Mary Geaney is an Irish sportswoman. She played senior ladies' Gaelic football for Kerry, senior camogie for Cork and is also a former Ireland women's field hockey international. In 1976 she captained Kerry when they won the All-Ireland Senior Ladies' Football Championship and in 1980 she captained Cork when they won the All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship. She was the first player to captain a team to both championships.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7] As a field hockey international, she was a member of the Ireland team that won the 1983 Women's Intercontinental Cup. In 2010 she was inducted into the Irish Hockey Association Hall of Fame.[8]

Mary Geaney
Personal information
Irish name Máire Nic Éanna
Sport Camogie
Ladies' Gaelic football
Position Forward
Born 1954 (age 69–70)
Castleisland, County Kerry
Ireland
Club(s)
Years Club
Castleisland Desmonds
UCC
Éire Óg
Inter-county(ies)
Years County
1973–198x
1978–1988
Kerry (Gaelic football)
Cork (camogie)
Inter-county titles
All-Irelands 4

Early years, family and education

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Mary Geaney is the daughter of Con Geaney, a member of the Kerry team that won the 1932 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship. Her brother, David Geaney, was a member of the Kerry team that won the same All-Ireland championship in 1959.[9] She was educated at the Ursuline Secondary School in Blackrock, Cork.[1]

Ladies' Gaelic football

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Geaney began playing ladies' Gaelic football for Castleisland Desmonds.[1][2][10] In 1973 she played for Kerry against Cork in one of the first ladies' Gaelic football games between the two counties. Kerry won by 5–10 to 4–11 with Geaney scoring 2–6.[11][12] In 1974 she played for Kerry when they lost to Tipperary in the first Munster Senior Ladies' Football Championship final. In 1976 she captained Kerry when they won the All-Ireland Senior Ladies' Football Championship, defeating Offaly by 4–6 to 1–5. With 3–2, Geany was also the top scorer in the final. She also scored the first ever hat-trick in a Ladies' All-Ireland final.[1][11][13] Geaney also won the All-Ireland Ladies Club Football Championship with Castleisland Desmonds.[9] She also represented Munster at interprovincial level.[11]

Camogie

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Geaney played camogie for Castleisland Desmonds and Éire Óg. Between 1978 and 1988 she also played for Cork in six All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship finals. Geaney finished on the winning side in 1978, 1980 and 1983. In six finals she scored 7–5. In the 1978 final she scored a hat-trick of goals and in 1980 she captained the winning Cork team.[1][2][14][15][16] She also represented Munster at interprovincial level in the Gael Linn Cup.

Field hockey

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Mary Geaney
Personal information
Full name Mary Geaney
Playing position Goalkeeper
Youth career
Ursuline School
Senior career
Years Team
197x–199x Old Ursulines
1970–19xx → Munster
National team
Years Team Caps Goals
1971–198x Ireland 61

Geaney played field hockey for Old Ursulines (Cork), Munster and Ireland. She made her senior international debut in 1971 against England. She subsequently made 61 senior appearances for Ireland. She was a member of the Ireland teams that won the 1977 Triple Crown and the 1983 Women's Intercontinental Cup. In 2010, together with her former team mate, Margaret Gleghorne, she was inducted into the Irish Hockey Association Hall of Fame. [1][8][17][18]

Tournaments Place
1983 Women's Intercontinental Cup [8] 1st
1984 Women's EuroHockey Nations Championship 5th

Other sports

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Geaney has also played squash, badminton and golf for Munster. She is a member of the Killarney Golf & Fishing Club.[9][19][20][21][22]

Honours

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Ladies' Gaelic football

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Kerry
Castleisland Desmonds

Camogie

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Cork
Munster
UCC

Field hockey

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Ireland
  • Women's Intercontinental Cup
    • Winners: 1983
  • Triple Crown
    • Winners: 1977

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "Multi-talented Mary Geaney made her own All-Ireland history". www.irishexaminer.com. 12 September 2017. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  2. ^ a b c "Meet the remarkable sporting history-maker Mary Geaney". www.offtheball.com. 27 September 2017. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  3. ^ "Kerry Lady Reminisces On Historic Football-Camogie Captaincy Double". www.radiokerry.ie. 17 September 2017. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  4. ^ "Buckley award to mark 18th All-Ireland medal". www.independent.ie. 31 March 2018. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  5. ^ "Rena Buckley and Sinead Aherne joint winners of sportswoman award". www.irishtimes.com. 12 October 2017. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  6. ^ "Murray hails Cork's cool heads after last-gasp win". www.rte.ie. 10 September 2017. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  7. ^ "'I wouldn't go back on my word': Buckley's childhood pledge to make her acceptance speech in Irish". www.the42.ie. 11 September 2017. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  8. ^ a b c "Hall of Fame Inductees". irishhockey.newsweaver.ie. 30 May 2010. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
  9. ^ a b c Weeshie Fogarty (2012). My Beautiful Obsession - Chasing the Kerry Dream. Gill & Macmillan Ltd.
  10. ^ "Castleisland: MC steals show at Desmonds bash". www.independent.ie. 14 April 2010. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  11. ^ a b c "Ladies Football in Kerry". ladiesgaelic.ie. Archived from the original on 13 September 2016. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  12. ^ "History – The Beginning". ladiesgaelic.ie. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
  13. ^ "The Best All Ireland Ladies Senior Football Finals". www.balls.ie. 25 September 2016. Retrieved 4 November 2019.
  14. ^ "History of Camogie". www.camogie.ie. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  15. ^ "Championship Roll of Honour". www.camogie.ie. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  16. ^ "Camogie All Ireland finals (newspaper reports)". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  17. ^ "Leinster stars feature heavily on Awards night". www.hookhockey.com. 30 May 2010. Archived from the original on 1 March 2020. Retrieved 26 May 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  18. ^ "Battle for Senior Cup hots up". www.irishtimes.com. 23 April 2010. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
  19. ^ "Anne's third time lucky". www.independent.ie. 5 August 2002. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  20. ^ "Camogie stars head for Gowran". www.independent.ie. 5 July 2004. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  21. ^ "Killarney ladies tee up for All-Ireland success". www.killarneyadvertiser.ie. 25 August 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  22. ^ "That's the way to do it, ladies". www.killarneytoday.com. 29 August 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2019.