After finishing her degree in pharmaceutical chemistry and winning an All-Ireland with her home team Kerry, Mary O'Connell has had very little leisure time but as most county players know, that comes with the territory.
The Kingdom, after a 31-year wait, finally got their day of celebration when they beat Galway 3-14 to 11 points to win the Brendan Martin Cup.
With the next season just around the corner, Mary says that all players are faced with a choice: 'At the start of the year you know that it's going to come up (matches/training/dedication), and whether that's going to be something you want to do or whether it's something that you're willing to sacrifice.'
For many college students finishing their final exams can be a major achievement as well as a relief and the summer is a time to celebrate and take full advantage of the free time that comes knocking.
However, for Mary and probably many other LGFA players, the option of packing your bags and heading off somewhere new is not an option.
Many of Mary's friends headed to America and set up in Chicago and San Diego for the summer.
EVOKE spoke with the midfielder at the LGFA TG4 Awards ceremony where Kerry had 15 nominations and took home seven gongs.
Speaking about decisions, Mary said: 'I suppose it's a commitment and you have to sacrifice different things, but it's your own choice at the start of the season that you're going to commit to a team and you're going to do it for the year.'
While the J1 is a rite of passage, Mary is happy with her choice not to go stateside. 'I'm happy with my decision to stay,' Mary said.
