AS OF 2011, the village of Currow, County Kerry, had a population of 913 people. It is renowned for its dairy farming, angling on the Brown Flesk River and rugby. While Kerry footballer, and four-time All-Ireland winner, Séamus Scanlon hails from the village, rugby is Currow’s true claim to sporting fame.
Moss Keane, Mick Galwey and the Doyle brothers, Mick and Tom, are all from Currow and played for Ireland with distinction. JJ Hanrahan will hope to follow in their boot-steps in the coming years [perhaps months, in Argentina] and is currently chasing Heineken Cup and Pro12 glory with Munster.
None of the five Currow natives can claim to be a Grand Slam winner, however. That honour falls to Siobhán Fleming. A flanker with the Ireland team that won last year’s Six Nations, Fleming admits she was 27 before she picked up a rugby ball.
Now 31, Fleming works in Currow as a Special Needs Assistant and plays rugby with Tralee RFC and Munster. “Mick Galwey and JJ are our two recent successes,” she says, “but they don’t live in the village any more. I’m not famous but the fact that we have produced so many top rugby players is astounding. People often ask me what’s in the water here. Whatever it is, we’ll have to bottle it as we’d make a fortune.”
“JJ is a very exciting player,” she added. “If he doesn’t start for Munster he comes off the bench and you know something brilliant is going to happen. He has a big future in the game.”
Fleming played all manner of sport as a teenager growing up in The Kingdom. Such pursuits took a beat seat to college life before, at the age of 22, she got back into football. She played three seasons with the Kerry team and confesses that Cork, with their multiple All-Ireland wins, were ‘the bane of my life’. Fleming will find back-row teammate Claire Molloy, a former Galway footballer, in ready agreement — she lost an All-Ireland final to the Reblettes in 2005.
While a host of Ireland Women’s players took up rugby in college, Fleming started later. “There were try-outs going for the team in Tralee. I had always watched rugby on TV so thought I would give it a go. In Kerry, we’re first and foremost a Gaelic county. The football skills definitely helped in my transition but it took me a while to get up to speed.”
Starting with a 10-woman developmental team, Fleming advanced to Division 2 rugby and a league of uncontested scrums. It was not until her third season, and advancement to the Munster squad, that she got her first taste of battle. She took to it instantly and was called up by Ireland. Her first cap was away to France in Pau, a game that is oft remembered for the wrong reasons.
Having missed a connecting train from Paris to Pau, the Irish players were forced to take an overnight train to the South of France. They arrived at 7am, got three hours’ sleep at the team hotel, and played France at 3:30pm. Molloy scored a try but Ireland lost 8-7. Fleming commented:
It is unbelievable to see where we have gone, from Pau two years ago, to where we are now; Grand Slam winners and playing at the Aviva Stadium. On that day [in France], if you had asked the girls if they could foresee that they all would have said no. The practicalities of trying to get up and play, after an overnight trek on a train, were ridiculous.
Ireland will play France at Stade du Hameau in Pau on 14 March. Securing a second Six Nations championship would be the perfect way to confine that dark day to history. “That’ll only happen if we show up and do a job against Italy. We have no divine right to beat them but we are confident in our abilities.”
She added, “It is great to see the game taking place at the Aviva Stadium. Without a doubt, the Grand Slam has helped to get us there but I hope that we can continue to have games there in future seasons. I’d prefer to have the game on before the men’s match [against Italy] as it might encourage fans to get along early and support us. A lot of people will leave the stadium at the final whistle [of the men's game] but we are hoping that as many people as possible can stay around.”
Irish hopes of defending their Grand Slam were dashed by England at Twickenham and Fleming is eager to keep the championship dream alive against the Italians. “We will get the chance to right some wrongs from the England game. Having a week off in between games, especially after a loss, is the worst thing. The minute I came off the pitch against England, I wanted to go straight back out and play again.”
With a busload of supporters travelling up from Tralee, on Saturday, to watch Fleming and Ireland take on Italy, the flanker is aware of the effort it will take to get back to winning ways. “You can’t be a Mé Féiner. It’s a team sport and we all rely on each other. We’ve got that mentality and we’ve got a great stage to show people what we can do.”
