Clare and Meath stars unveiled as new Glenveagh Homes Gaelic4Girls ambassadors

CLARE’S Laurie Ryan and Meath’s TG4 All-Ireland Senior Championship winner Emma Duggan are today unveiled as new ambassadors for the LGFA’s Glenveagh Homes Gaelic4Girls programme.

Laurie has been a long-serving star with the Banner County while Emma and her Meath team-mates captured the imagination of the nation in 2021 by landing the Brendan Martin Cup.

Laurie and Emma were also county championship winners in 2021 – Laurie with The Banner, while Emma tasted Meath and Leinster club glory with Dunboyne.

Laurie and Emma have joined returning ambassadors Jennifer Higgins (Roscommon) and Aimee Mackin (Armagh) to assist with the roll-out of the Glenveagh Homes Gaelic4Girls programme in 2022.

This year, 35 clubs from Britain and Ireland will benefit from Gaelic4Girls, which gets underway with induction this coming Wednesday, February 9, followed by on-field activities during the week commencing Monday, March 14.

Since its inception in 2008, the Gaelic4Girls programme has been a massive success story for the LGFA, and it is now boosted by the presence of programme sponsors, Glenveagh Homes.

Welcoming on board the new and returning Glenveagh Homes Gaelic4Girls ambassadors, LGFA President Mícheál Naughton said: “I am delighted that we are announcing Laurie Ryan from Clare and Meath’s Emma Duggan as new Glenveagh Homes Gaelic4Girls ambassadors, and it’s also brilliant to welcome back Jennifer Higgins from Roscommon and Armagh’s Aimee Mackin. Our up and coming young players need role models and stars to aspire to and, in this regard, Laurie, Emma, Jennifer and Aimee are right up there with the very best as fantastic ambassadors for their families, communities, clubs and counties. All four will bring so much to the Gaelic4Girls programme this year and I am very much looking forward to following the journeys of the participating clubs. I would also like to pay tribute to Glenveagh Homes for their wonderful support of the Gaelic4Girls programme since becoming involved with the LGFA. They are excellent sponsors and bring a new dimension to the work that we are doing with this initiative.”  

Speaking on behalf of programme sponsors, Glenveagh Homes, Head of Marketing, Cameron McDonnell, said: “We are delighted to welcome the new ambassadors, Laurie Ryan and Emma Duggan, on board to join previous and returning ambassadors Jennifer Higgins and Aimee Mackin in continuing the brilliant work the Gaelic4Girls ambassadors have undertaken over the past year at grassroots level. We are hugely excited about the commencement of Gaelic4Girls this year and the development of new initiatives around the programme.”  

The full list of participating clubs reads as follows:

Connacht: Fr Griffin’s/Éire Óg, Milltown (Galway).

Leinster: St Brendans, Na Dubh Ghall, O’Dwyers, Scoil Uí Chonaill (Dublin), Round Towers (Kildare), Kilkenny City (Kilkenny), St Helens (Longford), Clan na Gael, Cuchulainn Gaels, Wolfe Tones (Louth), Nobber, Navan O’Mahonys (Meath), Garrycastle (Westmeath), Bray Emmets (Wicklow).

Munster: Ballygarvan (Cork), Kerins O’Rahillys (Kerry), Glin, Ballinacurra Gaels (Limerick), Cappawhite, Rosegreen, Portroe (Tipperary), Erins Own, Ardmore/Grange, Kilmacthomas (Waterford).

Ulster: Thomas Davis Corrinshego (Armagh), Drumlane (Cavan), St Colmans Drumaness (Down), Naomh Padraig (Donegal), Aghadrumsee, Ederney (Fermanagh), Donaghmore (Tyrone).

Britain: Glen Rovers, St Colmcilles (Hertfordshire)

The selected clubs have attended training sessions before the programme is rolled out.

Gaelic4Girls 2022 will culminate with cluster blitz days later in the year.

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G4G is a 10-week programme incorporating coaching sessions with fun non-competitive blitzes aimed at increasing participation in Ladies Gaelic Football. The programme targets girls aged between 8-12 years who are not currently registered with a Ladies Gaelic Football club.

For further information please contact Vinny Whelan, National Development Officer, Vincent.whelan@lgfa.ie