by Anna Kane

Loughgiel is revelling in their latest GAC venture of Social Camogie. 

Formerly launched in 2019 as ‘Caman and Chat’, Social Camogie is a recreational initiative that encourages participation in the game at any level. However, when Covid broke out in 2020 it had to be cancelled. The Camogie Secretary, Briege McIlhatton explained: “I received an email from the national Camogie Association (CA) in January this year advising that social camogie was re-launching in 2024 across Ireland and we decided this was a great opportunity to establish a Social Camogie team in Loughgiel”. The CA re-launched Social Camogie all across Ireland, hoping to advance this initiative under the newly established title of ‘Social Camogie’.

Speaking about how she set up a group within Loughgiel Shamrocks GAC, Briege explained: ” I got the Public Relations team to put up a graphic on social media to gauge interest in joining a Loughgiel Shamrocks social camogie team”. Describing the obstacles Briege said: “After a poor start with only four names signed up for it, a former Senior Camog, Joanne Gillan, set up a WhatsApp group adding names of who she thought might be interested”. This sparked enough interest to enable them to register a team with the national CA.

Their first training sessions began in the middle of March and their first tournament was in Magherafelt on the 23rd of March 2024. This was the first of four Ulster blitzes for the year, so. Under the rules, no scores were counted but if you were counting, the Loughgiel girls claimed they won every match! They played teams from Ahoghill, Ballinascreen, Rossa, and Magherafelt at that tournament. 

Their next blitz was in Ballinderry. It was a competitive tournament in which scores were recorded. There was no stopping Loughgiel, who won this second tournament overall, winning all 6 matches. On Friday the 2nd of August, it was Loughgiel’s turn to host the second Ulster Social Camogie blitz of the year and it was held at the Fr Healy Park in Loughgiel. Briege said: “It was so special to see almost a hundred women from all over Ulster, on one pitch together enjoying the exercise and getting to play the game they love. It is just so special to watch”. Chatting about the atmosphere of the whole event Briege said: “The bonds and comradery they are forming with  girls from other social camogie clubs like Ballinderry and Magherafelt, through these tournaments is lovely to watch, with great craic afterward in the bars or local halls”.

Speaking to Claire McKinley, a member of the Social Camogie team in Loughgiel, she explained her enthusiasm for the sport: “I am forty-four and I stopped playing Camogie when I was twenty-eight, however, I love this idea of social camogie- it feels like the good old days again, playing with girls that you would have played with whenever you were younger – it just feels like you are back to being twenty again”. Discussing Friday evening, Claire said: “I am nervous, I am far too old to break anything, but I am looking forward to it”.

A volunteer referee in Friday’s blitz,  Ronan McCloskey commented: “It’s great to see, the atmosphere is great, the music is playing and everyone seems to be in good form”. Ronan discussed what he expected during the blitz: “I think people are going to come down to watch and thoroughly enjoy it”. Ronan is mainly into coaching as he humorously explained: “My experience in refereeing is very limited, so I am new to this but hopefully nobody gets hurt or falls out with me!”.

He added: “There are so many people who can’t access competitive camogie and hurling and it’s for people who love the sport but don’t want to see that real competitive edge, this is something for them and there is so much enthusiasm around it, I think it will grow”.

Following on from a successful night’s camogie and some great matches, Justin, from the local Pound bar in Loughgiel, fed all the teams and put on live music for them all to celebrate. Briege said: “The girls all individually thanked me for organising Friday’s tournament but to being honest I loved every minute and they all helped make it happen”. Well done girls, you did our wee village proud. 

The only question now is will the ‘Dads and Lads ‘follow in their footsteps!!

The teams who attend the Loughgiel Shamrocks Gac Social Camogie Blitz were St Pauls, Belfast; Tattyreagh St Patricks; O’Donovan Rossa, Magherafelt, Michael Davitts, Swatragh, O’Donovan Rossa, Belfast and Ballinderry Shamrocks