Ongoing skorts saga is absolutely ridiculous – but camogie is facing bigger issue that integration with GAA won't help

The Irish Sun

10-05-2025

THE camogie skorts saga is totally nonsensical and I can't believe the story that's been made out of it this week.
Why this wasn't changed years ago baffles me and anyone with any bit of common sense will just let the players wear shorts.
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Steering Committee Chairperson Mary McAleese speaking during the update on the integration process involving the Camogie Association, the GAA and LGFA
Credit: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile
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Babs Keating warned about an issue that could put integration under threat
Credit: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
It has taken player
protests
to make it happen and a special congress has
But at least the powers that be have listened. Hopefully delegates will vote accordingly and we can all move on from this absolutely ridiculous scenario.
On a wider note, Mary McAleese is a friend of mine but she should quit while she's ahead.
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The former President of
Ireland
is heading up the steering group on integration between the
But the ladies
football
and camogie organisations should absolutely stay on their own.
The skill level in camogie now is not at the level it was 25 years ago in my
opinion
, even though the rule changes around physical contact have improved games as a spectacle.
That Tipperary team that won five All-Irelands in six years between 1999 and 2004, or the Cork team that won so many before — they just seemed to hurl at a higher standard.
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The skorts issue will be sorted now but that's a far bigger concern in my book.
Tipp haven't come near the heights of 20 years ago and the same can be said for
Wexford
, who made it three in a row in 2012 but have not prevailed since.
Dublin and Kilkenny camogie players wear shorts in protest against skorts
You can make the same point on ladies football too.
That excellent Cork team that won 11 All-Irelands from a possible 12 up until 2016 were exceptional and were all household names.
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Dublin
followed that up with five All-Irelands under Mick Bohan but standards seem to have slipped a bit more recently.
My granddaughter
Lauren
Murtagh plays for
Kildare
.
But only five teams play in the senior Leinster
Championship
with four in Munster, three in Connacht and two in Ulster.
There's just a lot of catching-up to do and I'm not sure if joining forces with the GAA will help that in the long run.
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