Despite having the forthcoming inter-county season at the forefront of their minds.
Michelle Guckian and her Leitrim team-mates were transported back to last August fourth and their Croke Park date with destiny.
The O’Rourke County women, 17-years on from winning the competition in the same venue, held off a gallant Tyrone fightback, to win the TG4 All-Ireland intermediate football championship final. Leitrim winning out 3-11 to 3-10.
Such was the quality of the spectacle, TG4 opted to include this epic affair in their Cluichí na Bliana series.
The Leitrim panel sat down to relive a day etched in their memory after; completing a training session ahead their 2025 Lidl National Football League campaign.
“We were actually together there after training and we saw the game coming on” Guckian explains.
“Everyone still remembers it and just to see things of it that you don’t see yourself on the day. You can see the crowds and the excitement that was there for everyone, it was a brilliant game to watch back”.
“Just to see everything happening after you knew the result, but it was just unbelievable. We let it come down to the wire at the end, but it made that final buzzer just an unbelievable memory for us.
“It was such a great experience” added Guickan. “Never had I ever thought that I’d be playing in Croke Park”.
“I’m 31 now and I thought my chances of playing in Croke Park had probably gone. Winning the Mary Quinn Cup after 17-years and standing up there with all the girls, I think that definitely will be a memory that will live on for the rest of all our lives.”
Guickan the veteran
Although veteran duo Charlene Tyrrell and Clare Owens made their senior inter-county debuts in 2003 and 2006 respectively. Guckian is nevertheless one of the most experienced playing members in the current Leitrim set-up.
A part of the O’Rourke panel since 2009. Initially making her breakthrough onto the starting line-up as a goalkeeper before subsequently being used as an outfield player.
It is from midfield that Guckian captained the team for last year’s successful championship campaign.
Suffice to say; climbing the steps of the Hogan Stand in GAA HQ to lift the All-Ireland intermediate title; was a dream come true for the Moyne Community School teacher.
To top things off, the Kiltubrid ace was also a popular choice for the TG4 Intermediate Players’ Player of the Year award for 2024.
“It was a very great year now and it was topped off with winning the Intermediate Players’ Player of the Year” Guickan declared.
“I have to say, the fourth of August in Croke Park was definitely the pinnacle of the year”.
“It has been a long, long time coming and as I said, I never thought that I’d get the opportunity to play in Croke Park”.
“It would have definitely been a dream of mine to do it, but to be captain up there and to lift the cup on behalf of Leitrim definitely has been unbelievable. Guickan added; "It definitely was worth the last, whatever, 15 years. It was definitely worth it.”
When Leitrim last competed in a TG4 All-Ireland senior football championship game, Tyrone were the opposition in a first round encounter at Blacklion on August 1, 2010. Guckian appeared as a 34th minute substitute, which ended in a 6-22 to 2-9 defeat.
Return to senior football
Just under 15-years later, Leitrim will find themselves back in the top-tier of ladies football. The race for the Brendan Martin Cup gets underway on June seventh.
Additionally, 12-months on from winning a provincial intermediate crown. An impressive final win over Roscommon. Jonny Garrity’s charges are also set to square off against Galway and Mayo in the TG4 Connacht senior football championship.
While it could prove to be a tough transition, Guckian and her Leitrim colleagues are looking forward to locking horns with the very best teams in the country.
“It’s going to be a very tough challenge, playing senior teams this year, but a challenge we’re relishing” Guickan declared.
“We want to be playing the best teams out there. We want to be competing with them and putting it up to them as much as we can. It will help us develop as players as well and it’s where we’d love to see Leitrim remaining, in senior level”.
“Pushing on to get that little bit better and hopefully we push on in the Connacht championship first”.
“Galway and Mayo, they’re going to be two very tough challenges. We want to aim for the Connacht championship first in the summer and then push on into the All-Ireland series after that.”
National League ambition
Before emerging victorious in last year’s Connacht and All-Ireland intermediate championships, Leitrim suffered disappointment in the Lidl NFL division four semi-final defeat to Limerick back in March.
Gaining promotion to division three of the league has been a long-held ambition. Their latest quest to move up the NFL ranks begins with a home showdown against 2024 TG4 All-Ireland junior football champions Fermanagh on Sunday, January 19.
When Leitrim lost Division four league finals in 2021 and 2023. Louth and Antrim took promotion as divisional winners.
The structure for the NFL has changed since then, however, and it is now both finalists who progress to the higher division for the following season.
“There is going to be a big push in Division Four this year for us” Guickan explained. “We’ve lost a few girls off our panel from last year”.
“We’ve some new girls in there this year as well. You can just see the talent that we have in Leitrim. To just keep pushing on and definitely put a big push in Division Four this year”.
“We want to see that we’re able to progress and keep moving up the ranks. If you’re moving up the ranks, you’re playing better teams and that's where we want to be.”
