Tuaisceart Loch Garman hope to deliver at the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann after Leinster success
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Irish Times
13 hours ago
- Irish Times
Galway rain on Cork's parade to claim All-Ireland senior camogie title
All-Ireland senior camogie final: Galway 1-14 Cork 1-13 Carrie Dolan's monster free in injury-time earned Galway revenge over Cork as they edged a quite extraordinary All-Ireland senior camogie final to win the O'Duffy Cup for only the fifth time. Galway, beaten by Cork in last year's decider, appeared to have stumbled just metres from the finish line at Croke Park on Sunday after seeing their five-point half-time lead wiped out in the final minute of normal time when the Leesiders drilled home a goal to draw level. However, the Tribeswomen simply refused to accept the momentum of the day had switched irretrievably in Cork's favour. Instead, Galway pushed forward and Dolan won a 62nd-minute free out near the Cusack Stand sideline, midway between the 45 and 65-metre lines. It would be a difficult free in any circumstances, but with the entire season on the line, the posts must have seemed tiny to the Clarinbridge player as she stood over the ball. As soon as she struck the free though, Dolan raised her fist defiantly and punched the sky. She knew. The Galway captain had just wrestled the momentum back for her team. The O'Duffy Cup would be going west for the first time since 2021. READ MORE Galway's Mairead Dillion celebrates scoring a goal. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho Galway held out for the two further minutes of added time against a Cork side which had been reduced to 14 players late in the first half when Hannah Looney lashed out at Dolan. Cork also missed a penalty in the opening period with Katrina Mackey's effort saved by Galway goalkeeper Sarah Healy in front of 28,795 at Croke Park. Of all the four All-Ireland senior finals across the codes this year – football, hurling and camogie – this was the most gripping of the quartet. It had everything. For Cork though, they left Croke Park empty-handed in two of those four finals – this defeat coming on the back of their hurlers losing to Tipperary. Cork should take huge pride in how they emptied themselves in the second half on Sunday, but this was a game Galway deserved to win. They set the tempo from the very outset, hunting in packs and showing a ravenous hunger bordering on mania. Galway brought a ferocious intensity to their play and arrived to the stadium with a busload of that immeasurable and invaluable commodity – desire. With both teams going full-blooded, it created one of the most physical All-Ireland finals in memory, with big hits and no shortage of players jawing at each other either. It's fair to say there is little love lost between the two sides. Galway's Annmarie Starr challenges Cork's Meabh Cahalane. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho Cork, who won last year's All-Ireland final by three points, were trying to become the first team from Leeside to win three-in-a-row since the early 1970s. But Galway started the contest like a team hell-bent on placing themselves front and centre as the story of the afternoon. Dervla Higgins was superb coming out of defence while Aoife Donohue opened the scoring – an early marker for the sensational display she was about to deliver. Both teams had their respective number six operating as a sweeper – Ciara Hickey for Galway and Laura Treacy for Cork. It was 0-2 apiece in the 10th minute when a goal-bound Amy O'Connor was fouled by Donohue. Penalty. Mackey didn't get a clean connection with her strike but Healy still did well to get over to her left post to push the ball out for a 45. That miss was compounded four minutes later when Donohue found Mairead Dillon with a nice pass and she smacked the ball low beyond Amy Lee in the Cork goal, 1-3 to 0-4. Ashling Thompson hit two wonderful points soon after but Galway remained in the ascendancy and a pair of scores by Ailish O'Reilly helped them to a five-point advantage approaching the break, 1-9 to 0-7. And though there were no further scores before the short whistle, one of the most significant incidents of the match occurred in the second minute of first-half injury-time. With the ball out for a sideline, Dolan dunted Looney in the back. The Cork midfielder spun around and