While her team-mates may have got to relax in the unexpected downtime the March lockdown brought, Lucy McCartan certainly did not.
Speaking on Thursday's OTB AM, the Westmeath forward and Peamount United player revealed things were a bit busier for her.
As everyone else gorged on Easter eggs and Tiger King, the 21-year-old medical student was working in a nursing home. “It was pretty intense; it was busy all the time and short-staffed,” she said, reflecting on her experiences at the forefront of the pandemic.
However, Lucy was forced to take a back seat in the efforts when she herself was diagnosed. “I was actually out for a couple of weeks because I had COVID”. Thankfully, though, she did not show any symptoms.
While currently on a break from work in the nursing home to focus on her studies in UCD, McCartan still has plenty more to keep her occupied now that sport has returned.
A talented all-round athlete, McCartan was speaking to OTB AM fresh from her Champions League debut against Glasgow City in a match which finished in a devastating loss on penalties after 120 minutes against their esteemed rivals.
Regardless of the result, she is incredibly proud of her teammates and is confident that they can pave the way for Irish teams in Europe. “We’re well able to contest it up there and it just shows that the Irish league is just as good as the rest, even if we’re not professional yet”.
Not just content with excelling at football, McCartan is also a well-established forward for Westmeath, scoring 1-3 against Longford last weekend. Surprisingly, she didn’t feel this impacted her in the run-up to Wednesday's game. However, she is wary that her legs might be on the sore side today after 120 intense minutes on AstroTurf.
In reality, it is training that provides Lucy with the most difficulty. Not simply is she required to be fit and ready for each session, there is also the sheer logistics of commuting from Gaelic training in Westmeath to Peamount in south Dublin.
Somehow, McCartan is managing it though, and it doesn’t appear as though she has any plan on stopping soon either
Written by Catherine Murphy.
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
