Kilkerrin-Clonberne's All-Ireland club success very much a family affair

At the heart of Kilkerrin-Clonberne's march to a third consecutive currentaccount.ie All-Ireland senior club championship title against Ballymacarbry at Croke Park earlier this month were three families that helped to make up a large chunk of their playing and managerial personnel.

The daughters of team boss Willie Ward, twin sisters Nicola and Louise Ward played pivotal roles at centre half-back and centre half-forward respectively in a convincing 0-18 to 1-9 win over the Waterford and Munster champions on 16 December. Of the final tally accumulated by the Tribeswomen on the day, 0-10 came from the combined boots of Eva and Lynsey Noone, whose father Gerry serves as a mentor for Kilkerrin-Clonberne.

A third Noone — Hannah — was selected at midfield alongside Siobhán Divilly, who shared a special moment on the pitch with three members of her own family in the aftermath of their latest All-Ireland success.

In addition to her father Michael being another of the team’s selectors, Divilly was joined on the starting line-up by her sisters Olivia and Niamh. This year’s victory was particularly special for the latter, who appeared off the bench in previous All-Ireland triumphs against Mourneabbey and Donaghmoyne before being elevated to the full forward-line for their 2023 campaign.

"It was nice to have her out there beside us. She came on in both finals in the years previous. It was nice for her to get the start," Siobhan said of her teenage sister.

"I think a lot of the girls that come on as an impact, they would be starting in many other club teams in the country. The fact that they stick at it and get their chance is amazing. I think we consistently, every year, have one or two new girls joining the panel, which is really