By Daire Walsh

Having been in attendance herself to witness a significant past success for the county, Emma Hand is now hopeful of creating some lasting memories for the young supporters in Offaly.

Back on September 29, 2013, a youthful Hand was an interested spectator as Mairéad Daly struck a brace of goals to secure a TG4 All-Ireland junior football championship title for the Faithful at the expense of provincial rivals Wexford. After going on to feature prominently as an underage player, Hand subsequently followed in the footsteps of those who had claimed national honours in GAA HQ by representing Offaly in the adult grades of inter-county ladies football.

She achieved a notable triumph of her own during a breakthrough season in 2022 as she amassed an impressive personal tally of 1-2 in the Faithful’s Lidl National Football League Division Four final victory against Limerick at St Brendan’s Park in Birr. A little over four years on, Hand and her Offaly colleagues are still striving to scale major heights with a loyal band of supporters behind them every step of the way.

“The crowd and all the support from off the pitch makes a huge difference on the pitch. Just knowing there are people there to support you. I see young girls at the pitch coming down to support us. It’s nice to have a role model on the pitch,” Hand acknowledged.

“I still remember going up to Croke Park and watching the 2013 Offaly team win the junior championship. I still remember that as a small kid.

“You’d love to have something else, that you’d be able to give back that to some younger girls looking at us winning an All-Ireland or a Leinster or anything. Because then it boosts them and they’ll stay playing. They’ll want then to go on and win a title as well.”

Although Offaly operated in the TG4 All-Ireland intermediate football championship when Hand first arrived on the panel, last year saw them suffering relegation back down to the All-Ireland JFC for 2026. Additionally, despite a couple of encouraging campaigns following their 2022 promotion, the Faithful also dropped down from Lidl NFL Division 3 in 2025.

These were difficult blows for Offaly and while they qualified for the semi-final stage of NFL Division 4 this year, eventual champions Carlow got the better of them in the penultimate phase of the competition.

Gavan Doyle’s side also fell short in their quest to reach a TG4 Leinster junior football championship final, but the focus quickly turned to their Group A campaign in the All-Ireland JFC.

Even though their return to the third-tier after a 13-year gap started in a defeat to Antrim last weekend, Offaly will continue their campaign against Longford at Glenisk O’Connor Park tomorrow afternoon before also facing Kilkenny and Derry on June 14 and June 28 respectively.

Hand acknowledged challenging at the business end of the TG4 All-Ireland junior football championship has always been Offaly’s ‘main goal’ for 2026. Gaining an automatic return to the All-Ireland IFC may be easier said than done, but Offaly are determined this is the level they want to be competing at.

“We said from the start of the year… not that we shouldn’t be in the junior, but we’re not a junior team. That we want to be playing up in the higher ranks of intermediate and the higher ranks of the league as well.

“We got relegated to Division Four as well last year. We got to a semi-final this year in Division Four versus Carlow. All-Ireland series and getting back up into intermediate is our main goal. It might not be this year, but we’re definitely pushing towards next year. This year hopefully, but next year definitely.”

While Gaelic football has always been her biggest passion, Hand has also excelled in a different sport.

A gifted basketball player, Hand was part of an Ireland U17 women’s development team in 2019 alongside fellow Offaly native Meadhbh O’Brien. Additionally, she has also spent time on the court as a match official and was named Most Improved Referee of the Year at a Basketball Ireland Annual Awards And Hall Of Fame Ceremony in May 2022.

A footballer at local level with Ballinamere/Durrow, Hand can also be seen lining out for Tullamore Basketball Club in the Midlands League. Yet when it came to performing at the higher level of these sporting disciplines, it was the former that she ultimately chose to pursue in the long run.
“I’ve played basketball since I was U8. I kind of started basketball when I was starting football as well. It definitely was tough, especially playing on that U17s team. Now my season did get cut short with Covid, but football has always been my number one priority. Underage you kind of were able to balance it here and there.

“It wasn’t as serious, but once you got to that senior county standard into the adult team, you had to pick one or the other. I’ve been lucky enough that managers have been able to have leeway, but it does take a lot of toll on the body and on the mind as well. Football would be my main priority.”

Away from sport, Hand is currently kept busy with her day job as a postwoman in Tullamore. This means she is normally up bright and early to deliver mail around the Offaly town, but it also enables her to achieve a solid work-life balance and meet people in the local community.

“Football gets brought into daily life. People would know me around here and they’re always asking about matches. There’s a good buzz around the town with the football and the hurling and all that. Being able to go out and talk to people and it’s nice for them to be able to see the players as well,” Hand added.

“It’s early starts and it could be heavy lifting and walking around and being outside all day, but I have loads of time in the evenings to get gym work recovery in. Or even to get to training. It’s Monday to Saturday maybe, so I have loads of time for football. Being able to do what I want to do.”

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