Excitement is likely to reach fever pitch for staff at UHG when this year’s Rose of Tralee comes on the telly – because they’ll be cheering on, not one, but two of their colleagues in their battle to wear the crown!
Galway Rose Niamh Elwood from Castlegar is a staff nurse in the Acute Medical Unit – and the Offaly Rose, Jennifer Byrne, is a junior doctor in the Accident and Emergency Department.
Both come from sporting families and, while Niamh is associated with Liam Mellows GAA club, Jennifer plays soccer in the National League for Galway WFC. Indeed, in the club’s most recent home game in Deacy Park, she scored in Galway’s unexpected but comprehensive 5-1 win over league leaders Peamount United.
Jennifer Byrne is a tall 24-year-old, standing five feet eleven inches, and comes from Clonaderig near the Offaly/Westmeath border, 20 km south of Athlone and 10 km east of the monastic settlement at Clonmacnoise. She went to school in Ballinahown and Our Lady’s Bower in Athlone, a school which has a fine sporting tradition. And following her Leaving Certificate, she studied medicine at NUI Galway.
As well as starring for Galway WFC in the National League, Jenny has played for the past five years with the NUIG women’s team and scored the winning penalty to decide the 2016 WSCAI All Ireland Premier Division title. She has represented Ireland at U17 and U19 level and in the World University Games and she played on the Irish women’s team in the World University games in South Korea in 2015.
Jennifer played centre-half in the European Under 17 Final in 2010 when Ireland unfortunately lost out on penalties to Spain.
When asked about her best moments in her sporting career, she said: “Playing on the Irish team that beat Germany in the U17 European Championship semi-final in 2010 and then going on to reach the quarter-final of the U17 FIFA World Cup in Trinidad and Tobago the same year.”
She also played Gaelic football and was corner-forward on the Westmeath team that claimed All-Ireland Intermediate honours in 2011 by defeating Cavan after a replay in Croke Park.
As a medical student, she volunteered at Barretstown, a charity set up for children living with a serious illness and their families.
She has also volunteered in Mpongwe Mission Hospital in Zambia through a charity called Volunteer Services Abroad.
“For me, this was a life-changing experience and opened my eyes as to how fortunate we are here in Ireland”, she said.
Niamh Elwood is 23 years of age comes from Castlegar, not far from Ballybrit, the home of the Galway Races. She was chosen as the 2017 Galway Rose at a banquet in the Clayton Hotel in May.
Niamh spent four years studying in GMIT where she was awarded an honours degree in general nursing.
She has been working as a staff nurse in the Acute Medical Unit, University Hospital Galway since December 2015 where for a few months she worked side by side with Dr Jennifer Byrne!
While Jennifer likes many sports as well as soccer and Gaelic football, Niamh is a true ‘Gael’, having a long association with Liam Mellows GAA club in Galway city. As a teenager, Niamh played hurling with the boys but she also played hockey when she was at school in Taylor’s Hill.
In 2005, her mother Deirdre was instrumental in setting up the Liam Mellows Camogie club so that Niamh and her sister could play with their own club.
Her father Paul has been her trainer for many years and her brother Paul is currently a member of the Galway Under 21 hurling panel. Her late grandfather Mickey Elwood played for Galway and Liam Mellows in the 1950s.
Niamh loves travelling and has visited New York, Boston, Paris, Malta, Budapest, Prague, Australia (Sydney, Melbourne and the Great Barrier Reef), Amsterdam, London, Portugal and Barcelona.
Both girls are actively involved in voluntary work in their spare time.
Jennifer supports the ‘I’m A Friend’ anti-bullying initiative which was founded by her friend, Charlie Wynne from Ferbane. She also volunteers with the Irish Kidney Association.
Niamh has been closely involved with the Galway Hospice and hopes to raise awareness and funds for the hospice during the coming year. She hopes to do a unique ‘First Responses’ demonstration, should she reach the televised stages of the competition in Tralee.
They have both been to the Rose of Tralee Festival as teenagers in the past and often dreamt that they might be up onstage representing their counties. Both are excited about and looking forward to what promises to be a great experience during the third week in August.
Chatting with them it is clear that there is no rivalry whatsoever and the goodwill shown by staff, patients and visitors is overwhelming.
Indeed, while we took the photographs in the grounds of the hospital on a quiet Sunday afternoon, there was a constant stream of well-wishers passing by and stopping with a word of good luck or to take a shot on their phones.
With the added interest of the Dubai Rose, Lisa O’Donohue being a native of Dangan on the outskirts of Galway city, the 2017 Rose of Tralee Festival will generate more interest than usual throughout County Galway.
The Festival begins on Wednesday, August 16, and runs for a week until Tuesday, August 22.
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