Teenager overcomes family tragedy to become world handball champion
LIKE most great champions Boo Murphy prefers to do her talking on the field of play. A naturally shy girl, the Taghmon teenager is not one to court attention and looked genuinely abashed as the local community came out to celebrate her achievements at the local handball alley on Friday evening.
But, like it or not, she is a big deal, a world champion.
Boo, along with playing partner Niamh Drennan from Kilkenny, won the U15 girls doubles final at the World Handball Wallball Championships in Limerick last weekend. Following her success, which also included a silver in the individual event, the people of Taghmon organised a special homecoming ceremony for their champion.
“It’s wonderful for the club and the area, for the county. She’s the first juvenile girl from Wexford to ever win a world gold medal,” said Robbie Doyle who, along with Natalie Sweeney, has coached Boo since she took up the game at the age of seven.
What makes Boo’s win all the more remarkable is that it comes a little over two years after the death of her mother, a family tragedy which would have caused lesser girls to abandon the sport altogether. That was never going to be the case with Boo according to Robbie.
“She would train seven nights a week, it wouldn’t matter who you put in against her, what court you put her in, she would give 100 per cent. She started playing at seven with her twin sister, Allie, their mother passed away two-and-a-half years ago, it was devastating for them.
“Boo is a very quiet person, she doesn’t say much. She’d come in here before training or a game and wouldn’t say a word; she’d sit down and get ready to go in. She comes up to play handball, she doesn’t come here for a laugh. But she’s always fair, just trains and plays hard, and that stood to her, she wouldn’t have won last week if she hadn’t trained so hard.”
A fierce advocate of the game and someone who never misses the opportunity to promote it, Councillor Jim Codd organised a special presentation to Boo courtesy of Wexford County Council ( WCC). Speaking afterwards, he said that, as a member of the Travelling community, Boo had overcome the odds to become a success in her sport.
“This is a huge thing for the area, how many world champions have we in Taghmon now? This is the fifth one now. It’s a great day for Taghmon and a great day for the Travelling community in Wexford. But none of it would have been possible without Joe Sidney, this alley is his great project, it was dilapidated for 30 years before he stepped in.”
Built in the 1950s, the handball alley in Taghmon fell into a state of disrepair in the 1980s. More commonly associated with drug-use and anti-social behaviour there were calls to knock it down before Joe and a dedicated committee took on the project.
“The alley was built in the 1950s, the roof was added a few years later and cost €500,” Joe said. ” That roof came from Dublin to Wellingtonbridge on a train and then to Taghmon on a horse and cart. But by the 80s the game had died out a bit. There was a meeting held to discuss what to do with the alley and I was encouraged by the locals to go and attend it, because there were talks it was going to be knocked down.
“But we got a good committee together and brought it back into use. There’s been €50,000 invested into it since then.”
Boo’s dad Jim who, along with brother Mikey and sister Allie, has been supporting Boo every step of the way, said it was hard to believe they now had a world champion in the family.
“It was great, it was a big day,” he said of the final. “For her to perform the way she performed was unreal. I was nervous watching her. She loves playing the game, Robbie would ring some nights and he’d be wanting her to play some of the chaps he has here because he’d have no-one for them to train with, and Boo would be up straight away.”
Humbled by the generosity of the local community, Jim said the whole family were grateful for the support they had received.
“I wasn’t expecting all this, I thought they might have a plaque or something for her, but I suppose everyone in the village knows Boo and her brother Mikey.”