Being Ireland’s most capped athlete is one that sits easy with Co Tyrone hockey legend Shirley McCay.
The Drumquin native and former Omagh Academy pupil retired from international hockey at the end of last year after competing for her country in the Olympic Games in Tokyo, after lining out an impressive 316 times.
Shirley was part of the highly successful Irish ladies hockey team which made it to the World Cup Final in 2018, but after her recent retirement she said she was enjoying having a bit of extra time off.
Read more: Co Tyrone woman opens up about diabetes diagnosis at the age of 21
“I was always going to be hanging up my boots after Tokyo and then with it being delayed I was that wee bit older again, so I was just delighted to be able to finish on a high and go out with an Olympic games,” Shirley told MyTyrone.
“I’ve certainly enjoyed my retirement ever since and I’m still playing my club hockey so that keeps me busy.
“It’s nice to just play my club hockey and get stuck into my work again and have a wee bit more free time.
“This is my first summer season off with a break from hockey for the first time in 15 or 16 years so it’s going to be nice to actually just book a holiday and have some down time.
“It was a huge commitment, obviously it’s a privilege to be able to do it and not many people can say they’ve been able to do what I’ve done.
“I count myself very lucky.”
Shirley, who now uses her experience as a talent manager for Ulster Hockey, counts at least part of her success down to her Co Tyrone roots.
“I live in Belfast at the moment and have lived here for the last good few years but I try and get home as much as I can.
“I had a great experience growing up in Drumquin, my mum was a primary school teacher and my dad was a farmer so living in the countryside I was always outside playing with my friends and playing sport.
“I’m very proud of where I come from and I always say you get a wee bit of toughness if you live in the countryside and you’re not from more built up areas.
“You have that wee bit of resilience and toughness in you, and that’s got me far and helped with my competitiveness.
Earlier this week Co Tyrone Olympian the Drumquin athlete led a series of dedicated mental health programmes delivered by Lidl Northern Ireland as part of the retailer’s Sport for Good initiative.
She said she often found sport to be a welcome distraction from the worries of teenage life, but also found it a tough balance to handle training and school work.
“I always found that if I was frustrated or if I was stressed or a bit anxious about my schoolwork or what was going on outside of sport, sport was that release for me.
Read more: Tributes to legendary Tyrone entertainer Willie Loughrey
“It definitely gave me so much and that aspect of being in a team sport and having those experiences with people around you gave me so much.
“Even to this day I think that’s one of the best things about sport.
“When I was in Drumquin growing up and went to Omagh Academy, all of our training sessions for Ulster were in Belfast and all of our training sessions for Ireland were in Dublin.
“That meant trips two or three times a week to Belfast then the weekends going to Dublin.
“I was just doing my schoolwork in the car and the experience that I got from trying to balance those was a complete appreciation for my time.
“I look now and I think that taught me so much, because now I’m a good planner and I manage my time well, and I’ve been successful.”
Read more: Strabane mum who set up pet business during lockdown nominated for top award
Read more: Co Tyrone church ‘hate incident’ condemned
To get the latest breaking news straight to your inbox, sign up to our free newsletter.