lashed out at her Galway counterpart, who fell to the ground. It sparked a brief skirmish but when the dust settled, Looney was shown a straight red card. Cork's Amy O'Connor is challenged by Galway's Rachael Hanniffy. Photograph: Tom O'Hanlon/Inpho Cork, to their credit, refused to accept their fate and the 14 players took the fight to Galway after the break. Galway defended stoically though and with Donohue orchestrating matters further out the field, they were able to hold Cork at arm's length – until the very last minute. Saoirse McCarthy's accuracy from placed balls had left just three points between the sides in the closing stages but the goal Cork were always likely to need didn't look like coming. But just seconds after Hickey, Galway's sweeper, had been called ashore, Thompson spotted the vulnerability and arrowed a long free down the field to Cahalane. The Cork forward won possession, turned and immediately rifled the ball beyond Healy, 1-13 apiece. As the ball hit the back of the net, the clock showed 59 minutes 59 seconds. In that moment, everything could have crumbled for Galway. But instead they showed real character and resolve. None more so than Dolan as she stood over that 62nd-minute free under the shadow of the Cusack Stand. Moments later she was standing on the steps of the Hogan Stand raising the O'Duffy Cup. Galway had stepped back out of the shadows. All-Ireland champions. GALWAY: Sarah Healy; Shauna Healy, Róisín Black, Rachael Hanniffy; Siobhan Gardiner, Ciara Hickey, Dervla Higgins; Annmarie Starr, Olwen Rabbitte; Niamh Mallon (0-1), Ailish O'Reilly (0-3), Aoife Donohue (0-2); Mairead Dillon (1-0), Carrie Dolan (0-7f), Caoimhe Kelly (0-1). Subs: Sabina Rabbitte for Kelly (41 mins); Jennifer Hughes for O Rabbitte (53); Emma Helebert for Hickey (59); Ally Hesnan for Dillon (61). CORK: Amy Lee; Pamela Mackey, Libby Coppinger, Meabh Cahalane; Aoife Healy, Laura Hayes (0-1); Hannah Looney (0-1), Ashling Thompson (0-2); Emma Murphy (0-2), Amy O'Connor (0-3, 2f, 1′45), Saoirse McCarthy (0-4f); Katrina Mackey, Orlaith Cahalane (1-0), Sorcha McCartan. Subs: Clodagh Finn for Mackey (36 mins); Orlaith Mullins for McCartan (41); Cliona Healy for O'Connor (49); Meabh Murphy for A Healy (57); Kate Wall for Murphy (59). Referee: Justin Heffernan (Wexford).
Irish Times
18 hours ago
- Irish Times
Laois shake off past hurt to beat Armagh to All-Ireland junior camogie title
All-Ireland junior camogie final: Laois 2-15 Armagh 0-12 In a game that ebbed and flowed, Laois started and finished well to banish the heartache of last year's one-point defeat and earn a deserved victory in the All-Ireland junior camogie final. It was a third defeat for Armagh in the decider since their triumph in 2020, but there were periods when it looked like they would get over the line this time. Once Laois solved the conundrum of Eimear Hayes cutting out so many of their deliveries and getting passages of play going that led to Rachael Merry and Sinéad Quinn being such a threat, they began to get a real toehold in proceedings. The unrelated Delaneys, Gráinne and Susie, were outstanding, the latter on a day her aunt, Jovita was being honoured as part of the Tipperary jubilee team. READ MORE Aimee Collier, who had endured a tough day over the placed balls 12 months ago, was unerring this time around, and along from finishing with seven points, her ball-winning and offloading when moved to the wing was pivotal. Amy Daly scores a goal for Laois. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho The final piece of the jigsaw was the impact off the bench, the most notable being minor recruit Amy Daly who rattled the net in the 50th minute. Lucy Conroy had pointed earlier, her piledriver glancing off the upright. Laois got off to the best possible start when Gráinne Delaney goaled after 54 seconds. The Camross attacker was set free by Susie Delaney and with her marker seemingly expecting her to cut back onto her left immediately, she drove directly into space before firing off the left to the net. Eimear Hassett pointed sweetly immediately after but a converted free by Rachael Merry settled Armagh. PJ O'Mullan's crew hit seven of the next eight points to move two clear. Merry slotted two frees either side of an excellent score from Niamh Forker to draw level. After Collier split the posts from a free at the other end, Merry's two frees were followed up by an outstanding effort from Quinn. It was Laois' turn to hit a purple patch though with three points from skipper Clodagh Tynan, Collier and Gráinne Delaney to edge their noses in front before Merry restored parity just before the interval. Armagh's Eimear Hayes after the final whistle. