MARTINA O’Brien hung up her inter-county gloves in 2022, but she still had her hands full at Cork’s opening game of this year’s Division 1 campaign.

It was her daughter Annie’s first Cork football match.

For former Rebels goalkeeper Martina and her partner Aisling Hutchings, both All-Ireland winners, it was a chance to create new memories on familiar ground.

‘When Annie was born, she got a Cork jersey from Katie O’Driscoll, so we had to get a picture at a game,’ Martina says.

‘It’s great to be able to bring her to something like that when we were part of it for so many years. There are still a lot of girls involved now who we played with.’

Cork drew with Kildare, 1-10 to 2-7, at MTU Cork – the first step in a campaign that has carried the Rebels to this Saturday’s Division 1 final against Galway at the Gaelic Grounds (5pm).

Ballinascarthy native Martina is the last Cork player to captain her county to a Division 1 title. That success in 2019 came at Galway’s expense – and the hope is history can repeat itself.

‘Getting to a league final is very important for this group – it can’t be understated how well they have done this season,’ says the four-time All-Ireland winner, who also collected six Division 1 league medals in a ten-season inter-county career.

‘Coming up from Division 2 was their big goal last year, and they’ve made progress. Looking from the outside, they needed to stay in Division 1, and they have.

‘I was at their first game against Kildare, a draw, and they’ve done really well to reach the league final. People might look at that and say Cork have been in league finals before, but we have to understand where football is at now, in Cork and nationally. They have made strides.

‘I hear there’s a great togetherness and positivity in the camp, and they are enjoying their football.’

Martina and Aisling with baby Annie at her first Cork game in January.

Martina isn’t looking on with envy. Her inter-county days are now memories, but she is busy making new ones in the next chapter of her life.

‘Once you're out of the inter-county bubble, you move into a different one fairly fast. Life is busy, especially with work. My partner and I had a baby eight months ago, so there’s no fear of us having any spare time now. I’m still playing GAA, but I’m not as immersed as before,’ Martina explains.

‘You think you were busy before, but when you have kids, you’re actually busy!

‘We have to be very organised. I’m still playing football and camogie, so I know my training nights. If they change, I probably won’t make it. You have to make more compromises. Aisling plays football as well, so it’s a lot of juggling who can go where and who needs to train.’

It’s worth every moment.

‘You could have a bad day, but you go home, see the smile on Annie’s face, and it’s all fine. It’s fantastic,’ she says.

Annie has already watched her mum win a county intermediate camogie title with Ballinascarthy last October, as Martina added a fourth camogie championship medal with her home club, following junior C in 2011, junior B in 2018, and premier junior in 2024.

Devoting her time to club – lining out as a goalkeeper for Ballinascarthy in camogie and Clonakilty in football – helped Martina’s adjustment to life after inter-county.

‘It was a seamless move. When I stepped back from Cork, I was probably done at that stage; I couldn’t give the time or effort anymore,’ she says.

‘Stepping back to the club was like a breath of fresh air. I’m lucky to be part of two wonderful clubs and so grateful for how supportive they have always been. I felt I owed them my time as a player.

‘What I missed most when I was playing inter-county were the friendships – girls I grew up with or played alongside. Those first two years back with the club were probably the most enjoyable and free I’ve ever felt playing, without the pressures of inter-county.

‘It shows how important the club is when you go away and then come back to it.’

Club is where it starts and ends – the constant through it all. After a decade at the top with Cork, Martina understands that more than most. Her clubs were always there, so winning back-to-back camogie titles with Ballinascarthy means that bit more.

‘Our community is tiny, and we’re pulling players from a wider area. We have big clubs around us like Clonakilty, Kilbrittain, Timoleague, Newcestown and Bandon. So to go from a junior club to a premier intermediate club is massive,’ she says.

‘The work from club officials – chairpersons, secretaries, treasurers and coaches – has been huge to get us to where we are; their role can’t be understated. As players, we’ve just been facilitated to do it. The club is great. We’re buzzing for this season.’

But first, Martina will be keeping a close eye on Saturday’s Division 1 final. A Cork team in a decider brings back memories of her own.

‘It does feel like a lifetime ago. Sometimes I nearly forget I played inter-county. You’re always focused on what you're doing at the time. In the last two years with Ballinascarthy, we’ve won camogie championships.

‘When I watch matches in Croke Park or Semple Stadium, I think, “Jesus, we played there.” That feeling fades as the years go on, but when you meet the people you did it with, it all comes back.

‘There are stages in your life, and that was a great one. I met so many brilliant people, but I’ve moved on to other things now that are just as fulfilling. They are great memories, but it’s behind me.’

Life is busy, but it’s a good busy. Alongside everything else, Martina runs her own business, Martina O’Brien Physical Therapy, where she works as a physiotherapist and pilates instructor from her base in Ballinascarthy.

‘The community support is phenomenal. Being your own business owner is hard, but it’s made easier by the people here who spread the word. I’m really enjoying life at the moment,’ she says, much like the Cork footballers she once lined out alongside.

‘Máire O’Callaghan is one of the best players around – if I was picking a team, she’d be one of the first names on it. Mel (Melissa Duggan) is in that category too; it would be a travesty if she ended her career without an All-Ireland medal,’ Martina says.

‘To see Áine Terry O’Sullivan back is brilliant, and Shauna Kelly playing well again – she had such a good season last year before her injury. She’s athletic, quick and strong.’

As Cork chase a first Division 1 title since Martina led the Rebels to glory in 2019, she will watch from a different vantage point, knowing exactly what a win would mean to this group.