“I’m only 5ft 9 but I feel 6ft 8.”
Two weeks ago, Mags D’arcy won her’s, and St Martin’s first ever Wexford senior camogie title. Last Sunday, the men made it the senior hurling and camogie double when they defeated perennial champions Oulart-the-Ballagh in the decider in Wexford park.
Predictably, everyone involved with the Piercestown club is on the crest of a wave with their recent successes, but when you hear Mags D’arcy talk about the harmonic relationship that exits between the men and the women’s teams, and the nurseries in place to foster and encourage the youngsters of the club, you’re left with no wonder as to how this success came about.
Wexford net-minder, D’arcy, is so passionate about her club that it’s difficult to distinguish if she’s talking about the men’s final or the women’s final, such was her unquestionable pride at the mention of both, when speaking at the AIB Launch of the 2017/2018 club seasons on Monday.
“I was one of the most vocal people in the stands,” she said of the men’s victory.
This is great from @StMartinsGAA https://t.co/Tsk7xKxQ0I
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) October 23, 2017
“There’s great relationships between the camogie and the hurling (teams), and equally with the football and ladies football as well, There’s a lot of crossed paths with family and obviously I went to school with a lot of these boys as well, so it was great to see them get over the line,” she added.
That’s the thing about St Martin’s. It’s a club, it’s a family and every member is pulling in the same direction. The senior hurlers that took to the field on Sunday were way behind Oulart in terms of experience, but way ahead in terms of zip and buoyancy.
They’re an extremely young side, with key players like Aaron Maddock, Jake Firman Joe, Harry and Rory O’Connor all under the age of 21.
Massive excitement in Piercestown NS as the lads show the cup to the next generation. Murrintown NS next! Mol an óige agus tiocfaidh sí. pic.twitter.com/LhbXGxoy36
— St Martin's GAA Club (@StMartinsGAA) October 23, 2017
These youngsters were pivotal in Sunday’s victory, and the joy they brought to the older heads in the community was priceless, according to Darcy.
“It’s massive. I was just looking at some of the older people in Wexford Park yesterday after the final whistle went and I swear to God it just gave them about five more years on their life,” she said.
“It’s a great injection of energy amongst the older folk in the parish – no more so than from my granddad, who I just got a picture from there earlier. He was in his element last night,” she added.
You see they’re all connected in some way. Just like D’arcy speaks of her Granddad founding the camogie club, all of the O’Connors that starred in the hurling triumph are brothers and cousins of each other, and sons of George and John O’Connor, members of the Model County’s famous 1996 Liam MacCarthy triumph.
“He was one of the founding [members]… he founded the camogie section of our club 35 years ago. He’s a Kilkenny man, so it took a Kilkenny man to come down to Wexford to do it and low and behold we won our first senior camogie championship two weeks ago, so it was great to have him there,” she said.
That’s why winning the camogie final is one of the best moments she’s had in her career, and she’s won four All-Irelands with the yellow bellies.
“Yeah, to me you do a lot at county and it’s a privilege to play with the county and to represent people across Wexford, but to go and achieve something for the people in your own parish, and for the first time, it’s probably one of the best moments I’ve ever had in my career,” she said assertively.
They’ve won under-21 Championships, both in hurling and camogie in recent years, and this is what is driving the senior success.
“We have a nursery-based framework and throughout the last four-six years you’re kind of seeing the development of that come to its fruition now. There’s a lot of young players on our camogie team. For instance, everyone is under 25 bar me, so there’s 14 out of the 15 under 25 and I think the average age is 19. And that’s very similar to the men’s side,” she said.
Wexford senior manager, Davy Fitzgerald will be keeping a close eye on the men’s progress in Leinster, as will John Kelly, the county’s camogie boss.
“I was with Davy in the stand yesterday and he was licking his lips, going ‘there’s a great bit of young talent coming through,'” she said.
If it’s a competition to see who gets further in Leinster, D’arcy is rearing for it.
“Bring it on if that’s the case,” she says.
The men will have their heads down, too, because they’re preparing for a county senior football final this Sunday, which cut their celebrations short.
“They had a few, but they didn’t celebrate because they have a six-day turnaround now for his Sunday with the football final,” added D’arcy.
What a position to be in.
Wexford and St Martin’s star Mags D’arcy was at the launch of the 2017/2018 AIB GAA Club Championships #TheToughest, the 26th year of AIB’s sponsorship of the Championships. For exclusive content and to see why AIB are backing Club and County follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook and AIB.ie/GAA.
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