Hockey Scholarship Recipients 23-24
Name: Abi O’Mahony
Position: Forward
Early Career: Abi played her first hockey in Church of Ireland at the age of 7 and in Eglantine National School in the tarmac school yard. Abi continued on to play with Scoil Mhuire College and captained various school teams throughout her years. Abi went on to represent Munster at U16, U18 and U21 level.
Club Career: Abi played for Church of Ireland u16, u18 and Div1 throughout her school years. In 2019, Abi won an Irish Hockey Trophy with Church of Ireland. Abi began playing with the UCC first team in 2020 on entering University. In 2022, she was joint top scorer and a vital part of the UCC team who won the Munster Senior league. Last season (22/23) Abi was captain of the first team and led the team to winning the Munster Senior Cup for the first time in many years.
Professional and Personal Bio: Abi is currently in her final year of Commerce in UCC. Abi works as a part-time hockey coach for St.Finbarrs primary school and Scoil Mhuire Secondary school and is a part time waitress in Eco’s restaurant Douglas in the off season. Abi is also on the UCC hockey committee and loves to give back to the sport she loves wherever she can.
Position: Forward
Emma started playing hockey when she was 5 years old in Ashton Hockey Club. She played up through the underage before debuting for the Division One Senior team when she was 15. Emma played 4 seasons with Ashton Senior team before moving to UCC. She played her school hockey for Regina Mundi College winning the Minor A league and helping the Senior team win promotion to Senior A.
Emma represented Munster at the Interprovincial Championships at U-16 and U-18 level. She also played Munster U-21 and U-23 in the recent Interprovincial leagues and represented Ireland at U-18 level in 2020.
Currently a third year Commerce student in UCC Emma begins her 3rd season with college. She is very grateful to be a recipient of the UCC sports scholarship and I can't wait to see what this season will bring.
Name: Enya O’Donoghue
Position: Mid Field
Early Career: Enya’s first and only club was Cork Harlequins (before moving to UCC of course). Enya tried playing all outfield positions when she started school hockey with Mount Mercy, finally settling on her favourite one…left back . At 14, Enya played her first senior cup match at left back, which progressed into left mid, when the team reached the Kate Russell All Ireland Schoolgirl Finals when she was 16, finally ending up at centre back for her 2nd Munster Senior Cup win at the age of 18.
Club Career: Enya began playing for Cork Harlequins when she was 8 working her way from u10’s to the 1sts. Enya won many Munster League titles on her way up to the senior team, however her biggest win whilst playing with Quins was competing in EY1Finals weekend and winning the Irish Senior Cup in 2019. Enya started her career with UCC in 2020 alongside school, Munster, and Quins teammates, Sarah and Jane Murphy, Abi O’Mahony, Nikki Barry, and Laurna McHugh . Enya started off as a left back for college and has since moved back into the mid field line. She has won two Munster league titles with the team and a Munster Senior Cup. She is now helping the team in their battle for a place in the finals weekend at the end of the season.
Representative career: Enya was on both U16 and U18 Munster squads, however never managed to win an Interpros title. From here she went on to train with the Ireland U16 and U18 squads, and was fortunate to become a UCC sports scholar.
Professional and Personal Bio: Enya is in her final year of college, studying Commerce at UCC. She currently works two jobs one in Juvi, an Irish handmade jewellery brand, and the second in Mount Mercy, helping out with coaching whenever she can. Enya’s also on the UCC hockey committee, in charge of fundraising for the club and different charities. Her hobbies outside of hockey include art and playing the piano.
Name: Isabel Lyons
Position: Defender
Early Career: Isabel began playing hockey at 9 years old in Cork Harlequins where she stayed until moving to UCC at 18. Isabel attended St Angela’s College; she played hockey throughout her time in secondary school.
Club Career: During her time at Harlequins, Isabel played in the EYHL 1 with the club’s first team for two years. Upon her move to UCC Isabel was a member of the squad that won the Munster Senior League in 2022 and more recently won the Munster Senior Cup in 2023.
Provincial Career: Isabel has represented Munster at U18, U21 and U23 levels in several interprovincial competitions.
Personal: Isabel is currently in her third year of studying Chemistry of Pharmaceutical Compounds.
Name: Jane Murphy
Position: Forward
Early Career: Jane began her hockey career in Cork Harlequins at age 7. She advanced through the underage leagues at the club and developed a passion for the sport. She attended Mount Mercy College and enjoyed the strong hockey culture at the school. She reached 4 finals and won 2 Munster Senior Cups with her team including current UCC teammates, Sarah Murphy, Enya O’Donoghue, Suzie Uniacke-Lowe, Lauren Cripps, Siri Forde, Joy O’Kelly and Leah Hayes. She played in the Kate Russell All Ireland tournament in 2018. She unfortunately missed out on the Kate Russell in her final year due to Covid.
Club Career: Jane made her EY1 senior hockey debut for Cork Harlequins when she was 16. The following year, she was part of this team that won the Irish Senior Cup in 2019. The same year, she won Division 1 Player of the Year. She attained great experience playing alongside and against Irish Internationals.
