Comment: History makers and heroes for life

When Rachel Blackmore was winning all before her and setting records on the racetracks earlier this year, she never wanted it to be about her gender – the first woman to win the Aintree Grand National, the first woman to be leading jockey at Cheltenham.

For her, it was all about doing the job, winning the race, getting across the finishing line, following trailblazers like Nina Carberry, Joanna Morgan and Helen McDonogh. And horse racing is the one sport where there is no discrimination of the sexes – you get out there and you ride against the best, male or female.

And you show yourself to be the best. And this week, we are surrounded by women showing themselves to be the best. Eamonn Murray and the Meath women’s senior football team have done in a few short seasons what Andy McEntee and his male counterparts haven’t been able to achieve in twice that length – winning an All-Ireland senior football championship.

Anyone who has watched the Meath women’s senior football team in recent months as they progressed through the championship series will have been in awe of the toughness, the fitness, the never say die attitude of these players that was reminiscent of those Meath men of the past. These were not easy games, with formidable opponents, culminating in dethroning four times All-Ireland champions, Dublin.

On Sunday in Culmullen, there was a celebration of archer Kerrie Leonard, who represented her country with great strength in the Paralympic Games in Tokyo the week before, and who everyone is rightly proud of as she competed in the final 16 to reach ninth place.

The earlier Olympics gave us a gold medallist in boxer Kellie Harrington, following in the footsteps of a man with Culmullen and Dunshaughlin connections, runner Ronnie who brought home the 1956 gold.

And we can claim to have helped Leona Maguire along the way too. The Cavan golfer, a niece of Kevin Maguire of Dunderry, took part in the 2011 Ping Junior Solheim Cup a decade ago when the main event took place in Killeen Castle, winning three points out of three. She was undefeated in her two Junior Solheim Cup appearances, and took part in the Irish Opens at Killeen Castle with her sister, Lisa, who won the Philomena Garvey Cup for leading amateur there in 2010.

She played a stunning starring role on her Solheim Cup debut at the weekend as Europe claimed just their second victory on US soil in Toledo. Leona’s singles victory over Jennifer Kupcho at Inverness Club gave her four-and-a-half points from five matches – a record for a rookie on either side – and provided the ideal springboard for the hard-fought 15-13 success.

Dunshaughlin can too claim its part in Leona’s success – Black Bush Golf Club professional Shane O’Grady has coached Leona ever since she and Lisa were brought to the Meath golf club by their parents Declan and Bread to learn the fundamentals of the game over 15 years ago.

The final word goes to Meath manager, Eamonn Murray, speaking to RTE on Sunday after the team beat Dublin to achieve a first ever senior All Ireland.

He said that his Meath side "are all heroes and will be heroes for life".

"If they never kick another ball it doesn't matter, they’ll never be forgotten. Never," the Cavan native said. How right he is.