‘Every game is so special because you never know when your last one will be’

BY KIERAN McCARTHY

SHE’S won it all – and multiple times – yet Jennifer Curry admits she had to have a word with herself this season to stop putting herself under so much pressure.

The Lislevane legend is wired differently, though. There’s a reason she is West Cork’s greatest and most successful camogie player of all time. An incredible competitor, that bite hasn’t waned. Now 40 years old, Curry – neé O’Leary – still has that competitive edge, but also the experience to stay in control.

Jennifer O'Leary won eight All-Stars and four All-Irelands with Cork.

In her third season with her adopted county Armagh, Curry is still a force to be reckoned with, evidenced by her season to date – the former Barryroe player won the Camogie League Division 3A title in April, scored 0-2 in the recent Ulster intermediate camogie championship semi-final and will line out in the final against Antrim this Saturday. The big days keep on coming for the eight-time Cork camogie All-Star.

‘I definitely still get nervous, and I get a bit more conscious of the game, putting a bit more pressure on myself so that I can make an impact,’ she told The Southern Star.

‘I had to have a word with myself lately, to remind myself that I’m playing because I enjoy it. I had to reset a little bit and not put myself under so much pressure because it does have an impact on how you play and your overall feeling amongst the team.

‘I still get butterflies before games because it means so much. Every game is so special because you never know when your last one will be. It’s a nice feeling, stressful at times but nice.’

One of those nice feelings was in the moments after Armagh won the Division 3A national league final against Laois last month; that was Curry’s first league title with the county, to add to her six Division 1 leagues she won in a success-laden Cork career. She’s at a different stage of her journey now, and her experience – and the knowledge that nothing lasts forever – helps her enjoy the good moments more than most.

‘It was my first national league win with Armagh because in the previous years we have been beaten – we lost the 2023 final to Carlow and the year before to Cavan, and only by a point or two. It’s been building because we have been so close in previous years, and this is one we really, really wanted,’ the Middletown club woman explained.

‘A lot of people don’t take heed of the league but for us it was massive because it means we are up in Division 2 next year – that was our aim and thankfully we got there. This was also special because of the constant fight to get to this point; it’s so hard to get out of a division you don’t want to be in.’

Curry has told herself to enjoy this season, too, because there’s a chance it could be her last at inter-county level. In her third season with Armagh, her decision to come out of inter-county retirement in 2022 – she stepped back from Cork after the 2014 season – made national headlines. The West Cork woman is big news in camogie. She wanted a challenge, and got it, taking Armagh to the All-Ireland premier junior final in her first season. Her influence is indisputable, though she has this growing acceptance this won’t last forever.

‘This year there was definitely a doubt in my mind about whether I’d commit again,’ Curry revealed.

‘I was really fighting with myself. For months I kept saying “no, I’m definitely not going back”. I made plans, I started training an U16 team in Middletown. I took on different challenges to distract myself from county.

‘I met with the manager in January for coffee, and at the time I was 50 percent yes and 50 percent no. I don’t know what it is in me … some people think I am absolutely mad and they are probably right! … I just feel that when you’re getting older these days will be soon gone and I never want to have any regrets. I just love being able to train.

‘When I know myself the legs are gone and there is nothing else left, it will be time to hang up the boots. I do feel this year will be my last one because it took so long to make the decision to go back. It could soon be time to try other things, maybe get into coaching a bit more, maybe try another sport while I’m still relatively young.

‘I’m happy I made the decision to go back and hopefully I can help in some way. There’s a good, young squad here, we have lost a lot of players; seven of last year’s starting team are gone, so it’s been exciting to be part of that.’

Armagh's Jennifer Curry gets away from Leah Daly of Laois during the Very Camogie League Division 3A final.
(Photo: Lorraine O’Sullivan/INPHO)

Curry has been described as the ‘mother’ figure in this Armagh team, not just because of her age, she quickly quipped. Her presence in a young squad is key; there’s a reason why she was named joint-captain last season. This is a player who starred at the highest level, winning four senior All-Irelands, six league crowns and those eight All-Stars. That she’s still performing at 40 is a testament to her preparation and commitment. She still leads by example.

‘I come across as a quiet figure. I don’t project my voice too often, but when I do speak I hope I have something useful and important to say,’ Curry explained.

‘I feel I’m a player who would have a quiet word with someone whose confidence is low or who hasn’t made the starting 15. Someone described me as the mother of the team, not just for my age but the way I go on sometimes. I suppose I am good at reading people, too, and being able to have a word with someone is more the role I take rather than shouting or giving loads of advice at half-time. I sit back, observe and try to make an impact in other ways.’

Curry is still making an impact on the pitch, and her focus is on Antrim in Saturday’s Ulster intermediate camogie final, another chance to add to her medal haul and another opportunity for a player made for the big occasion to enjoy the big occasion. And that enjoyment is key; it’s why she does what she does better than most.