MICHELLE Duggan is already looking ahead, eager to lead Dohenys into a new chapter as they step up to the Cork LGFA intermediate grade this year.

The Dunmanway club finally ended a long wait in 2025 when they captured the junior A county title and earned promotion, a breakthrough that had been years in the making.

Having come up short in each of their three previous JAFC county deciders, Dohenys delivered when it mattered most, overcoming Bantry Blues by 1-12 to 1-4 to claim the coveted trophy.

Emotional scenes followed the final whistle. There were hugs, tears and celebrations as players and supporters shared a moment that will live long in the club’s history. At the centre of it all stood three of the four Duggan sisters – Aprille, Melissa and Michelle – basking in the glow of a triumph that meant so much to the club and the wider community.

As the year drew to a close and there was finally time to draw breath, club captain Michelle Duggan, who was honoured with a West Cork Sports Star monthly award, admitted the magnitude of the achievement had yet to fully sink in.

‘Looking back, it is great to have won the county but, at the same time, it still feels unbelievable,’ Duggan told The Southern Star.

‘It was such a long time coming, we thought it might never happen for us. Thankfully, it did. The whole town is still buzzing from winning the county.’

Dohenys captain Michelle Duggan raises the trophy. (Photo: Paddy Feen)

October’s West Cork Sports Star monthly award winner and her team-mates have enjoyed the spoils of victory, but thoughts have already turned to the challenges that await in the intermediate grade. The final weeks of December saw Dohenys back in the gym, focusing on strength and conditioning as they prepare for life in the county’s second-highest tier.

‘We don’t want to stop at winning a junior county,’ Duggan stated.

‘Everyone wants to get back to another county final. Yes, we are moving up to intermediate, but we want to be competitive in it and push as hard as we can.’

The step up will bring stern examinations, with the likes of last year’s runners-up Midleton, along with Rosscarbery, Valley Rovers, Inch Rovers and Fermoy, lying in wait in 2026. Duggan believes the momentum generated by last season can help carry Dohenys forward.

‘Everyone is still on a high from last year and we are hoping to attract new, younger players to the panel,’ she added.

‘Hopefully, we can grow the club and continue to be successful. I think we, as a team, take inspiration from O’Donovan Rossa and how they have gone all the way up to senior.

‘A few years ago, we were in the same grade as O’Donovan Rossa, and there was never much between us when we played. When you see how far they have come, it shows it’s not impossible. I feel like something similar is within our reach. Everybody just wants to keep going, keep improving and keep moving up the ranks.’