When you come from a family that eats, breathes and sleeps GAA, it is tough not to fall in love with the sport from a young age and that was the case for Dublin’s Niamh Hetherton.
Mum, dad (Ciaran ‘Hedgo’ Hetherton ) and her siblings (John Hetherton) are among those who have made a huge impact in hurling, but it looks like Niamh will be making a name for herself.
A dual player Niamh found herself on the Dublin panel from a young age but had to make some sacrifices along the way.
With the announcement of AIB as the new sponsor of the All-Ireland Ladies Club Football Championships for the next four years, Niamh, who is one of their ambassadors sat down with EVOKE to chat about football, life and love…and we don’t just mean for the sport.
Dating Na Fianna player Owen Flaherty, the couple has been able to work around their busy schedules but it hasn’t always worked in their favour.
‘We train on opposite nights, but we can make time when you want to make time. We would do a bit together, but he’s used to it now. One of the big things that got him used to it was that I didn’t go to his Debs as we had training that night, and it was the week of the All Ireland.’
The couple had been dating for a year but Niamh said that this event gave him a good idea of what he was getting himself in for.
‘So I put my dress on, did my hair, did my makeup,’ she told us and went down for the pictures and then headed off to training.
However, Niamh reassured us that he did have a date, and brought a close friend to the event. Laughing she did say that when it came to her debs, Owen was there at the ready.