Munster Career: Jane has represented Munster at U16 and U18 level. She played forward in the 2016, 2017 and 2018 Interprovincials.
UCC Career: Jane started playing with UCC in 2020, making this her fourth year on the UCC Division 1 team. She won Division 1 Player of the Year in 2021. She has won the Munster Senior Cup and Munster Division 1 league with this UCC team.
Professional and Personal Bio: Jane is currently in her fourth year of studying Medicine in UCC. After college, she hopes to pursue a rewarding career in surgery. She received a Quercus Academic Entrance Scholarship in first year college for her Leaving Certificate results. She plans to go to Malawi this summer as part of the Surgeon Noonan Charity to volunteer in a hospital and while she’s in that part of the world she plans to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. She has been back in Mount Mercy College coaching and umpiring hockey at both primary and secondary school levels.
Name: Julia Mc Carthy
Position: Midfield/Forward
School Career: Julia played for the Senior A squad at Ashton School from the age of 14. In her final years of secondary school, she co-captained the Senior A team in a competitive league and cup campaign. As a result of her contribution to sports, she won Junior Sportsgirl of the Year and Senior Sportsgirl of the Year in her Junior Certificate and Leaving Certificate years respectively.
Hobbies: Julia enjoys all forms of sport, and is passionate about exercise, fitness and nutrition. She has a keen interest in soccer, tennis, and swimming; however, her passion is hockey. In her free time, she loves to practise freestyle hockey tricks, with her Instagram videos earning her over 1500 followers and a sponsorship from Dragon Field Hockey. During lockdown of 2020, she won 1000 euro in the AIG #ShowYourSkills competition for her hockey freestyle video entry.
Club Career: Julia began playing for Cork Harlequins when she was 10 years old. With Cork Harlequins in 2017, she competed in the u14 Eurohockey Club Championships in London. At the age of 16, she was called up to the Cork Harlequins 1st Team, playing at EYHL 1 level. At the end of the 2022-2023 season, she played in an EYHL 2 Semi-Final with Cork Harlequins v Corinthians, narrowly missing out on a promotion to EYHL 1. She has played alongside ex-international players such as Yvonne O’Byrne, who also coached her at u18 level. Upon entering college, Julia joined the UCC Women’s 1st Hockey team, playing an attacking role up front. She takes pride in assisting and scoring goals, with the aim to perform to the highest standard this season.
Performance Squads: Having played on the Munster Tennis Regional Squad from 2012-2017, she is no stranger to competitive sport. Upon entering Ashton School, her focus was solely on hockey. Julia captained the u18 Munster team in 2021 and was soon called up to the Irish u18 Squad, yet unfortunately missed out due to a season-long injury. She also played on the Munster u21 Hockey Team in 2022. She has recently been selected for the Irish u21 training squad with hopes of making her first international appearance in the coming months.
Aspirations: Julia has her eyes set on playing for the Irish Senior Women’s Hockey Squad in the future, which has been a life-long goal. In terms of short-term goals, she aims to help the UCC Hockey team to be promoted to EYHL 1 for next season, a collective goal for the girls.
Studies at UCC: Julia is currently studying Law and Business at UCC, with the hopes of a career in the legal profession. She has a keen interest in academics and strives to build a strong foundation for her future profession.
Name: Lauren Cripps
Position: defender
Early career: Lauren first started playing hockey in her local club Belvedere. She attended Mount Mercy College. During her time in Mount Mercy she won Minor, Junior and Senior cup. Lauren has represented Munster at U16, U18, U21 and at U23 level. She has captained Munster at U16, U18 and at U21 level.
Club Career: Lauren began playing hockey in Belvedere at 7 years of age. She moved to Cork Harlequins when she was 16 and played in the EYHL 1 league for three years. She is now playing with UCC Women’s hockey team.
International career and debut: Lauren first began playing for Ireland at 15 years of age where she played her first series against England. She has represented Ireland at U16, U18, U19 and U21 level. Lauren has competed in four nations and six nations tournaments.
Professional and personal bio: Lauren is in second year studying Sports Studies and Physical Education with Irish in UCC.
Name: Laurna McHugh
Position: Goalkeeper
Early Career: Laurna began playing hockey in Midleton HC, before moving to Cork Church of Ireland HC as she progressed playing in Midleton College. Laurna represented the Midleton College Senior Team for 6 years, captaining in her final year while also playing division one hockey in club.
Laurna has represented Munster at U16, U18, U21 and U23 levels. She is now a coach for the Munster U18 girls team and has worked with the Munster U16 girls since 2021.
Club Career: Laurna began playing hockey as an outfielder for Midleton HC, before progressing into a goalkeeper and moving to Cork Church of Ireland HC. While representing Cork Church of Ireland, Laurna won the Irish Hockey Trophy, gained EY2 promotion and won Munster division 1 Cup.
International debut and career: Laurna first had the honor of representing Ireland at U16 level following her selection after her performances for Munster, gaining representative honors against the USA. Laurna later progressed into the Irish U18 squad, playing a role in a notable three game series win against England in February of 2019.
