'Everyone pulls together and that’s what’s so special about Raphoe'

Rachael Darragh says she will establish a new goal having fulfilled her dream of participating in the Olympic Games.

She returned to her hometown on Friday night following Paris, where she was greeted by a huge crowd at a homecoming event organised by Raphoe Badminton Club.

The 26-year-old bowed out of the women’s badminton after suffering defeat to former Olympic champion Carolina Marin. Spaniard Marin, the gold medallist at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, took victory over Darragh 21-5, 21-5 in the Porte de la Chapelle Arena.

The previous afternoon, Darragh ran European Games bronze medallist Jenjira Stadelmann agonisingly close in her Group L opener, going to match point at one stage, before being edged out 21-13, 22-24, 21-15.

Even being in Paris though, meant Darragh’s dreams had come true.

“I was worried tonight that nobody would turn up,” Darragh said on Friday night of her homecoming. “I can't thank everyone enough. It’s crazy and I’m almost emotional. Everything is possible and just because you’re from Raphoe doesn’t mean you can’t go and do these things.

“The Olympic experience is very hard to put into words. I’ve tried over the last few days. A lot of people are asking. It’s something that’s really unique. You’re going for coffee and you’re sitting beside Andy Murray and seeing celebrities all of the time.

“That alone is something huge. To have had a dream and to have achieved it and to be sitting in it is surreal and I don’t even have the words for it.

“It was everything I dreamt of. You don't know what to expect. It’s everything and more and it’s such a rollercoaster. I’ll go back to Dublin next week and see what’s next. For the last few years, it was all about Paris. It was a tough draw and I expected that I would have to work very hard to get a win there. I was one point away from winning the first match and then once I started thinking about it, I went for it. I left everything I had there on the court.

“I look back and it’s something I can take going forward. There were 8,000 people in that stadium and I had to take a deep breath and know this was the biggest moment of my career. I know I’m close to winning at that level. I was in the village for two weeks before I played. It hadn’t really sunk in till that curtain opened and then it felt real. My hands were shaking and I was really nervous but it was where I wanted to be.”

Darragh, whose aunt Chloe Magee played badminton at three Olympic Games - Beijing in 2008, London 2012 and at Rio in 2016 - recalls when the seed was planted.

Sixteen years ago Darragh, then 10, was one of the young supporters who lined the streets in Raphoe for Magee’s homecoming having become the first Irish woman ever to win a badminton match at the Games, defeating Estonian Kati Tolmoff by a score of 18–21, 21–18, 21–19 in the first round of the women's singles.

Her brother Sam would go on to win four senior European medals, with the 2015 bronze in Baku at the European Games in the men’s doubles coming alongside their brother Joshua. It is in the blood, although there’s been sweat and tears as well.

“I remember when Chloe went in 2008 and it was the first time I thought this is what I wanted to do,” Darragh said. “There’s also Dan and we’ve national champions. This is so special that we all have each other. It’s tough to get there. There were times I thought I was never going to make it and wondered if this was for me.

“I’ve a really good team, with family and friends, Chloe and Sam. I work with a psychologist, which is so important. I’m so grateful and I have so many people I can go to when I’m having bad times.”

Daniel Magee is a high-performance director with Badminton Ireland and accompanied Darragh and Ireland's men's singles player Nhat Nguyen at the Games, providing experience and expertise on just what to expect. Darragh said, though, that her uncle’s was not the only local accent she heard.

“When you’re in that bubble you realise the level of support,” she added of her time in Paris. “Your phone is hopping and you can hear everything on your phone. It was my first time and to have Dan there, someone who knows the process and he’s someone that you can ask questions to.”

Piper Aaron Magee played Darragh into the hall from the edge of the town on Friday in Raphoe, with Elaine Magee the MC and local journalist Chris McNulty conducting the interview. Patsy McGonagle was there too, a man who managed Team Ireland at four Olympic Games, six World Championships and six European Championships

“In Raphoe, we’re really talented at sport. It’s not just badminton, but the boxing and the football club,” Darragh added. “We have great role models but you don’t need to compare yourself to others. Since Paris, I have been sitting, wondering that a bigger goal would be hard to find. The club is special here and you can see that tonight. Everyone pulls together and that’s what’s so special about Raphoe.”