Aimee Mackin hoping for success on two fronts for Armagh
Armagh ladies footballer Aimee Mackin, picured at the announcement that McKvr is the Exclusive Apparel Partner of the Gaelic Players Association (GPA).
By Paul Keane
These are busy days in the Mackin house, the height of summer and the inter-county championships in full swing.
Aimee and Blaithín remain key figures in an Armagh ladies team approaching the business end of the All-Ireland series, brother Ciarán an important cog in Kieran McGeeney's men's squad.
Last Sunday, all three of them hit for Inniskeen and Páirc Grattan for Armagh's All-Ireland SFC Round 2A tie against Louth.
Aimee and Blaithín sat high up in the main stand while Ciarán was on the bench as Armagh, leading by two points with two seconds of the 70 minutes remaining, somehow finished up empty handed, the Orchard raided by Sam Mulroy
"It was a wee bit like a wake house on Sunday evening," said Aimee. "But I think you just have to get on with it, that's just the way it rolls some days."
Armagh, crucially, are still standing in the Sam Maguire Cup race. But to continue on in the All-Ireland series they will have to overcome holders Kerry in Round 3.
That game will take place at 4pm on Saturday afternoon at Fitzgerald Stadium in Killarney. An hour earlier, the Mackin sisters will line out at BOX-IT Athletic Grounds when they take on Waterford, chasing a win that would lock down a home All-Ireland quarter-final tie.
"It's basically the same position for both of us," said Aimee, referencing how the two teams are hoping to secure quarter-final berths.
"But we're at home and they have a long trip to Kerry. So the same position in one sense but then opposite ends of the country nearly."
Not an easy one for family members and friends to navigate?
"It's split directions so some will head to Armagh and some will head to Kerry, we'll see how it all pans out," said Mackin.
It's a nice headache to have, and especially so for Aimee who missed the majority of last year's Championship as she recovered from an ACL injury.
Aimee Mackin in action against Melissa Duggan of Cork during the TG4 All-Ireland SFC. Photo by Tyler Miller/Sportsfile
She isn't particularly into metrics, or comparing data from before the injury versus now, but reckons she's back as good as new. And if she had any doubts about her sharpness, her 3-2 haul in the All-Ireland series opener against Cork would have served as reassurance. Truth be told, she could be the form forward in Ireland right now.
Former Armagh captain Caoimhe Morgan was asked on a recent LGFA podcast if Mackin, a former footballer of the year, is 'the most skillful, natural, ladies footballer we have?'
"Yes, without a doubt," replied Morgan, who recounted how she first came across Mackin when she scored a point from a sideline ball in a school game.
"I didn't know who she was at the time," said Morgan. "She was able to put a sideline ball over the bar off the outside of her boot. The only player I'd ever seen do that before was Maurice Fitzgerald. And I just thought, 'Who is this child?'"
Funnily enough, Mackin can't remember the score.
"I actually don't," she smiled. "I'll have to ask Caoimhe but I can't remember that one."
Mackin's bilateral skills have set her apart over the years too, her ability to use all four limbs to not just score points and goals but to extricate herself from sticky situations. For the record, she's left-footed.
"I probably didn't practice it as much as I should have until later," said Mackin of her right sided skills. "I see now when I go into some club teams and they're putting a real emphasis on it, which is great. We probably didn't maybe start until we were older. I noticed with Caroline O'Hanlon, who plays netball at a high level, and I saw it with the Kerry girls too, they are really good at getting out of tight situations by using that bounce with both hands. That's probably coming from the basketball and the netball backgrounds. I know basketball is big in Kerry.
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"When Kieran Donaghy was involved with Armagh, I talked to him a few times, and he was saying the crossover between basketball skills and football skills is massive, just those hand movements and using both hands. It definitely helps you out in tight situations."
Both Mackin sisters picked up new skills from their time in the AFLW too, playing with Melbourne Demons. In the recent Ulster final triumph, Blaithín picked one ball out of the sky with a dramatic fetch, one of the skills that helped her pick up a Premiership medal in 2022 Down Under.
"That's the biggest thing over there that I noticed, how much they practice the basic skills," said Aimee. "They're constantly doing it. An hour before training they'll set up wee hand-passing drills, kicking drills, high-catching drills, stuff that you might be inclined to neglect. It was kind of like an optional session, before actual training, but everyone would end up being there."
She says neither herself nor Blaithín, who spent four seasons in the AFLW between 2022 and 2025, will be returning to Australia for the foreseeable future.
"No, not at the minute," said Aimee. "I think we tallied up that we hadn't played for our club in a good while, because you missed the club season while you were over there. I think we owe it to our club to give a couple more years here."
All going to plan, she might be an All-Ireland winner by then. Nobody could say the Mackin sisters, O'Hanlon, Lauren McConville or another lion heart performer, Kelly Mallon, don't deserve one at this stage.
"It's everyone's dream as a child to win it," acknowledged Mackin. "We're not a county that gets to loads of finals or loads of semi-finals, so it's something you're always trying to chase."
But first, she noted, bringing it all back to basics and the immediate challenge, it's Waterford on Saturday.
"We know what to expect from them, a real physical team," she said. "We've played them a couple of times, they beat us well this year in the League. They have some real pacey forwards, good forwards. It'll be a tough battle ahead."
