Kate O’Connell is clocking up the airmiles from Madrid to Skibbereen in dream year

Rossa forward currently studying in Spain but flies home for every match

BY SEÁN HOLLAND

KATE O’Connell has clocked up the airmiles in O’Donovan Rossa’s pursuit of glory this season.

The Skibb wing forward covers a huge distance on the pitch, and also off it as she is currently based in Madrid – but she flies back home for every match.

Her flight home is booked for Saturday, just ahead of the biggest game in O’Donovan Rossa’s ladies’ football history: Sunday’s All-Ireland junior final against Claremorris at Parnell Park.

‘I moved over here around mid-October to start my masters, so I was around at home all summer up to the county final. About two days after that I headed over to Madrid.’ explains O’Connell, who is completing her masters in the ISDE college in the Spanish capital.

‘I’ve always been really interested in travelling and I wanted to do a masters, so the fact I was able to do it abroad made sense. This is the perfect fit for me.’

Even though she is living and studying full-time in Madrid, the Skibb woman has a training routine to keep her match sharp for all the big games this season. It’s not a normal situation O’Connell finds herself in, and her classmates are still trying to come to terms with her exploits at home.

‘Since I’ve been in Madrid, I’ve been travelling back and forth for the games. Of course, being a little bit more removed from the team, I’m trying to do as much as I can over here in terms of fitness to try and stay up to the girls’ level; it’s been working out okay so far,’ she says.

‘I go to a running track and bring a football with me to help keep my skills in check. Obviously, it’s a little bit harder than if you’re training with the girls at home but, look, it’s something and it’s better than doing nothing.

‘The Irish here are few and far between so the whole concept of the GAA and me going home on weekends doesn’t really make sense to my classmates. It’s hard for anyone who isn’t Irish to understand about the power of the GAA and what it means to the community. Originally people were asking me if it was a professional sport I was playing!’

The International Law, Foreign Trade and Foreign Relations student has acquired a new skill in Skibb’s journey to an All-Ireland final – mastering travel arrangements with a certain low-budget airline!

‘In terms of flying home, I’ve had no real consistency in the way that I don’t get the same flight home every week,’ she explains.

‘It’s been somewhere different every time but I do all that I can to fly into Cork Airport as much as possible to try and eliminate that Dublin to Cork journey.

‘I’d usually get a train from Madrid to Barcelona or Valencia; both of those airports fly into Cork, so if those times align that’s what I aim for.

‘I also have another route, Madrid to Paris and Paris to Cork. It’s always with Ryanair; they’re the only ones that can make it possible. I was saying to the girls, if it was any other company, they’d be rewarding me for my loyalty, but with Ryanair, they wouldn’t have much regard for that!’ she laughs.

There is no way she wants to miss a beat in Rossas’ drive to glory. They are one win away from All-Ireland glory now, but rewind back to the start of the season, their focus was the county title. Since then they have added the Munster crown and on Sunday play the biggest club game of their careers.

‘Every year you aim to go out and do your best,’ she says.

‘Our target this year was to win the county and get promoted but what’s transpired is nothing we could’ve even dreamt of. Even getting past the county stages and getting into Munster, it was a real pinch-me moment. It’s been incredible from the get-go.

‘It was never our initial objective to get this far, so it’s a bit surreal. We’d celebrate the night of the game but then it’s back to training and get back in the zone but it’s something to look back on in the new year, and look back at moments we’ll forever cherish,’ she said.

With the All-Ireland final on Sunday, O’Connell flies into Dublin this weekend, but will have the luxury of being able to stay at home in Skibbereen in the lead in to Christmas then.

‘I’m fortunate that the last week of college has been moved online to facilitate those having to go home for Christmas, so I’m delighted I get to spend the week after the final back at home,’ she says.

‘I’m in the middle of doing exams and assignments now, so I’ll try and get all of them out of the way before I come home so then I can just focus on the game.’

Hopefully, for O’Connell and all the members of the O’Donovan Rossa team, next week will be packed with celebrations.

For O’Connell’s sake, let’s hope she can get an early Christmas present in the form of an All-Ireland medal because she’ll be waiting a while for that loyalty gift from Ryanair!