Former Westmeath captain Lauralee Walsh cannot remember a time when she wasn’t playing Gaelic football; the sport she has always held closest to her heart. Not even playing for Ireland Sevens Rugby team could change that.
After her brother passed away in 2005 following a battle with depression, Lauralee’s teammates and the spirit of the GAA community became a much-needed crutch, and as she draws the curtains on her inter-county career with Westmeath, she bows out with a heavy yet thankful heart.
Now you wouldn’t see a 16 year-old going directly into the senior set-up, but the player pathways that are in place now weren’t in place then
“I played with the boys’ Gaelic team in Tubberclair until under 14 and then I joined the girls’ team in Garrycastle. My weeks and weekends were constantly busy. My parents were fabulous, they were always on the road with me. I played camogie for a while too, I played basketball, swam and did gymnastics.
“Before my 16th birthday I got the call to play county. Now you wouldn’t see a 16 year-old going directly into the senior set-up, but the player pathways that are in place now weren’t in place then.
“I remember going to training and feeling like a fish out of water. It was a big eye-opener in terms of the level that I needed to be at.
Lauralee Walsh pictured at her local club in Tubberclair, Co Westmeath with her puppy Max. \ Lorraine Teevan
“In my early years we played Dublin in a challenge match, I went on during the second half and Angie McNally was running the show that day, she was a fabulous footballer.
“The manager said to me: ‘You see Angie? Just try and stay with her’. I went out and pulled her jersey two or three times trying to catch her and the referee called me over and said: ‘I know you’re new and I don’t want to send you off, but you have to stop pulling Angie McNally’s jersey’. I just had to let her go after that!
Guiding light
“In 2011 we won the Intermediate All-Ireland Championship. You’re elated and you’re enjoying the moment but it passes so quickly and when you’re a sports person you’re moving onto the next goal. It’s only when you have the time to sit back and think about it later that you really appreciate it.
I remember sitting in the dressing room. I’ve a tattoo on the inside of my ankle in memory of my older brother Mike. I remember rubbing it and saying: ‘You better bring me a bit of luck here’
“There were a few of us who were quite emotional, we couldn’t believe we had made it to the All-Ireland final and on top of that some of the girls had been through really heavy personal stuff, myself included. I remember sitting in the dressing room. I’ve a tattoo on the inside of my ankle in memory of my older brother Mike. I remember rubbing it and saying: ‘You better bring me a bit of luck here’. I feel like he has been a guiding light for me over the years.
“Gaelic football was my saving grace after Mike passed away. Without it, I would hate to think where I would have ended up. I was first year at college and we were preparing for the O’Connor Cup quarter final. He died before that game. The thought of that match pulled me through the wake and the funeral. We ended up losing by a point and when the game was over, it hit me like a ton of bricks.
“I reached out to the Westmeath girls, football gave me something to focus on and I would have been so lost without the team during that period. I owe Westmeath an awful lot because they did so much for me during that time. You really couldn’t say enough about the GAA community and how they look after each other. It really is something special.
“Playing for Ireland Sevens came out of the blue. I was playing at the Portmarnock Sevens competition that runs alongside the women’s All Ireland weekend. I didn’t know that the Ireland Sevens manager was walking around.
“I got a phone call the week after and he asked me if I would be interested in giving it a go. It was the off-season and I had no football.
“By Christmas we had gone to Portugal to play a development tournament. Afterwards a few of us were told that they would like us to progress onto the senior team. I was floored. I talked to one of the girls on the Na Fianna team and she said: ‘You’re 28 years of age, if you get an opportunity to play for your country, you grab it with both hands’. It was a brilliant experience, I travelled the world and trained as a semi-professional athlete.
“The one thing that caught me was that I couldn’t give up work and it got to a point where something had to give. I couldn’t sustain training three times a day and work as a teacher, so I decided to step back.
“I couldn’t wait to get back to Gaelic. The first thing I did was pick up the phone to call the Westmeath manager. I started training with Westmeath late in 2016 and came back fully in 2017.
“I’m 34 in April and I feel that the team is in a good place. Now I can give my time to others who have sat on the back burner while I have been playing. I have seen so many players going back for that one year and things don’t go as they hoped. To be able to step away on your own terms means a lot.
“It’s not a decision that has come lightly. I’m heartbroken and a little bit scared. I have to try and figure out who I am without football. It’s time for me to look at myself in a different light and be thankful for the journey.”
