THEY came, they saw and they conquered – and now All-Ireland winners O’Donovan Rossa have been crowned the 2023 West Cork Sports Star Team of the Year.
The rise of the Rossas, and their magical campaign, was one of the huge sports stories in West Cork in 2023, as the Skibbereen team regrouped after losing the 2022 county junior A final to capture Cork, Munster and All-Ireland titles in a sensational season. It’s the stuff of legends, and now this band of sisters will get another chance to celebrate at the 2023 West Cork Sports Star gala awards at the Celtic Ross Hotel in Rosscarbery on Saturday, January 27th.
On the night, the best in the west will take centre stage, and the all-conquering O’Donovan Rossa ladies’ junior football team will stand in the spotlight again, as their journey to glory will be recognised.
From beating Dohenys in the county final to negotiating their route through Munster to capture the provincial title by beating Kerry team Clounmacon-Moyvane, the Rossas were on a roll and took their impressive form into the All-Ireland series. Here, they took the show on the road and beat Glasgow Gaels in a quarter–final in Edinburgh followed by a home semi-final win against Leinster winners Gusserane that set up an All-Ireland final showdown with Connacht champs Claremorris in Parnell Park – inspired by teen star Éabha O’Donovan, the Rossas won 2-7 to 0-11 in mid-December and captain Lisa Harte got to lift another cup.
‘It’s huge for the whole community in Skibbereen. It has been well documented and spoken about, but the community that has been behind this team, it has been amazing down there. It’s incredible. Football is a huge game down in West Cork, it’s our game. They love their footballers and they love this team,’ manager James O’Donovan said after the All-Ireland success which came on the 30th anniversary of the club’s famous All-Ireland senior football men’s triumph. Now the class of 2023 will go down in history as the All-Ireland winners also crowned West Cork Sports Star Team of the Year.
