Ann-Marie King has given exceptional service to Wee County ladies football and camogie. Gerry Robinson caught up with the talented dual star to discuss one of Louth GAA's most illustrious careers. Few have served Louth GAA better than St Kevin's clubgirl Ann-Marie King. Ann-Marie has played camogie with the Philipstown club since they first affiliated a team back in the late 'seventies and has also been a mainstay of the Kevin's ladies football team since it came on stream nine years ago. On top of this, the unassuming Philipstown girl has enjoyed a decorated intercounty innings: she won back-to-back All-Ireland junior and intermediate football championships with the Louth ladies in 1998 and '99 and was still going strong on the Wee County camogie team in 2002! To say the very least, that is quite a career... There's more than a hint of contentment in Ann-Marie King's tone as she reflects on the events of 2002. It was the first time in eight years that she hadn't featured on the county football team [Ann-Marie announced her intercounty retirement at the end of 2001], but things went pretty well at club level. The Kevin's had won the intermediate championship in 2001 - beating St Patrick's in the final - to secure a return to the top table. Thus, in '02 they were back senior again ... and they certainly didn't disgrace themselves. They also contested the 'transition year' intermediate league, into which they invested a serious amount of work, qualifying for the final which was played on Sunday October 27th. All in all, a lot of groundwork was done. All fixtures were fulfilled and the Kevin's blooded a number of new players, which should stand them in even better stead for the challenges of the forthcoming season. "We were reasonably satisfied with how things turned out seeing as it was our first year back up senior. We played [perennial champions] Cooley in the senior championship and, while we were well beaten on the scoreboard, we felt that we gave a good account of ourselves and that it was a worthwhile exercise as a learning experience for the team. "We had a lot of young players and 2002 was an introduction to senior football. They were by no means afraid or over-awed, and that's very encouraging." It's particularly re-assuring in light of the way things had been going, with the Kevin's struggling with poor numbers in recent times. "We called in some new players and they were eager and have done well. We're excited about the young players we have in the club at the moment. We had never fielded at underage level before and we had an U17 team for the first time this year, so we're moving in the right direction." The St Kevin's ladies football club has been in existence for nine years and has held senior status for most of this time, with the exception of perhaps two seasons. Ann-Marie King has represented the team from its inception, alongside two others: her sister Linda McCabe and Sandra Doheny. Honours won to date in the Kevin's colours include a senior championship, a senior league and an intermediate championship. "In general, you get quite a large turnover of players in ladies football. We suffered really badly one year when we lost nine girls in one go," Ann-Marie notes. Dwindling numbers in the area - a direct result of Ireland's post-boom rampant urbanisation - hasn't helped the club's cause. As Ann-Marie explains: "When I was at primary school, there were 115 of us in the school. But there are only about 40 there now and it's the same in Dromin. The situation has stabilised but we're still faced with a scenario were the numbers have at least halved, so we're really up against it." Ladies football had only been up and running in the Wee County for about three years by the time Ann-Marie joined the county team nine seasons ago. The St Kevin's player was subsequently a regular with Louth for eight years before retiring from the intercounty arena last year. Appropriately, in her last year on the county team, Ann-Marie was voted Ladies Footballer of the Year by the Louth Supporters Club . . . a fitting tribute after years of service and a major role in bringing Louth ladies football to national prominence. At intercounty level, Ann-Marie usually played in the full back line. Indeed, when Louth stormed to the All-Ireland junior football crown in 1998, the entire full back line was comprised of St Kevin's girls! Once the Louth ladies got the taste of success, there was no denying them: the following year, they captured the All-Ireland intermediate championship! They never quite made an impression at senior level, but it was a worthwhile exercise to play at that grade nonetheless: "It was nice to play a couple of years at senior level. It was a big step-up and you'd definitely notice the difference . . . especially coming towards the end of your career! It was a lot quicker and it was definitely a big challenge for us." Even though she has called time on her intercounty career, Ann-Marie will continue to represent her club for the time being at least, lending priceless experience and leadership qualities. "I'm going to give it one more year anyway," she discloses. "The game's getting faster, but I don't mind club football so much. "I'll keep playing for as long as I feel I've something to offer the team, but I wouldn't like to be there beyond that. Hopefully I'll recognise when it's time to give it up, although I can't imagine myself walking away from it altogether. I'll probably always be involved in some capacity. "There's a lot of very good young players here at the moment and I have a good bond with them. My midfield partner on the team, for example, is only 17 and is a very good player. Even though there's an age gap there, I don't really feel like there is - I get on real well with them all. After I finish playing, I'll probably stay on and coach them or something..." It's amazing to think that Ann-Marie has somehow found time to be every bit as committed - if not more so - to camogie. She has represented the Kevin's continuously for 23 years, since the club's genesis. St Kevin's has, since its inception, blossomed into one of Louth's stronger camogie clubs. They won a senior county championship in the mid-90s and have since been trying hard to regain it. Each year, they're there or thereabouts and it's surely only a matter of time before they strike gold again. "The Kevin's are well organised and the girls in the area are certainly very well catered for with a choice of ladies football or camogie. They're also well looked after socially. Camogie has always catered more for the underage girls, which is understandable as you have to catch them at ten or 11 if you're going to teach them the skills. It's great to see the young girls out training and playing because gaelic games can be very rewarding. "I got great enjoyment out of it myself and have been lucky to get such good mileage. I enjoyed the craic as well and made a huge number of friends" - and that really is what it's all about. Tweet

Most Read Stories