Professional and Personal Bio: Laurna is currently completing her Masters in Management and Marketing, following the completion of her undergraduate studies in Economics.
During her time in UCC, Laurna has acted as Club Captain for the 2022/2023 academic year, and Fixtures secretary for the 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 academic years, while holding a position of OCM on the Club’s executive committee. Laurna is currently Club Secretary giving back to the club which has supported her since 2021.
Position: Midfield
Career: Originally from South Africa, Micaela has lived in Ireland for just under two years. She has played club hockey since the age of 13. Micaela started at her local club in South Africa, Old Collegians and played for that club up until her final year in school. She then joined Crusaders for a more competitive season, playing in the Premier league. Arriving in Ireland Micaela joined Kilkenny Hockey Club where they had an unbeaten season and since then has started studying at University College Cork and starting on the UCC women’s 1st side. Micaela played 1st team level throughout her school career, achieving over 100 caps for her first team. Playing from U13 to U21 for her provincial team in South Africa, Eastern Province, in 2022 Micaela was chosen to represent the Munster U21 side, was Brand Ambassador for Gym & Coffee brand ambassador and received a UCC Sport Scholarship.
Personal Bio: Micaela is currently in 2nd year and studying Food Science. She is delighted to be starting her 2nd season with UCC and cannot wait for a very competitive season ahead, with lots of individual as well as team goals and challenges.
Name: Nikki Barry
Position: Midfield/Forward
Early Career: Nikki began playing hockey with Ashton Hockey Club at the age of 7. On her transition to secondary school, she played with the Scoil Mhuire Senior Team from first to sixth year. During her Secondary School years, she represented Munster at five consecutive interpro tournaments, three times at U16 and twice at U18 level, two of which she was captain.
Club Career: Nikki started her hockey career in Ashton Hockey Club, While in Secondary School, she played with Cork Harlequins where she won an Irish Senior Cup Medal in 2019. She is currently playing with UCC Hockey Team for the last three years.
International debut and career: Nikki was chosen to represent Ireland U16 for two years, which consisted of a Six Nations Competition which was held in the Mardyke Arena. Nikki was also chosen to represent Ireland U18 team for the following two years.
Professional and Personal Bio: Nikki is currently studying Business Information Systems and is in her final year.
Name: Robyn Murphy
Position: Midfield/ Forward
Early Career: Robyn began her hockey when she joined Ashton Hockey Club at 8 years of age and instantly fell in love with the game. Attending St Angela’s she started her school hockey career at 13 and was selected for the senior team in second year. Robyn went onto Captain her senior team in her final year of secondary school.
Club Career: Robyn played for Ashton Hockey Club for ten years before she joined UCC Hockey Club in 2023. She started off in the underage divisions and at 15 started her senior career with the club. She won under age Player of the Year and Women’s Division 1 Player of the Year during her time in the club. Before moving to UCC Robyn was Vice Captain of the Senior team in Ashton.
Provincial Career: Robyn first wore the red jersey for Munster when she was 14 and played two years at U16 level. She then progressed to U18 level where she captained Munster to an U18 Interpro final in 2022. Last season Robyn played for the Munster u21 team.
In 2022 Robyn won the Munster Young Player of the year.
In 2023 Robyn was nominated for Munster Senior Player of the Year.
International Career: Robyn follows a proud family tradition, her grandmother Mary Curtin (nee Curran) played senior hockey for Ireland and her aunts and mum played at underage levels. At 16 Robyn received her first cap for Ireland (U16) when she played against England in 2020. Robyn progressed to the U18 Irish team in 2022. She played in a 5 nations Series, a Scottish Series and an 8 Nations in Barcelona.
Studies : Robyn is currently a first year student studying Government and Political Science.
Name: Sarah Murphy
Position: Midfield
Early Career: Sarah started playing hockey at the age of 6 up in Cork Harlequins coached by her Mother underage. She then began secondary school in Mount Mercy College where she won 2 senior cups (captaining in her final year). Sarah continued to go on and play Munster and Irish u16,u18 and u21 in her schooling years.
Club Career: Sarah played for Cork Harlequins from underage to 6th year progressing onto their EYHL1 team. Sarah was a frequent starter for this team playing alongside internationals such as Roisin Upton, Yvonne O’Byrne and Cliodhna Sargent. Sarah, along with a few other UCC teammates, played for the Cork Harlequins team that won the Irish Senior Cup in 2019.
International debut and Career: Sarah played her first international game against the USA at under 16 and followed on to represent her country at u18 and 21. Sarahs u21 journey was cut short after two years with the team by an ACL injury meaning that she would miss out on being part of the Junior World Cup squad in South Africa. Although Sarah gave it her all and was committed to the international scene for 4 years.
Professional and Personal Bio: Sarah is currently in the 3rd year of her degree in Nutritional Science as a Quercus scholar. She helps in the running of the UCC hockey club as PRO and was vice club captain last year. Sarah is thoroughly enjoying her time playing for the UCC firsts team and can’t wait for what this season brings!