WEST Belfast GAA club Laochra Loch Lao are organising a fun day in memory of their underage player Bláthnaid Ní Mhaoilmheanna who died earlier this year, aged five.
'Lá na Laochra – in ómós do Bhláthnaid,' will take place on Saturday 22 August at Spórtlann na hÉireann on the Falls Road. Bláthnaid's family will be present and there will be underage blitzes, bouncy castles, and a match for the Gaelic for Mothers and Others team. All money raised will go to the Brainwaves charity, who supported Bláthnaid's family during her illness.
Bláthnaid's mother, Padraigín Uí Mhaoilmheanna, says Bláthnaid was a young girl full of fun and love.
"Before the illness she had loads of energy! She was just a young kid, always wanting to play with her friends and her younger sister, Duailtín.
"Our Bláthnaid, she was always full of love. Really kind. She really loved her mummy, daddy and Duailtín, and the whole family.
"Shé loved sport. She played with Laochra Loch Lao up until under-5, and really enjoyed it. Even when she was in hospital and doing her physio, she always wanted to practice her hand-to-toes and handpasses."
Bláthnaid's family discovered she was ill in May 2025, when she was four-years-old. She was diagnosed with a brain tumour.
"She was throwing up for a week, and she said her neck was sore at the back. I was at the doctor with her, in the hospital, and they all said that something was wrong with her stomach.
"We were up at Tír na nÓg one day, and I noticed things falling from her hands and that she was walking to one side, so I took her straight to hospital again."
Bláthnaid got a scan, and when doctors asked Padraigín if she wanted Bláthnaid to be in the room when they came back with the results, she knew something was wrong.
"They told us it was a brain tumour, but they didn't know what kind. But she had an operation the Monday after that.
"Bláthnaid took everything in her stride. She didn't care, she was playing, laughing, she wasn't giving out. She was happy that we were with her all the time.
"It took nearly six weeks before they came back with the proper diagnosis. She wasn't able to get radiotherapy until we got the results back from Great Ormond Street. It took a long time before anything happened. During that period, the tumour grew again and we were told that she might not be able to get the radiotherapy."
Bláthnaid had to get another operation before the radiotherapy started, meaning she had undergone two operations inside three weeks.
"After the radiotherapy we started looking for overseas treatments and other things we could do. And during this whole time we were looking at organising holidays and other things for Bláthnaid and Duailtín.
"When I think back on it, it was mad, but at the time you were just in fight-or-flight mode."
Bláthnaid died on the 11 February this year, aged five.
Padraigín praised the support that the Belfast community gave to her and her family at the time, and since then.
"We couldn't say how kind and how good everyone was. We didn't have to organise anything. We didn't have to do anything, it was done for us already. When we came home the house was ready, there was food for everyone.
"Even afterwards, everyone supported us. The messages, offering to take Duailtín for a couple of hours. The school made a remembrance tree for her, and then Bláthnaid's garden was in Anam, and now this fun day.
"People are still thinking about her and about us. And that's heartwarming."
Padraigín said it's a lovely idea for the fun day to be an annual event, and a way to remember Bláthnaid.
"Bláthnaid loved football and loved Laochra, and Laochra gave us so much support since we found out Bláthnaid was sick.
"We can look forward to this day every year. In a couple of years Bláthnaid's team will be playing in the blitz, then Duailtín's team. And that's beautiful."
She says: "I'm delighted that this is happening, that our community will be able to remember Bláthnaid and support Brainwaves. They do great work and I'm really grateful we can give something back to them."
Speaking about this Saturday, Bríd Nig Aoidh, Community Outreach Officer with Laochra Loch Lao, said that they're looking forward to the day.
"We'll have an underage blitz and a Gaelic for Mothers and Others blitz as well," she said.
This is the first Lá na Laochra in ómós do Ghláthnaid that the club are organising, and they want to make it an annual event.
"We want people from every part of the club there, as we have the first of these annual days, celebrating the club and remembering Bláthnaid."
'Lá na Laochra – in ómós do Bhláthnaid,' will take place on the 22 August from 9.30 in Spórtlann na hÉireann.
