Angela Casey | Annette Clarke | Briege Corkery | Bernie Finlay | Lorna Joyce
Kate Leahy | Angie McNally | Valerie Mulcahy | Mary Nevin | Bronagh O'Donnell Geraldine O'Shea | Grainne Smith | Cora Staunton | Aisling Tierney

Angie McNally is one of the most multi talented Irish sports women of her generation. She has represented Ireland at international level in both
soccer and basketball but has also been a key component in the revival of
football in the capital.

She has been the lynchpin in the Dublin midfield for several years now but it has been her contribution in the scoring stakes that has makes her such a vital cog in the cosmopolitan challenge for All-Ireland honours.

What has been your greatest moment in sport?
The first time we won The Leinster championship. It was extra special because we were the first Dublin team to win it. We had lost three previous finals so I was beginning to think it would never happen.

Who are the toughest team you have ever faced?
Mayo, definitely. They are the best team in the country, the team to beat. They are the side we want to be playing in Croke Park on All-Ireland final day.

Who is the toughest opponent you have ever come up against?
As a midfielder I would have to say Niamh McNelis from Meath. She retired a few years ago. Clare Egan of Mayo is another real tough player to have to mark.

What advice would you give to young footballers?
Play each game like it’s your last and give it your all. A lot of young players on the Dublin team won a Leinster medal at the first attempt so they don’t realise how tough it is to put in the effort for years and years and get nothing in return.

Who were your childhood heroes?
Growing up as a Dublin fan I would have to say Brian Mullins.

How do you balance teaching, training and matches?
The three months holidays make a big difference. After games I can sleep or relax and don’t have to worry about work. Training and matches force you to put your life on hold finishing school early makes a big difference.

You are also a top soccer and basketball international. Which sport is
the priority?
I gave up the other sports to prioritise football. A number of players on the Dublin panel played second and third sports. We all decided in order to progress that we had to give them up and focus just on Football. It was a year and a half ago that I last played a soccer international, against Moldova.

© September 2003

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