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Former Westmeath captain Lauralee Walsh cannot remember a time when she wasn’t playing Gaelic football; the sport she has always held closest to her heart. Not even playing for Ireland Sevens Rugby team could change that.
After her brother passed away in 2005 following a battle with depression, Lauralee’s teammates and the spirit of the GAA community became a much-needed crutch, and as she draws the curtains on her inter-county career with Westmeath, she bows out with a heavy yet thankful heart.
Now you wouldn’t see a 16 year-old going directly into the senior set-up, but the player pathways that are in place now weren’t in place then
“I played with the boys’ Gaelic team in Tubberclair until under 14 and then I joined the girls’ team in Garrycastle. My weeks and weekends were constantly busy. My parents were fabulous, they were always on the road with me. I played camogie for a while too, I played basketball, swam and did gymnastics.
“Before my 16th birthday I got the call to play county. Now you wouldn’t see a 16 year-old going directly into the senior set-up, but the player pathways that are in place now weren’t in place then.
“I remember going to training and feeling like a fish out of water. It was a big eye-opener in terms of the level that I needed to be at.
Lauralee Walsh pictured at her local club in Tubberclair, Co Westmeath with her puppy Max. \ Lorraine Teevan
“In my early years we played Dublin in a challenge match, I went on during the second half and Angie McNally was running the show that day, she was a fabulous footballer.
“The manager said to me: ‘You see Angie? Just try and stay with her’. I went out and pulled her jersey two or three times trying to catch her and the referee called me over and said: ‘I know you’re new and I don’t want to send you off, but you have to stop pulling Angie McNally’s jersey’. I just had to let her go after that!
Guiding light
“In 2011 we won the Intermediate All-Ireland Championship. You’re elated and you’re enjoying the moment but it passes so quickly and when you’re a sports person you’re moving onto the next goal. It’s only when you have the time to sit back and think about it later that you really appreciate it.
I remember sitting in the dressing room. I’ve a tattoo on the inside of my ankle in memory of my older brother Mike. I remember rubbing it and saying: ‘You better bring me a bit of luck here’
“There were a few of us who were quite emotional, we couldn’t believe we had made it to the All-Ireland final and on top of that some of the girls had been through really heavy personal stuff, myself included. I remember sitting in the dressing room. I’ve a tattoo on the inside of my ankle in memory of my older brother Mike. I remember rubbing it and saying: ‘You better bring me a bit of luck here’. I feel like he has been a guiding light for me over the years.
“Gaelic football was my saving grace after Mike passed away. Without it, I would hate to think where I would have ended up. I was first year at college and we were preparing for the O’Connor Cup quarter final. He died before that game. The thought of that match pulled me through the wake and the funeral. We ended up losing by a point and when the game was over, it hit me like a ton of bricks.
“I reached out to the Westmeath girls, football gave me something to focus on and I would have been so lost without the team during that period. I owe Westmeath an awful lot because they did so much for me during that time. You really couldn’t say enough about the GAA community and how they look after each other. It really is something special.
“Playing for Ireland Sevens came out of the blue. I was playing at the Portmarnock Sevens competition that runs alongside the women’s All Ireland weekend. I didn’t know that the Ireland Sevens manager was walking around.
“I got a phone call the week after and he asked me if I would be interested in giving it a go. It was the off-season and I had no football.
“By Christmas we had gone to Portugal to play a development tournament. Afterwards a few of us were told that they would like us to progress onto the senior team. I was floored. I talked to one of the girls on the Na Fianna team and she said: ‘You’re 28 years of age, if you get an opportunity to play for your country, you grab it with both hands’. It was a brilliant experience, I travelled the world and trained as a semi-professional athlete.
“The one thing that caught me was that I couldn’t give up work and it got to a point where something had to give. I couldn’t sustain training three times a day and work as a teacher, so I decided to step back.
“I couldn’t wait to get back to Gaelic. The first thing I did was pick up the phone to call the Westmeath manager. I started training with Westmeath late in 2016 and came back fully in 2017.
“I’m 34 in April and I feel that the team is in a good place. Now I can give my time to others who have sat on the back burner while I have been playing. I have seen so many players going back for that one year and things don’t go as they hoped. To be able to step away on your own terms means a lot.
“It’s not a decision that has come lightly. I’m heartbroken and a little bit scared. I have to try and figure out who I am without football. It’s time for me to look at myself in a different light and be thankful for the journey.”
Read more
My Country Living: reaching new heights
My Country Living: 'I left school at 14, it was a different world that time'
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