A lifetime dream comes true for Ciara

On Sunday last, the words of Armagh captain Aidan Forker echoed around Croke Park following his side's victory in the All-Ireland final and perfectly epitomised the long, winding journey the men in orange had taken from devastation to elation.

In Paris, an equally-passionate sportswoman sat on her bed in the Olympic Village and told The Mayo News about the spine-tingling odyssey she and her family have experienced through the generations, which culminated with her sailing down the Seine as part of Ireland's Olympic team last Friday night.

Ciara McGing, is a 23-year-old exceptionally talented woman who will compete for Ireland in next Monday's 10m Platform Diving competition in Paris and it will be the realisation of a dream.

“I get a little emotional thinking about it even now,” McGing told The Mayo News. “When my Grandma and Grandpa left Ireland to look for work in London they sometimes couldn't get a job because of their accents, now, I'm here at the Olympics representing Ireland, Mayo and my family,” she explained.

Those grandparents, Paddy and Noreen, are the reason Ciara proudly wore the Mayo crest on her sleeve at Friday's Opening Ceremony alongside Shane Lowry, Sarah Lavin and the Irish team. Paddy from Croaghrim in Killawalla outside Westport and Noreen from Srah in Tourmakeady instilled an ethos of hard work, loyalty, family and a love of Ireland in their London-born children and Ciara has inherited that from her dad Tony and her mother Elaine from Rathmullen in Donegal.

“Ever since I was a little girl all I wanted to do was represent Ireland at the Olympics. Now, that it's happening I have to pinch myself sometimes,” she continued.

Ciara's journey to Paris began as a six-year-old when the busy child impressed school coaches so much that she was put on a special exercise program and she loved it.

“Initially it was three sessions a week of pool and gymnastics and that quickly progressed to being six-days-a-week. Mum and Dad were on the road constantly. They were brilliant.”

It was obvious that Ciara was a special talent and when she spent every summer in Killawalla and Rathmullen, she felt right at home and the draw to compete for Ireland was growing stronger with every passing moment.

“I did sessions with Irish team in Dublin as the years passed and when I was 16 I moved to Dublin permanently to give myself every chance of being the best I could be.”

The move was a huge sacrifice and Ciara's mother spent much of that first year with her in Blanchardstown, as the teenager trained in the morning, studied for her A Levels in the afternoon and trained again in the evening. It was a life of dedication and effort, but the young star loved it.

“I taught myself an A Level I suppose. It was tough doing all of it together, but it has certainly been worth it,” she added as the conversation turned to her progression through the ranks.

A scholarship to study in Ohio State in 2020 meant she dived against the top Americans on the NCAA circuit graduating with a degree in Health and Environmental Studies earlier this year. In the pool, Ciara came close to getting to the Tokyo Olympics, then competed at the European Championships before shooting for the stars in Doha at this year's Olympic Qualifiers.

“I went there in great shape – absolutely ready to rock, but I dived poorly and made uncharacteristic mistakes. I improved on my last dive but it looked like I had missed out on qualification and I resigned myself to watching the Olympics from a bar somewhere as my sister and I back-packed around the place for the summer. We booked holidays and I was certain I had missed out. Then, I got a call to say I had made it. I honestly couldn't believe it. I phoned my parents and sister straight away and I'll never forget those calls.

“Dad never cries, not even at funerals, but that all changed when he heard my news. He was driving home from work when I rang him and after saying 'hello' I said 'I just wanted to say I'm going to the Olympics.' There was utter silence at the other end and then I could hear the sobbing. That's how much it means. Mum cried solid for three weeks. There's a lot of history involved – a long journey and it's very emotional.

“I have an amazing family. They've made so many sacrifices and have supported me all the way. There are so many of them coming to Paris to see me dive – 40 McGings are on the way I hear.”

This week, Ciara has been working hard, practising in the pool at the Aquatics Centre in Seine-Saint-Denis and she has also been soaking up the Olympic Village experience.

“I was lining up food on my first evening here and Simone Biles (the most successful gymnast in history) was standing beside me. After that I spent the evening playing poker with some of our boxing team in the Team Ireland zone which looks out at the Eiffel Tower, so it wasn't a bad evening,” she added with a large helping of understatement before describing her mood as only she can.

“All I ever wanted to do was wear the green at the Olympics and it has been my greatest dream since I was a little girl. Now, it's happening and it's just the greatest feeling ever. All the effort was worth it and I'm loving every second of it,” she concluded. Ciara will be in action in Paris next Monday morning at 9am.

Mayo will also be represented in Paris by Eric Favors in the shot-put. Eric's grandmother Margaret Kerr comes from Ballina and he grew up in Rockland just outside New York. Belmullet's Sinead Diver will run for Australia in the Marathon, an event she also ran in Tokyo where she finished tenth.