In a recent article previewing the All-Ireland Ladies Football Final, I stated that the captain of the first Galway side to get to an All-Ireland Final side was Nono McHugh. In actual fact, the captain leading that side against the odds in 1975, was the athletic Rosemary Divilly.
Apologies for the error which emanated from the Galway LGFA website history which has listed Nono as the skipper, denying Rosemary her place in the digital history of the game in Galway. Nono was well known as the first captain of the Irish international soccer team, so maybe that is where the confusion arose. Hopefully, that will now be corrected.
When I contacted Rosemary last week to explain what happened, she remembered with pride the remarkable journey of that side in 1975. In the photograph here, you can see the team and Rosemary as captain, accepting the sponsorship of a set of socks from the generous Joe Hanley of Hanley Menswear, a lifelong supporter of sport in Galway.
Galway’s journey to the 1975 All-Ireland Senior Ladies’ Football Final was nothing short of stunning. The Tribeswomen first captured the inaugural Connacht Senior Championship, overcoming neighbours Roscommon by 2-1 to 1-3 in a fiercely contested provincial final. It was a victory that announced Galway as a force in the emerging women’s game. Rosemary recalled the team parading the cup around the city. Confidence continued to grow when they defeated Ulster champions Cavan in the All-Ireland semi-final at Cusack Park in Mullingar, earning the county’s first appearance in an All-Ireland senior ladies’ final.
For the players, many of whom had never imagined such an opportunity could exist, reaching the final was the fulfilment of a dream. Every training session, every journey and every sacrifice had led to Geraldine Park in Athy on 21 September 1975.
Leading the Galway team was captain Rosemary, whose pride in wearing the maroon and white reflected the spirit of the entire panel. Their preparations were guided by Tom Sands of Ballygar, himself a three-time All-Ireland winner with the Galway men’s team during the glorious 1960s. Sands understood what representing Galway meant, and he instilled that same belief into a group of pioneering women determined to leave their mark on history.
“There was remarkable work done by Frank Kearney and Patsy Conway at that time to start it all off,” said Rosemary.
“What they did for the game led to high standards for many years and perhaps to the highest standard this year when Galway won the All-Ireland again,” she added.
Rosemary recalled the day that photograph of the socks presentation was taken.
“It lashed rain before we got in, so we all look a bit soaked in the picture,” she said.
To Rosemary and her teammates all of those who played and helped along the way from that journey in 1975, this year’s victory was a tribute. When Kate Geraghty lifted the Brendan Martin Cup a fortnight ago, it was a nod to those remarkable Galwaywomen who prepared the path.
