BY KIERAN McCARTHY
GERALDINE Curtin certainly announced her comeback in style.
The Caheragh woman had not bowled competitively since 2019 and had vowed she would never return just to make up the numbers.
‘I knew that there was no point in coming back unless I was competitive,’ she explains.
This is a bowler who had been crowned Munster champion three times – in 2008, '09 and '16 – and came oh-so-close to the All-Ireland title she wanted in 2016, only for her dreams to be dashed by the brilliant Kelly Mallon in Armagh.
Geraldine is a competitor, so in November 2022 she had a decision to make: would she affiliate for 2023 and throw her lot in again?
‘I was at a crossroads,’ she admits, because road bowling took a back seat when her two sons, Jerry (6) and Kevin (3), came along.
‘When I got the letter from Gretta (Cormican) about affiliations, I asked myself the question: will I bowl in 2023? I said if I would, I would need to start training now – and that’s exactly what I did.’
There were a couple of reasons behind her decision to return to the roads for the first time since 2019. She missed it; her connection to the sport goes back to her dad, Eugie. She loves it; nothing beats the road-bowling community and that camaraderie, she insists. And she wanted to prove she’s still got it.
Geraldine Curtin's sons, Kevin and Jerry, celebrate with the Brendan Roche Cup at home the morning after their mom won the Munster title.‘I had celebrated my 40th birthday in 2022 and you get that thought: am I gone past it? Then you look around and you see a lot of the men keep playing into their 60s and later, so I felt why should women be any different? Okay, one difference is I have had two babies, and that does take its toll on your body too, but I wanted to know if I could still do it,’ Geraldine explains.
She answered that emphatically in the Munster senior championship final at Castletownkenneigh last summer. Denise Murphy, chasing her first title, led by almost two bowls at one stage. The outlook looked grim for Geraldine, but finishing strong, and with stunning 14th and 15th shots, she snatched an incredible victory – and the Brendan Roche Cup for the fourth time. The comeback queen was back on the throne.
‘It was the best feeling in the world,’ she smiles.
‘From the will-I-or-won’t-I conversation last November to where I finished, it was a brilliant year.
‘I am well aware I am the oldest woman bowling in the senior women’s championship, but it’s nice to know I am in my forties and can still do it! I am proud of myself to come back from where I was, and it wasn’t easy having been out for so long.
‘I surprised myself by getting to the county final, first, and then to come back into a score that I was completely out of against Denise Murphy, it made it all worthwhile.’
She’ll never forget the excitement at home in Timoleague the morning after either, as her two sons, Jerry and Kevin, ran around the house with the cup their mom had just won. Magical memories.
‘They were so excited, so happy, and then they wanted to go bowling too – and that’s a great feeling because I remember that’s why I wanted to get started when I was younger because my dad was doing it. It's important to keep the tradition alive and keep the game alive,’ she says.
They have a small bowl for her oldest son Jerry. In the evening Geraldine will take him out and they’ll throw a few shots. Bowling is in Jerry’s DNA, too. And Kevin’s. They will learn from the best teacher and the good news is she’s determined to stick around for a while. Again, there are many reasons, and one of those is her emphatic loss to record-breaker – and now 11-time All-Ireland winner – Kelly Mallon in the 2023 All-Ireland final in August. Almost four bowls separated the two by the end.
It’s a defeat that highlighted how much ground Geraldine needs to make up to win the game’s biggest prize.
‘When I look back to the 2016 All-Ireland final against Kelly, that was heartbreaking because I had that in my grasp whereas this time I wasn’t as upset because I was miles off; that’s not a bad thing though. It’s a realisation that if I want to get to that level I need to up my game. That is my plan: to improve,’ she explains.
‘I have joined a gym in Bandon and have told them exactly what I want to achieve. I have personal training sessions and a programme to work off, so we will see how I get on. It will be training four or five days a week. I have two kids and a full-time job so I can’t commit to bowling any more than that, but I will give it my best shot and let’s see where that takes me.’
The year ahead also includes the European Championships in Germany, as well as her Munster title defence, so she has targets and is motivated.
When it came to affiliating for 2024, Geraldine didn’t need to think twice. She’s back and means business.
