Aimee Mackin still delivering for club and county
Aimee Mackin pictured at the launch of the 2026/2027 AIB All-Ireland Club Championships.
By Cian O'Connell
Aimee Mackin continues to deliver for club and county. The Armagh Ladies Football decider featured a 1-12 haul for Mackin as Shane O'Neill's gleaned silverware.
It followed a 3-5 contribution at the semi-final stage for Mackin, who remains a potent attacker. A clash with Cavan standard bearers Knockbride is next on the agenda in the AIB Ulster Club Championship.
These truly are special times for Shane O'Neill's. "It's been unbelievable, we got up to the senior grade 10 years ago and hadn't even got to a final," Mackin explains.
"It's been a long journey, those 10 years with highs and lows, and everything in between. It was probably made even more special because of the journey we've been on as a team.
"We probably hadn't collectively all been together since 2021 in terms of everyone being there with injuries and Australia.
"At the start of this year, we had a meeting, and everyone bought in. It's nice to get the reward. It's never guaranteed, it definitely has been a special couple of weeks for the club."
Despite the extravagant scoring exploits, Mackin praises her attacking colleagues. "Your job as a forward is to maybe create or get scores," Mackin replies.
"We've been really lucky this year, we've Sinéad McDonnell beside me, and Abbie McVerry, and we've clicked very well. I think it's just that buy in from the girls.
"When we were away with the county, they'd been training really hard. It's been great to play a small part in it, that's exactly what we are, a small part in a big wheel."
Aimee Mackin and Kelly Mallon celebrate after Armagh's All-Ireland Ladies Football Championship Quarter-Final win over Kildare earlier this year. Photo by Shauna Clinton/Sportsfile
What are some of the key reasons for Shane O'Neill's emergence? "I think we've always felt that we had a strong enough team," Mackin replies.
"The biggest team in Armagh has always been Clann Eireann, they're a great team with a lot of county players.
"To draw them in the quarter-final, when we got the draw, we were like here we go. To get over them this year was a massive confidence booster for everyone in the team. We beat them down in Clann Eireann.
"Obviously, when you're coming up against the favourites, you don't know what way it's going to go. For us to get out of that, it definitely helped with confidence going into the semi-final and the final.
"You learn a lot from each game, I think we got better with each game. I think we've always had the ability, but through injuries and Australia, we've sorted of just been missing a bit for the last few years. It just all came together at the right time."
Armagh were beaten by Galway in the All-Ireland Ladies Football semi-final. Mackin is hopeful Armagh can compete strongly again in 2027. "We're probably disappointed with how we played in the semi-final, but Galway were deserved winners that day, and deserved winners in the final," Mackin says.
"They've been knocking on the door for the last couple of years, they've a really strong club scene and a really strong county team, physically, too. You take learnings from it, you get into a new year, and you're back down to the bottom.
"You need to work hard through the league and hopefully we can get back there. You need a bit of luck, too, getting yourself on that journey.
"We'd be looking to get back there, and while there are no guarantees, if you put in enough work, hopefully it can all work out for you."