Back in the football trenches after tour of Chad

AFTER nearly a two-year sabbatical – during which time she served a tour of duty with the Irish Defence Forces in Chad – Ballygar native and 2004 All-Ireland medallist Aine Gilmore has returned to the Galway senior ladies football fold in an effort to revive the fortunes of the maroon and white.

On this day, though, Gilmore sits in a modernised office overlooking the expansive courtyard of Custume Barracks in Athlone, where she has been succinctly compiling the results of fitness tests she carried out the previous day in Donegal. It’s time consuming work, but work she clearly enjoys.

As Gilmore says – unashamedly quoting that well-worn cliché – it is a life less ordinary and her tour of duty in Chad between June and October 2008 certainly bears testament to that. “It was completely different. It was a major culture shock,” says the army lieutenant of her arrival in the landlocked, war-torn African country.

Gilmore was one of approximately 500 soldiers from the 97th Infantry Battalion who made the journey to Chad that Summer – the second largest contingent of soldiers, after France, to assist in efforts to establish peace in Chad and Darfur. The duty of the Irish soldiers was to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid, protect civilians, and ensure the safety of UN personnel.

“In fairness, the people of Chad took to us very well,” recalls Gilmore. “We created employment in the area and we created a safe and secure environment for the people. They were delighted that we were there and there has been plenty of need for us to be there in the last couple of years.

“It is an extremely poor country while the weather is anything up to between 40 and 50 degrees every day. It took a while to adapt to that. It was definitely a worthwhile experience. It was great to have the opportunity to do something like that. You felt like you were making a difference in people’s lives.”

Gilmore, herself, was primarily based in Goz Beida, the main town in the south-east region of Ouaddai and home to thousands of Sudanese refugees who had fled from nearby Darfur. Consequently, the area saw much conflict, which included attacks from the Chadian rebel group, the Union of Forces, who were trying to topple the Government, led by President Idriss Deby.

In June 2008, not long after the arrival of Irish forces, Chadian rebels attacked Goz Beida, injuring at least 25 people. The rebels and the Chadian army were subsequently involved in a fire fight, with the Irish army among those caught in the crossfire.

“It was the kind of place that would be grand for a while, nice and quiet, and then all of a sudden there was the potential for mayhem,” says the 26-year-old, who missed the incident as she was in the capital of N’Djamena, where a small Irish contingent was based.

“When that kicked off, though, our lads were deployed to protect the refugees and that was fairly tense because they were fired upon. For the weeks that followed, we were on high alert. So, it was stressful.”High drama, but Gilmore says her role was a varied one. One of her duties was to act as Welfare Officer, which meant securing some home comforts for the troops and keeping the morale high.

“So, I had to set up the shop over there, along with the gym and recreation areas. I was also organising all the fun events, such as the table quizzes, the poker nights and the fun runs. All those sort of things. It was very challenging.

“Really, it is the small things in life that you get to appreciate, be it a simple can of coke after coming in off patrol. I mean, we take so much for granted over here, but by God, it makes such a difference over there when you are out in 40 or 50 degree heat.”

For the Galway ladies football star, the toughest days were the Sundays. It was those days the home sickness kicked in. “Yeah, the worst days were definitely the Sundays, especially when I knew the girls were playing. We used to be able to get the Irish radio stations through the satellite. Depending on what games were on, say if it was Galway and Mayo, then we would tune in to Galway Bay FM and it was gas. You were sitting in the sweltering heat out in Africa and the next thing you would hear Ollie Turner on the radio.”

Meanwhile, when Gilmore returned to Ireland in October of ‘08, she was designated to fulfil a new role. “I am now in charge of all the sport, physical fitness, and testing in the Western Brigade. That is Donegal, Cavan, Mullingar, Galway and Athlone. So, there is a lot of travelling involved.”

Frequently on the road, Gilmore – who had featured in Galway’s National League campaign of 2008 – felt it was incumbent on her to settle into her new job before making a return to the county panel. As a result, she did not feature in the maroon and white in 2009.

“I also felt I could not commit to training when I didn’t know where I would be from day to day. One day you would be in Donegal, the next day you would be in Cavan, and the next day you could be in Galway. So, I couldn’t really commit.

“I also had to do a course during the middle of last Summer which was slap bang in the middle of the championship and it was extremely physically demanding. So, I don’t think I would have been able to combine the two anyway. I definitely missed it though. You do take it for granted.”

For more, read page 51 of this week's Connacht Tribune.