that we can