Brenda McAnespie
Personal information
Irish name Breannait Mhic an Easpaig
Sport Ladies' Football
Position back, goalkeeper
Born February 1966 (1966-02) (age 57)
Monaghan, Ireland
Occupation FÁS employee, county councillor
Club(s)
Years Club
  • Monaghan Harps
  • Emyvale
Inter-county(ies)
Years County
1991–2006
 Monaghan
Inter-county titles
All-Irelands 2
All Stars 3
Brenda McAnespie
Monaghan County Councillor
In office
11 June 1999 – 5 June 2009
ConstituencyMonaghan LEA
Personal details
NationalityIrish
Political partySinn Féin
SpouseVincent McAnespie
Children7

Brenda McAnespie (born February 1966) is an Irish sportswoman.[1][2] She played ladies' Gaelic football with her local club, Monaghan Harps, with Emyvale, and with the Monaghan county team.[3]

Early life

Brenda grew up in Scotstown, County Monaghan. She attended Urbleshanny National School and played Gaelic football on the boys' team at a time when ladies' Gaelic football was not widely played. At 13 or 14 this was no longer allowed and she switched to indoor soccer, playing as a goalkeeper.

She married Vincent McAnespie in 1989.[4]

Sporting career

In 1991 ladies' football began in Monaghan and McAnespie was involved from the beginning. They won the 1992 All-Ireland Junior Ladies' Football Championship, and went on to dominate the senior competition in the 1990s. McAnespie played in six All-Ireland senior finals, winning in 1996 and 1997.[5] She won three All Stars, in 1996, 1997 and 1999.

McAnespie retired from county football in 2006.[5]

In 2008, she was on an Emyvale team that won the All-Ireland Ladies Intermediate Club Football Championship, along with her daughters Ciara and Aoife.[6]

McAnespie was named by the Irish Independent on a list of "The 10 greatest women GAA [sic] players of all time" in 2015.[7] She was the subject of a 2020 Laochra Gael episode.[8][9]

Personal and political life

McAnespie has seven children.[10] Her son Ryan has played for Monaghan men's team.[11]

She was elected to Monaghan County Council for Sinn Féin in 1999 and again in 2004.[12]

Her husband, Vincent McAnespie, is also a longtime Sinn Féin activist. He was accused of involvement in the attempted murder of an Ulster Defence Regiment member in 1981; he was tried in 2010 and acquitted.[13] His brother Aidan was killed by a British Army sniper in Aughnacloy, County Tyrone in 1988.[14]

References

  1. ↑ "DueDil".
  2. ↑ "Magical display from Monaghan". independent.
  3. ↑ "McAnespie eyes HQ retirement". independent.
  4. ↑ Hannigan, Mary. "The big prize beckons for a pioneer". The Irish Times.
  5. 1 2 Hannigan, Mary. "Twin-win situation as McAnespies team up for club and county". The Irish Times.
  6. ↑ "Emotional year ends with All-Ireland success - HoganStand". www.hoganstand.com.
  7. ↑ "The 10 greatest women GAA players of all time". independent.
  8. ↑ "'Beyond Borders' - Date confirmed for Laochra Gael featuring Monaghan legend McAnespie". 18 February 2020.
  9. ↑ "General". www.emyvale.net.
  10. ↑ "Ladies Gaelic Football Ulster Schools All Stars 2010". 28 May 2010.
  11. ↑ Watters, Andy (7 August 2018). "Tyrone home but a Monaghan heart for Emyvale native Ryan McAnespie". The Irish News.
  12. ↑ "ElectionsIreland.org: Brenda McAnespie". electionsireland.org.
  13. ↑ "Man denies hiding murder bid guns". BBC News. 8 November 2010.
  14. ↑ "Charging of McAnespie and McGeough is scandalous – Ó Caoláin". www.sinnfein.ie.


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