Brenda McAnespie

Brenda grew up in Scotstown, County Monaghan. She attended Urbleshanny National School and played Gaelic football on the boys' team at a time when ladies' Gaelic football was not widely played. At 13 or 14 this was no longer allowed and she switched to indoor soccer, playing as a goalkeeper.

She married Vincent McAnespie in 1989.[4]

In 1991 ladies' football began in Monaghan and McAnespie was involved from the beginning. They won the 1992 All-Ireland Junior Ladies' Football Championship, and went on the dominate the senior competition in the 1990s. McAnespie played in six All-Ireland senior finals, winning in 1996 and 1997.[5] She won three All Stars, in 1996, 1997 and 1999.

McAnespie retired from county football in 2006.[5]

In 2008, she was on an Emyvale team that won the All-Ireland Ladies Intermediate Club Football Championship, along with her daughters Ciara and Aoife.[6]

McAnespie was named by the Irish Independent on a list of "The 10 greatest women GAA [sic] players of all time" in 2015.[7] She was the subject of a 2020 Laochra Gael episode.[8][9]

McAnespie has seven children.[10] Her son Ryan has played for Monaghan men's team.[11]

She was elected to Monaghan County Council for Sinn Féin in 1999 and again in 2004.[12]

Her husband, Vincent McAnespie, is also a longtime Sinn Féin activist. He was accused of involvement in the attempted murder of an Ulster Defence Regiment member in 1981; he was tried in 2010 and acquitted.[13] His brother Aidan was killed by a British Army sniper in Aughnacloy, County Tyrone in 1988.[14]