The achievements of Galway United’s senior women’s side in 2024 received the presidential seal of approval last Friday when Uachtarán na hÉireann, Michael D Higgins, hosted a reception for the squad in Áras an Uachtaráin in the Phoenix Park.

Phil Trill’s side made history in 2023 when winning the first-ever staging of the All-Island Cup, beating Belfast side Cliftonville of the Irish League in the final in the Showgrounds in Sligo; and they wrote their names into the history books again by retaining the trophy in 2024, defeating Shamrock Rovers on their home patch at the Tallaght Stadium in a penalty shoot-out in the final in August.

“It was an unbelievable day, it was such an honour to be invited up and the President and his wife Sabina were incredibly generous with their time. We spent a few hours there and everyone just really enjoyed it,” the Galway United manager told the Connacht Tribune this week.

“We had invited him to a couple of games during the year but between one thing and another, he wasn’t able to make it, so when we retained the All-Island Cup, he invited us to the Áras to celebrate the achievement, so I suppose we were the winners on two fronts in that regard.

“We left Galway at about maybe ten in the morning and got back at eight in night, and it really was a lovely way to round-off the season. It was just ourselves in it, we got up and had a tour of the place and just a lovely chat and a bit of finger food; it really was a lovely day,” the Galway City native said.

One of the club’s star players, Julie-Ann Russell, has made an astonishing return to football, both domestically and with the national side, after spending some time in Australia. Now a mother, her daughter, Rosie, has won the hearts of the Irish sporting public, often featuring on the pitch with mammy after games, and she had a new fan on Friday.

“Yeah, Rosie was with us and sure she was the star of the show, the President had a great time with her, the two of them were chatting away and left the rest of us to it, he was absolutely fascinated with her,” the United manager said.

Caption: Rosie O’Connor, 18-month-old daughter of Galway United and Ireland star Julie-Ann Russell, stealing the scene again as President Michael D Higgins and his wife Sabina hosted a reception for the Galway United women’s team in Áras an Uachtaráin.

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