URSULA JACOB refused to let the ‘keyboard cowards’ force her off dream gig on The Sunday Game.
Jacob won four All-Ireland camogie titles with Wexford and two with Oulart-The Ballagh before joining RTÉ’s flagship GAA show as a pundit.
That saw her become the first prominent female analyst on the programme.
Jacob, a four-time All-Star, is honoured in tonight’s episode of TG4’s Laochra Gael.
It details her glittering career and life off the field with her iconic hurling family.
Dad Mick was Wexford’s first hurling All-Star in 1972 while brothers Michael and Rory also represented the Models.
Sister Helena soldiered alongside Ursula during Wexford’s vintage camogie years.
Ursula stepped away from the inter-county panel in 2016 and joined The Sunday Game two years later.
But she found herself the target of cowardly internet trolls and was on the verge of quitting the show in 2022.
However she took back control, and called out the bullies in a statement on social media.
And the support she received from the public convinced her to stay.
Ursula said: “All the comments relating to me were quite personal. They weren’t ever commenting on my knowledge or expertise. It was always about my voice, my appearance, my looks, my eyebrows, my clothes, my hair.
“It was all very personal, and that’s what I had a problem with.
“I never have a problem if someone disagrees with my opinion. I’m open to that.
“It would be very boring if we were all saying the exact same thing and we all agreed.
“Obviously, I’m not naive enough to think that everything is always rosy.
“You’ll always have the people out there that will be negative no matter what. They’ll always be there.
“And I address it in the programme where I no longer call them the keyboard warriors.
“I consider them keyboard cowards now because they’re hiding behind a computer screen or a phone and they’re sitting at home. So I’ve to accept that now.
“But the big thing for me since the statement is I feel like I kind of took back the control and the power. I’m still happy, very proud that I put that statement out there.”
‘LOVING IT’
Away from the camera, Ursula leads a busy life. She holds a masters in sports psychology and works as a staff officer with Tusla. She was also nearly six months pregnant with her daughter Brídín at the time — and sent her statement from the hospital.
She said: “I should’ve been so happy and on a high in hospital getting a baby scan. I found it quite stressful at the time.
“My husband, my family and sister Helena were very worried that I was getting quite stressed and upset about it.
“I don’t know what came over me that day in the hospital. I was nearly saying to myself, ‘Well I want my children to stand up for themselves in the future’.
“It was like I was using that as a motivation to say, ‘I want to do them proud’.
“It was important that I did it because it was impacting me on a personal level.”
Ursula was no longer enjoying working on the show — but is loving it once more.
She said: “That was really upsetting for me because it was a huge honour to be part of The Sunday Game panel.
“But when the enjoyment was going out of it, I was kind of questioning whether I wanted to be part of the whole programme.
“That Sunday where I was extremely upset, I was adamant that I was ringing RTÉ the next day and thankfully, I didn’t go through with that.”
lTHE 23rd series of Laochra Gael continues with the story of Wexford camogie legend Ursula Jacob on TG4 tonight at 9.30pm.
