Looking out west from Sligo town, the tomb of Queen Maeve sits on top of Knocknarea Hill.
In Celtic mythology, Maeve was known as the warrior queen of Connacht. The cairn itself dates back to 3000 BC and it certainly dominates the skyline. Knocknarea, at 327 metres high, looks down on the Coolera peninsula, and located within is the picturesque coastal town of Strandhill, noted for its surfing and impressive golf course.
But in these last few weeks, the exploits of Coolera-Strandhill GAA club have given rise to much joy and celebration in the community after success for the men's and women's football teams.
And the good times may not stop there.
Last weekend, in the Dutch city of Maastricht, the women's junior side defeated Paris-Bordeaux in the All-Ireland quarter-final, this after winning a maiden provincial title. This afternoon, they face Mungret St Paul's of Limerick in the All-Ireland semi-final in Tubbercurry.
Twenty-four hours later, the senior men, under the stewardship of John McPartland Jr, make their Connacht final bow, taking on Roscommon's Padraig Pearses in the decider at Markievicz Park.
"We're a long-standing club in Sligo GAA, founded in 1886, and for years we were starved of success," Coolera-Strandhill chairperson Stephen Carty tells RTÉ Sport ahead of a big weekend for the club.
"We're very much a one-club model: we have Gaelic football, Ladies football, hurling and camogie, and we encourage players to participate across all codes. It's great when you have success for both men and women, it shows that the investment is worthwhile."
For the men's side, back-to-back county titles were achieved when again they got the better of St Molaise Gaels in the final. This year a replay was required, however, with Coolera-Strandhill holding their nerve to emerge victorious by the bare minimum.
Onward then to provincial combat.
Mayo's Ballina Stephenites were the visitors to Markievicz Park. Another opportunity to finally deliver a performance of note against one of the neighbours, and with it banish the memory of the no-show against St Brigid's in 2023.
Reflecting on that game, when Coolera-Strandhill were held scoreless for the opening 40 minutes, Carty said: "Speaking to the players and management afterwards, they were bitterly disappointed and felt they did not perform anywhere near the level that they were capable of. That said, St Brigid's reached an All-Ireland club final and went very close to winning it so that was testament to the opposition we were playing that day.
"But there was no hiding our disappointment, especially after we won that county final."
A year on and Coolera-Strandhill were fully tuned in for the task at hand. A low-scoring affair against Ballina ended level after 60 minutes. The latter then pushed two clear in the second period of extra-time, before two late frees from Sligo county star Niall Murphy, who was subsequently black-carded, sent the game to penalties.
📹 MATCH HIGHLIGHTS@CStrandhill edge @NaStiofanaigh on penalties after a tense contest in Markievicz Park in the Connacht SFC Club Semi Final! #ConnachtGAA pic.twitter.com/bdZAfh26cC
— Connacht GAA (@ConnachtGAA) November 17, 2024
Coolera-Standhill were flawless from the spot, with Ross Doherty slotting home the winning kick, much to the joy of their supporters.
A fully-deserved victory in the view of a delighted chairperson.
"The performance of the day was something to be very, very proud of. Every Coolera supporter there was so pleased to see such courage displayed and we backed up, unlike last year, our county final performance.
"The experience we've had in finals in recent years - and you must remember we lost two county finals narrowly (in 2019 and '21) - was going to stand to us at some point. I think there is a strong resilience in the team now, in that when the going gets tough and things go down to the wire, the team is now staying cool and calm under pressure. We have a game plan and we remain true to that. In both county finals we had to come from behind late on, as was the case against Ballina.
"Scores were at a premium and you will say it's not very pleasing on the eye, but that is the nature of modern football. Tight games. Apart from the guys' self-belief, you do need a bit of luck along the way and we had a bit of that. It was just about being able to come through it all so far."
Along with Niall Murphy, Peter Laffey and Keelan Cawley have starred for the Sligo senior team, though the latter has now called time on his inter-county career. Ross Doherty and Mark McDaniel were part of the Yeats County's successful Under-20 sides of late, with Carty also singling out Ross O'Carroll in defence on a Coolera team that has, according to Carty, "that nice blend of youth and experience".
Also aiding the club's cause the last day was the soccer experience some of the squad have, which was crucial when converting those five penalties.
A point Murphy alluded too when he spoke to RTÉ Sport after the win over Ballina: "We've got a lot of soccer heads here in Sligo, a lot of big soccer clubs as well. So a lot of the boys here play with Strand Celtic and have played soccer at a high level.
"I knew when it got down to the penalties that we'd be OK."
Carty was also pleased to see a technique from another code being put to good to use.
"The thing about a club like Coolera-Strandhill, similar to other places in Ireland, is that you have opportunities to play other sports. Some of our lads have played at a decent level with Strand Celtic, while others have played rugby. Add those skillsets together at the right time and that's what gives you an edge. I know the team has practiced penalties in training but it does help that that skillset is there within them and they can call upon it when it comes to it.
"When Ballina have a player of David Clarke's ability in goals, you need to be able hit a good penalty to get past David. We got five and that was no doubt aided by guys being involved in soccer over the years."
And so Coolera-Strandhill are one of the eight teams remaining in the club championship. And it's clear that they are are going to embrace the occasion when they welcome the Roscommon holders and favourites, who also wear red and white, to Markievicz Park.
"It is certainly a novel occasion for ourselves and something we are looking forward to," Carty adds. "It's going to be a huge ask, we know fine well what we are up against it.
"We're in uncharted territory, but the support we have and the buzz around the community will hopefully drive us on. And we certainly won't be backing down from the challenge that awaits."
Overcoming that challenge would end a 41-year gap since a Sligo side last reigned supreme in the province - St Mary's claimed the last of the their three titles in 1983.
Watch the Leinster Club SFC final, St Mary's Ardee (Louth) v Cuala (Dublin), on Saturday from 5.25pm on RTÉ Player
