Victory built on Rock of Cashel

Sportswoman of the Month: Mary Hannigan talks to this month's winner, Tipperary All-Ireland winning camogie player Una O'Dwyer

As Tom Humphries, of this hamlet, put it in his report on the camogie All-Ireland final, "Tipperary had heroes right across the back, but through the hour Una O'Dwyer in the number three shirt glinted like granite".

The Cashel woman is uncomfortable with such personal acclaim, but after her display against Cork in last month's final, well, she's just going to have to live with it. And she'll have to cope, too, with being the winner of The Irish Times/Mitsubishi Electric Sports Woman award for September.

You are from Cashel, aren't you?

"I am."

Not Thurles?

"Oooh, that wouldn't go down well."

Libel suits avoided, time to ask O'Dwyer how she's been catching up on life since winning the fifth senior All-Ireland medal of her career.

"Things have started to settle down," she said. "At weekends we'd be going to functions around the county - and we'll drag them out for as long as possible. But we're back on full work schedules again. You'd never have a night to yourself during the season, but now you have all this free time."

Do you know what to do with it?

"Well, it's gas, because you wonder what did you do before the season began. It's hard to remember."

Tipperary's victory over Cork last month, 2-11 to 0-9, completed just about the perfect season for the county, giving it its fifth O'Duffy Cup in six years, to add to its Munster and League titles.

"And it was extra special because this was the centenary (of Cumann Camógaíochta na nGael) and it was the first year that we won all three," said O'Dwyer.

"Any day you win is a good day, but when you play well yourself it's that bit extra special. You set standards for yourself and you like to meet them. It was just a day when every single one of the backs was just brilliant.

"Yeah, there was that feeling, from the first or second ball, 'this is going to be my day'. It was just a feeling. You don't stop concentrating, but just little things, you do start to feel it'll be your day, that we'll make it happen."

She won't concede the point herself but O'Dwyer was positively immense in Croke Park that day.

"Everybody was just brilliant, in fairness," she said.

Case rested. Five medals to her name now, where does it end?

"Well, the first one always seems like the most important, just because it was the first, it was an unreal feeling, but every year after that is still as important as the next. Every year for itself.

"Every year you go out and just try to improve on something that wasn't too good the year before.

"And there are new players every year so you kind of want to do it for them. I've never been involved with such a united bunch, it's just unreal, it's an experience in itself. When you go out you try and do your best as much for them as you do for yourself.

"The day's definitely going to come when it will end, when you'll look back and think about it all, maybe appreciate it more than you did at the time.

"Of course it becomes harder as you get older, other things creep in, a job or life in general. It becomes more difficult year by year, but I hope I have another few years left in me."