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho The Orchard outfit enjoyed the ideal resumption, Quinn taking a pass from Merry to raise a white flag and Corinna Doyle striking the game's marquee point, leaving a trail of Laois defenders in her wake under the Hogan Stand before hitting the target from wide on the right and just inside the 45. That made it 0-10 to 1-5 and just 33 minutes elapsed. However, that was as good as it got for Armagh as Laois found another couple of gears. An unbroken run of a goal and six points enabled them to overhaul their opponents and establish enough of a lead that did not look likely to be reeled in. Collier, Kaylee O'Keeffe and Conroy were on target before Daly blasted to the Armagh net. There didn't look loads on when Susie Delaney sent Collier into the corner. The attacker held it up well and looked around, opting for a stick-pass back out the field. It overshot the mark slightly but proved ideal for Gráinne Delaney, who had open country to use her speed. Laois' Grainne Delaney, Aimee Collier and Kirsten Keenan celebrate after the final whistle. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho Suddenly she had created an overlap and hand-passed to her team-mate. Daly made no mistake with only Ciarrai Devlin to beat. There was no way back from that for Armagh. Merry converted two frees after a glorious Susie Delaney point, but it was Collier that had the final say with a point from play and monster of a score from a free before the celebrations kicked into gear. LAOIS: A Lowry, F Scully, E Conroy, L Finaly, A Walsh, C Tynan (0-1), S Creagh, A Tynan, Líadan C Fennell, G Delaney (1-2), K Keenan, K O'Keeffe (0-2), S Delaney (0-1), A Collier (0-7, 6f), E Hassett (0-1). Subs: L Conroy (0-1) for Keenan (28 mins); A Daly (1-0) for E Hassett (42); L Keyes for Walsh (54); S Jones for Fennell (60+1). ARMAGH: C Devlin, M O'Hare, G McCann, E Hayes, ML Loughran, M McCone, A McEntee, G Gaffney, C Hill, M O'Callaghan, K Convie, N Forker (0-1), R Merry (0-8, 7f), S Quinn (0-2), C Doyle (0-1). Subs: F Loughran for L Loughran, E McGeary for Gaffney (both 42 mins); L McConnell for Forker (54). Referee: E Loughnane (Galway).
Irish Times
20 hours ago
- Irish Times
Westmeath's Robbie McCarthy to face Meath's Gary McConnell in All-Ireland senior softball final
Westmeath 's Robbie McCarthy's quest for a 12th All-Ireland Men's Senior Softball Singles title remains on track after he came through his semi-final in straight games on Saturday. McCarthy will take on Meath 's Gary McConnell in the decider but the defending champion, unbeaten in the 60x30 code since 2019, stands in his way. McConnell has made no secret of his ambition to take down the Mullingar man but McCarthy was unruffled after his semi-final win. 'It doesn't make any difference,' McCathy said when asked about his potential final opponent. 'At the end of the day, I'm 38 now, let's be real, someone should have caught me by this stage, I should be well gone.' McCarthy was pushed all the way in the first game by Brian Carroll but moved through the gears in the second. READ MORE 'Brian and I go way back, so we know each other's games inside and out. He went on a nice run of kills there in the first game. Nothing but respect for him obviously,' he said. Limerick's Martina McMahon in action. Photograph: Stephen Marken The women's final will be contested by Limerick 's Martina McMahon and first-time finalist Amy Brennan of Kilkenny . McMahon is on an extraordinary run of success, having claimed multiple world and All-Ireland titles in the last 12 months across various codes. The feat is all the more impressive as her career seemed to be over when she underwent major surgery following a soccer injury resulting in an L5-S1 spinal fusion. 'Every competition I play, I just want to win,' she said. 'And I think since the back surgery, I just enjoy the game a lot more and I suppose I'll take it as a positive that I have a lifeline here. You never know when it will end. 'I just love the game of handball and long may it continue. I'm glad to be back playing.' The finals will be held on Saturday in Abbeylara, Co Longford.
