While winning the Open Singles at the World Championships last November was the culmination of many years of effort, for Ciana Ní Churraoin, it was not a life-changing event.
“I think it's a funny thing,” the Micheál Breathnachs star recalled, “because I think you achieve these goals that you've had for a lifetime, and then you just keep training and focusing on the next thing.
“In handball or any GAA sport, it's not like your life changes when you achieve that goal. So it's nearly that sense of accomplishment that you have yourself… but you still set goals for the next season.
“Then again, obviously it is nice to know that you have achieved those things that you set your eyes on a long time ago.
“That’s something that kind of helps me deal with everything that comes with trying to reach the top of anything. I won the Worlds, which is probably the biggest handball tournament you can win, and within two weeks, your life is just back to normal.
“You know, winning that's great but everything just goes on. And even if I had lost, yeah, I would be very disappointed for a couple of weeks, but life would probably be pretty much the same.
“So I actually find that really helpful to keep in mind, going into tournaments is, yeah, my goal is to perform my best and hopefully that gets me the win. But also, if that doesn't happen, everything will be okay anyway.”
Ní Churraoin picked up an injury shortly after the Worlds which saw her unable to play for 12 weeks. When she returned, she and partner Niamh Heffernan retained their Senior Doubles title and Ní Churraoin then travelled to Los Angeles for a weekend singles tournament.
Ní Churraoin defeated Heffernan in the quarter-final and Fiona Tully in the semis and feels the sharpness returning.
“I mean, obviously the injury was unfortunate and I went a good three months without playing any handball but I guess this season, it worked out well for me that we had the doubles first, because I feel like, in a way, that's a bit less intense on the body.
“And it was good to get some games even up here (Croke Park) in the show court there as well. And then going to LA obviously was good because I was able to play some more singles games, which was needed. And then I've had a few weeks since I've been back, and I feel like things are going according to plan at the moment.”
Outside of handball, Ní Churraoin has a passion for the Irish language. The Micheál Breathnachs clubwoman sees parallels between both the native tongue and her chosen sport.
“I think that's one of the most important things (in life), and it's always been something that's very important to me, using the language and speaking it whenever I get an opportunity and I really see similarities between handball and Irish as a language.
“They're both very Irish things. And, you know, if you go back through history, there were times when maybe they were more prominent, but there's people here who truly believe in both of them and how important that they are.
“I think that for some people, the language and the game are some of the most important things in their life. And as long as those people are there, then they will keep growing.
“I think it's funny, some of the people I've met in my life, they wouldn't know anything about handball unless they met me. I'm sure a lot of other handballers can relate to that.
“Handball is the type of thing where you're either absolutely addicted to it, or maybe you know nothing about it, but for those of us who are addicted to it, we want to just keep showcasing what it is and why it's such a great thing. And the same thing with the Irish language.”
Admission
Admission will be charged for the Senior Singles Finals only. The Showcourt auditorium will be cleared after the mornings matches and admission will be by ticket holders only prior to the Senior Finals, wristbands will be distributed to all patrons, no wristband no access to the Showcourt. Tickets can be purchased from the link below, of which there are two options available:
Main stand: €20 per person
Side Galleries: €15 per person
Buy tickets here