By Daire Walsh

After taking a break from the panel last year, Maria Reilly is once again embracing the ‘massive privilege’ of being a Mayo senior ladies footballer in 2026.

Still a teenager when she joined the squad back in 2018, Reilly went on to become a regular presence on the inter-county scene. Yet due to a combination of being a student at DCU Dóchas Éireann in north Dublin and more recently a teacher at the nearby Ardscoil Ris, she had been commuting up and down for collective Mayo training and games for an extended period of time.

This eventually led to her opting out of the county set-up in 2025, before subsequently returning under new manager Diane O’Hora for the current season and making her comeback appearance away to Cavan in the opening round of Lidl National Football League Division 2 on January 25. She has seen plenty of action in her second coming with Mayo and was selected in the half-forward line for their TG4 All-Ireland senior football championship group stage encounters with Dublin and Donegal in the past few weeks.

“It’s great to be back playing for Mayo. I think sometimes when you take a step back from something, you remember how much you enjoy it. Going back in this year was really, really important. Because a year out of county football you can get a bit rusty and things like that, but I think the management were brilliant in getting a group together,” Reilly said.

“When you’re committing so much to the cause, it’s important to be getting game time. Obviously each performance you’re getting a bit more confidence in yourself and obviously for the group as well.

“I’m teaching up in Dublin in Ardscoil Ris, so I think when you’re giving up that time commitment for travelling up and down, you really have to make the most of the opportunity. It’s a massive privilege to be involved. It’s about making the most of it then when you’re in the set up.”

In Mayo’s 3-12 to 0-12 defeat against Dublin at Hastings Insurance MacHale Park, Castlebar on June 7, Reilly found herself playing with and against some familiar faces. Originally a member of the Kiltane club in her native county, Reilly transferred to the capital-based Na Fianna in April 2025.

This means she is now a colleague of Laura Grendon, who was selected at full-forward on the Dublin side that took on Mayo in that game. Another Na Fianna player in the shape of Leah Caffrey was initially named at full-back for this contest, before eventually being replaced in the Jackies starting line-up.

Despite acknowledging it was a tough decision to leave Kiltane, a grateful Reilly has been made to feel at home by the Glasnevin outfit.

“I’ve been up and down for a number of years. I trained to be a teacher in Dublin and then I was teaching in Dublin, so it has been a lot of time going up and down the road. Probably been a contributor to a couple of injuries along the way and things like that. Last year when I wasn’t involved with Mayo, I took the step to just play locally in Na Fianna and it was great.

“It was nice to just pop over to training and not to be commuting massive journeys. The girls have been amazing there in welcoming me in. Once the Mayo season is over, we’ll look forward to the Dublin championship after that.

“It was a very difficult decision leaving Kiltane last year. It’s not to say that I’ll not go back. I would absolutely love to be down the west at some stage and back playing in Kiltane. Hopefully get a job back home as well.”

While it was a difficult start to Group 3 of the All-Ireland series in that Dublin fixture, Mayo bounced back with an accomplished 1-15 to 2-6 victory over Donegal at Glenfin last Saturday – Reilly helping herself to a brace of points on the road. This win meant the green and red secured second spot in the final group standings and will now face provincial rivals Galway at the quarter-final stage of the TG4 All-Ireland senior football championship tomorrow week (July 5).

Considering last year saw them entering into a relegation play-off after suffering round robin losses to Kerry and Cork – they eventually retained their top-tier status by overcoming Leitrim – Reilly views it as a sign of progress that Mayo have returned to the knockout phase of the Brendan Martin Cup.

“Massive progress. A county like Mayo, which is a diehard Gaelic football county, it’s so important that we’re back into the knockout stages of the championship. There was obviously a lull there for a couple of years and it’s important now that we’re back. You have a go here at this and you have a chance at making a semi-final.”

Mayo’s upcoming bout away to Galway in Tuam Stadium represents a quick renewal of acquaintances as the two sides clashed in the TG4 Connacht senior football championship final at Heartland Credit Union Páirc Seán Mac Diarmada in Carrick-on-Shannon on May 3. Trailing by 10 points in the early stages of the second half, Diane O’Hora’s charges rallied impressively and ultimately lost out on a slender margin of 1-11 to 0-11.

Even though there was a lot of encouragement for Mayo to take from this game, Reilly revealed there was some frustration amongst their panel in the aftermath of this provincial showpiece.

Like their previous encounter, Mayo are expected to go into their latest meeting with Galway as outsiders, but it is a tie she and her team-mates are nevertheless looking forward to with great anticipation.

“Leaving that game, we left there really disappointed because we felt ourselves we didn’t implement our game plan. That was probably disappointing on our part. I think massive reflection took place after that game,” Reilly added.“Even coming so close, having not played for the majority of the game, was the positive we could take out of that game. Obviously it’s a quarter-final against Galway. It’s an away game, but we’re really, really looking forward to it and I think it will be a cracker.”

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