Wheels of change: Shauna McFadden keen to make it with Donegal

A seed was planted in the mind of young cyclist Shauna McFadden during an off-season Gaelic football session at Loreto Secondary School.

McFadden was one of the top cyclists in Ireland and competed at the European Youth Olympics in 2015 in Georgia.

During the winter months, she ticked over by dabbling in Gaelic football and soccer.

At Loreto, Nicole McLaughlin and Emer Gallagher were taking a training session. The Loreto teachers have been key members of the Donegal senior ladies team for the last decade and more.

“I knew that they played for Donegal and I just thought: 'I'd like to do that',” McFadden, now a Donegal corner-back, says.

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#“I cycled all my life and was competitive. I tried to do both sports for a while, but when I couldn't make training at times I wouldn't get playing for St Eunan's then.

“I definitely miss cycling. I would still cycle when the actual season is over. When the football is on, I don't get out much at all.

“When I started at LyIT, Gaelic took over. I enjoy it. It's completely different. Cycling is purely individual, but you have 30 or 40 team mates in football. Even the training sessions are so highly competitive.

“It's exciting playing for Donegal. I've gone from being one of the top cyclists in Ireland to one of the bottom Gaelic players in Donegal.

“It was tough changing sports, no doubt. I love playing all sports though and I'm really enjoying it in the Donegal squad.”

Shauna McFadden was an accomplished cyclist

She's in her final year studying Sports and Exercise with PE at LyIT and hopes to begin a Masters once that's completed.

The Letterkenny woman is a regular performer on the LyIT ladies team. On Tuesday night, they defeated UCC in the Moynihan Cup semi-final.

This Sunday, McFadden hopes to keep her spot in Donegal's rearguard for the visit to the Connacht Centre of Excellence to take on Mayo in their latest Division 1A assignment (throw-in 2pm).

It could be forgotten just how good McFadden was in the saddle.

In 2017, she signed for Team Jadan Weldtite, an all-womens team , and competed all across Europe.

The Youth Olympics were one experience and she moved to Meath-based TC Racing in 2018.

A former winner of the McCann Cup in Omagh, McFadden was the runner-up in the Phoenix Grand Prix in Belfast while she helped a Danish team to victory in a three-day race.

It is quite the change to lacing up a pair of boots.

McFadden took with ease to the Gaelic football pitch. Maxi Curran, the Donegal manager, drafted her into the squad last year and now she's aiming for more regular minutes.

“It's going great,” she says.

“I'm delighted to be in the Donegal squad. There's a lot of commitment and sacrifice at times, but I definitely want to get a spot and keep it.

“There are a lot of players fighting for every position. At evert training, you just have to show that you want it.

“I said after lastyear that one of my ambitions this year would be to get more game time in the League. I need to get used to playing with those more experienced players – and also need to get up to their standards.

“It's tough walking into any senior dressing room, but the girls there are always looking out for each other. They want to help everyone to get better.

“They coach us along as well. Everyone in there wants everyone else to get stronger, better. They're brilliant

“We're definitely happy so far, beating Galway and Westmeath. We're just hoping to get better every day we go out.

“For that Galway game, we didn't really know where we were with it being the first day out. We had a good enough pre-season, but you don't know what other teams have been at either.

“I was neverous enough, but once you get onto the pitch the nerves leave.”