BARBARA O’CONNELL

CORK’S busiest sports woman took time out of her hectic training and game schedule yesterday to pick up the Evening Echo Ladies Sports Star of the Month award for July at a function in her honour at the Rochestown Park Hotel.
Dual star Briege Corkery added another Evening Echo award to her collection, six years after her first one, but modestly accepted it on behalf of her team mates.
“I could never win these awards without the help of my team mates,” Briege Corkery said.
“The commitment the girls put in is fantastic, so I’m very thankful to them and for all they do for me to allow me to receive this award and I do so on their behalf as much as my own.”
Briege, who was chosen as the Evening Echo Ladies Supreme Sports Star winner back in 2008 following her part in the Cork camogie and ladies football All-Ireland victories, is a remarkable sporting talent.
Four years later she is still competing at the highest level and still winning awards and medals in both camogie and football.
The Cloughduv camogie star will surely go down as one of the greatest GAA stars Cork has ever produced, both male and female when she calls a halt to her illustrious career.
Yesterday, she was honoured for her role with the Cork lady footballers in helping them to win the Munster football title, just an hour after she had lined out with the camogie team in their All-Ireland tie with Kilkenny in Ballincollig.
Briege will line out for the Cork ladies football team on Saturday as they take on Donegal in the All-Ireland quarter final in Roscommon.
She is very aware that this could be a tough task. 
“Although we are not too familiar with Donegal’s team, they are in the final eight, so we are expecting a good tough game.
“Unfortunately for us we havn’t played a championship game in seven weeks, so we are a little cautious about how we will perform, but hopefully, on the day things will go our way.
“Even if we go behind, hopefully we’ll keep our heads, use our experience and go on and win.
“For a while after we lost the league final to Monaghan we were all over the place.
“It definitely upset us a little bit however, we did have a good win over Kerry in the Munster Championship and we’ve being doing well ever since.
“Training has being going great and were injury free for Saturday which is good, so we are all looking forward to the game.”
Unfortunately for the Corkery household, Briege’s parents Kitty and Michael, who are her greatest supporters and who were at the function yesterday are in a bit of a dilemma.
The Cork U16 ladies football team play Galway in Neenagh on Saturday in the All-Ireland final at the same time Briege’s game starts in Roscommon, and Breige’s younger sister Mairead is a key player on that team.
“This is a terrible dilemma for us,” Breige’s mum Kitty said.
“We want to see both games, but can’t so we will go the Mairead’s game and hopefully the seniors will win and we get to see them play in the All-Ireland semi final, but it would have been great if both games were played in the same venue.”
Last weekend Briege’s family travelled to Kilkenny to see Briege help Cork reach the All-Ireland camogie final, which takes place on September 16 against Wexford.
Briege scored a crucial goal in that semi final win over Galway, and now has a busy few weeks ahead of her.
“It’s absolutely fantastic to be in another camogie All-Ireland final.
“We’ve being doing really well this year and I’m really enjoying it.
“There’s a great squad there with a lot of young girls added to the panel this year.
“People doubted us for a while, but we’ve proved them wrong and now to be in another final it’s a great feeling.
“Hopefully, I can be there for both football as well as camogie.”
Between her football and camogie schedule Briege is training at least six nights a week.
On Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday it’s camogie, and on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday she trains with the footballers.
She jokingly adds that she tries to get a bit of club training in between also.
This is a huge commitment from Briege, but she wouldn’t have it any other way.
“It’s my life really. It’s what I’ve being brought up with and I couldn’t imagine it any other way.
“Training sessions can be such a great craic, so it’s not like a chore going training, it’s actually really enjoyable.
“I hope I’m as bust for another month or so which will mean Cork footballers are in another All-Ireland final.”
Others at the function yesterday were co-sponsors Finbarr Cotter, owner and Colette Cremin, shop manager of the Newbridge Silverware Shop, Oliver Plunkett Street, Mandy Gabriel, Rochestown Park Hotel, Diarmuid O’Donovan, John McHale and Eamonn Murphy of the Evening Echo.
Breige’s sister Siobhan, her husband Jim and their two girls Aodh and Maire were also present as was her niece Aileen, her nephew Shane and her uncle Fr Jackie Corkery.