You may have heard, you may have not.
Last November, Ciana Ní Churraoin, a 28-year-old sports psychologist from Connemara, claimed the most prestigious title in the sport of handball when she won the Women's Open Singles at the World Championships in front of a sell-out crowd at Croke Park.
It was the culmination of a lifetime’s work for the former Galway footballer, a journey which took her to study a Masters on a handball scholarship in Minnesota and to competing on the American pro tour before returning home to win her maiden All-Ireland Senior Singles and Doubles titles and then, the Worlds.
After that, it all changed for Ciana, the handballer – but when Ciana, the person, stepped out of the small but globally-scattered and fervent handball community, everything stayed the same.
"I think it's a funny thing," she said at the launch of the oneills.com All-Ireland Senior Singles Championship, "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 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 last week 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 are 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."
Should Ní Churraoin go all the way in the Senior Singles again – and nothing is guaranteed in a stacked field, even without injured holder Catriona Casey – it could herald an unforgettable year for Galway gaelic games in general given the relative strengths of their respective football, hurling and camogie sides.
A clubmate of Galway senior footballers Síofra Ni Scanláin and Cillian Ó Curraoin (no relation), her home area is a football stronghold.
"I mean, of course that would be nice. You know, one would be nicer for me personally," she laughed, "but for the people of Galway, it maybe would bring more joy to see the football team win because they've been doing so well.
"And I think the ladies as well, they've really been pushing on the last few years. And you don't want to be close, you want to go over the line. I know what it takes as an athlete to get even close to achieving that goal, so I just would hope for those individuals that they can do it."
Ní Churraoin meets Roscommon’s Fiona Tully in the semi-final of the oneills.com Senior Singles on Saturday, with Limerick’s Martina McMahon and Kildare’s Mollie Dagg meeting in the other semi-final.
In the Men’s Senior Singles, Gary McConnell of Meath takes on Cork’s David Walsh, with world champion, Cavan’s Paul Brady, meeting Westmeath’s Robbie McCarthy. Action serves off at 10am at the National Handball Centre, Croke Park.
Watch Roscommon v Galway in the Connacht Football Championship on Sunday from 3.45pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app and listen to Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1
Watch The Sunday Game from 9.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on all matches on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app. Listen to updates from around the country on Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1
