More accolades for Breige and Cork

A family affair: Cork ladies’ GAA star Briege Corkery pictured with her mother Kitty Corkery after the Cork ladies’ team was named the monthly award winner of the Southside and District Sports Awards.(Photo: Gerard Bonus)

BY JOHN NEWMAN

ALL-IRELAND winning Cork ladies’ football captain Briege Corkery accepted the recent Southside and District Sports Award on behalf of the Cork ladies’ football team – recently selected by RTÉ Sport as the team of the year (2014).

At the awards ceremony City Lord Mayor Mary Sheils praised Briege’s role in her county’s huge success of winning nine All-Ireland football titles in just ten seasons, and also in her winning her fifth All-Ireland camogie medal last year as well.

Mayor Shiels was wholesome in her praise of Briege and her teammates following a display of courage, grit and determination in reducing a half-time deficit of nine points in the All-Ireland final against Dublin, a match that will go down in the annals of the game as one of the greatest ever.

County Mayor Alan Coleman commented: ‘you have achieved national recognition in the face of professional and semi-professional teams.’

‘It’s a great time’, he said, ‘to be a young woman in sport, and your splendid victories have been phenomenal.

‘As a result you have now got your proper place in sport.’

The Cloughduv and St Val’s star was introduced into football at an early age with her local GAA club, Aghinagh, with St Val’s underage football club.

She attended Rusheen NS under headmaster Gerard Coakley, playing in Sciath na Scol from second class. She also played football and camogie with St Mary’s Secondary School, Macroom.

With St Val’s she helped win their first county senior title in 2013, was Cork captain in 2014 and led the team to All-Ireland league and championship titles.

She began her county career in the U14 development programmes and since then has enjoyed enormous success at both club and county, winning nine football and five camogie All-Irelands.