Saoirse Wynne could have been forgiven for spending the weeks after Roscommon’s All-Ireland triumph with her feet up.
Instead, only six days after being named Player of the Match at Croke Park, she began the journey to France to represent Ireland in an entirely different sport.
Wynne played a pivotal role as Roscommon defeated Fermanagh 2-12 to 0-6 to win the All-Ireland Intermediate Ladies Football Championship for the first time since 2005.
Her intelligent performance in the sweeper role helped Roscommon restrict their opponents to six points, earning the Boyle player the individual award after the final.
Roscommon All-Ireland Star Reveals Remarkable Second Sporting Talent
The following Saturday, Wynne swapped the football boots for the saddle and travelled to France for the Mounted Games World Team Championships.
The following Saturday after the All-Ireland, I actually had to leave for France to compete for Ireland in the Mounted Games, which is a sport in horse riding.
We were in France then for the last 10 days. I only got back there on Monday, so it was all busy.
Wynne and her Irish teammates ultimately finished fifth in the world, adding another significant achievement to a remarkable period in her sporting career.
We ended up coming fifth in the world, so we were happy with that.
Their journey to the competition was almost as demanding as the event itself. Wynne and her horse travelled from Boyle to Dublin before taking an 18-hour ferry to France. That was followed by an eight-hour drive to the competition venue.
Mounted games involve several relay races which test a rider’s speed, balance, control and ability to work alongside their teammates.
There are loads of different races that involve different skills.
It could be in and out through poles and then you have to pass something over, or you could be having to jump off the horse while it’s moving, pick something up and jump back on while it’s moving and then pass it over.
There are just loads of different races and team races as well.
Wynne joined the Roscommon Pony Club before becoming involved in mounted games at around 10 years of age. The lack of opportunities closer to home eventually led her to join the Laois Pony Club, with training and competitions frequently requiring journeys of more than two-and-a-half hours.
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Representing Ireland also required Wynne to come through a trial process before earning her place on the five-person team.
Balancing that commitment with inter-county football is understandably difficult. Wynne credited her family and friends, particularly her father, for making her unlikely dual sporting career possible.
It’s definitely tough to do, but it’s really just down to all the support I have around me.
Between my friends and my family, they do so much for me, between making sure I get my session in or my dad helping me out so much with looking after the horse.
I’m very grateful that I have such good support around me. I definitely wouldn’t be able to do both sports without their help.
The world championships capped an extraordinary turnaround for Wynne and Roscommon.
They had suffered a crushing 4-18 to 0-8 defeat against Leitrim in the Connacht final, a result which appeared to leave their season in tatters. The players subsequently came together and accepted that they were no longer enjoying their football.
Roscommon rediscovered that enjoyment and, with Lloyd Kelly later joining the setup, gradually regained the belief which had previously been missing. They gained revenge over Leitrim with a 2-12 to 2-8 victory in the All-Ireland quarter-final before overcoming Westmeath and Fermanagh to lift the intermediate crown.
The girls just really put down the head after that match and said, ‘Let’s not just let another year go by us.’ We just weren’t enjoying our football.
We had the hard work done down through the years with different management. That’s why there was such a drastic change, because we were lacking that little bit of belief.
Lloyd Kelly came in later in the year and really lifted the group. Once we started getting the results, it made us keep going and getting better.
Wynne has also recently completed her studies in anatomy through general science at the University of Galway and is now considering her next move away from sport.
On the pitch, Roscommon’s promotion means they will compete at senior level in 2027. Wynne insists they intend to do considerably more than merely make up the numbers.
It’s such an achievement to get back up to senior, but we don’t want to just be there. We want to actually be able to compete at that level.
Cork’s Sorcha McCartan and Roscommon’s Saoirse Wynne are the winners of the PwC GPA Women’s Player of the Month awards for Ladies Football and Camogie for the month of August.
PwC is proud to recognise excellence in Gaelic Games through their sponsorship of the Player of the Month awards as well as the PwC All-Stars and the PwC Camogie All-Stars.
The August awards celebrate the country’s outstanding performers during the All-Ireland Camogie and Ladies Football finals.
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