By Michael McMullan

HER voice may have been feeling the effects of Swatragh’s weekend of celebration but there was still no hiding camog star Mairéad McNicholl’s delight.

In a game of fine margins, her nine points, a penalty save from Niamh McQuillan and a stellar defensive performance ended the famine since their last title in 2005.

It has been a memorable few days in Swatragh with the hurlers’ first ever championship win over Kevin Lynch’s securing the Intermediate title.

McNicholl – playing alongside sister Gráinne – hit nine points in Saturday’s win over neighbours Sleacht Néill who were bidding for a tenth successive title.

The final whistle signalled that “unbelievable” moment when the years of knocking on the door eventually forced it open.

Speaking three days after their victory, McNicholl still asks herself is it real. It will hit home eventually, maybe they get back to the pitch to prepare for an Ulster final against the winners of Clonduff or Loughgiel.

“It has just been a great couple of days with the community,” she said of the buzz in the village.

“Everybody’s just delighted for you and it’s just been brilliant. In the next couple of days, when we’re back to training, it’ll really sink in that we’re still going, but it has just been brilliant.”

The feeling going into Saturday’s decider was focus was on needing to deliver everything they had against the Emmet’s. They were under no illusions.

“We just thought if we brought good intensity to the match and good work rate and hopefully, from that, we could get ourselves over the line,” added McNicholl.

“From the heartbreak of other years, it maybe did give us a wee bit of extra motivation to keep going.

“We just didn’t want another year of what ifs or we had of done something else different.”

McNicholl – and sister Gráinne – have a link to the 2005 winning team. Their mother Sarah Ann, at the age of 45, was between the posts picking up a staggering 19th county medal.

After years of underage coaching, filtering into a senior team epitomising the word persistence, Saturday’s result is more than a cup and a homecoming.

“The main thing is that it’s brilliant for the young girls,” McNicholl said of the potential knock-on effect,

“They will see that if you keep playing camogie and get to play at senior level, you can go on to win things. I know it’s not always about winning but it definitely helps.”

Tune in to Gaelic Lives for a look back over the weekend of championship action.