Above – St Dominic’s celebrate their win over St Louis in the Gaelfast Year 10 Cup final
St Dominic’s 6-6 St. Louis Ballymena 3-4
Gaelfast Year 8 Camogie Cup final at Woodlands
The game started with an early point from St. Louis’ corner forward Isla Birkett, but St. Dominic’s quickly put pressure on, forcing a strong save from the St. Louis goalkeeper Cora McLean. The Ballymena girls then had a chance at the other end, only for the St. Dominic’s keeper Cara Garland to make a great stop.
St. Dominic’s got their first score through Lucia Murphy who hit a well-taken point following a run down the wing, and the same player added another from distance. The first goal of the game came when a ball into the St. Louis box was blocked by the keeper McClean but St. Dominic’s full forward Remi Sanni was quickest to react and fired the ball to the net.
St Louis Ballymena
A crucial block from St. Louis’ centre back Eireann Johnston briefly held off the pressure, but Dt Dominic’s full forward Sanni struck again soon after, tapping in a second goal and right half forward Lucia Murphy tacked on another point from range just after the puck-out.
St. Louis responded when midfielder Molly Watson made a strong run up the pitch before firing the ball into the top corner of the St Dominic’s net, and just before halftime, she struck again with a long-range goal to bring her side back into the game.
St. Louis made the perfect start after the break, with Olivia McGrath scoring a goal in the opening minute but St. Dominic’s responded quickly when corner forward Ava Norwood’s effort found the net, after the St. Louis keeper was caught out by the sun, and when Maevh Maguire added a point St. Dominic’s were back in charge.
St Dominic’s Lucia Murphy had a chance to add to the score from a ’45 but the ball tailed wide, but moments later Niamh Keenan found the net, extending St. Dominic’s lead.
Murphy added another point from a free and they came close to adding a goal, but Niamh Keenan’s well struck shot came back of the crossbar and the St. Louis scrambled it to safety. The Ballymena girls pulled one back with a point from Olivia McGrath after 18 minutes. And thoug Gort na Mona’s Niamh Keenan responded with a point for St. Dominic’s, McGrath grabbed another for St. Louis after 21 minutes to keep their hopes alive
However St. Dominic’s were not going to be caught and they had the final say when Remi Sanni found the net once again to seal the result with a goal.
County Camogie chairperson Una Kelly presents the Year 10 Camogie Cup to Dt Dominic’s captain Niamh Keenan
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Antrim v Down Very National League Div 1b Saturday 15th March 2025 in Ahoghill at 2pm
The Very National League game between Antrim and Down takes a run out to Ahoghill, where Antrim turned out against Wexford and came off the field with a one-point win to start their league efforts.
Saturday’s weather forecast suggests sunny intervals and very light winds. This has been the case for most of this week, so Ahoghill’s turf should prove to be sound for this important game for both teams.
Scoring from placed play will be paramount on Saturday, who will Antrim select for the role?
Antrim currently sit second to Clare on the table only by virtue of points and a win on a home venue will be paramount given how the league fixtures for round five stand, with an away game against Clare on the 22nd of March and Down go up against a solid Wexford squad.
Antrim’s Katie Lynn raising her game against Westmeath; will need that again against Down on Saturday
Antrim’s recent game against Westmeath in Ballycastle was an opportunity to flex the bench and was seen to be part of the McCormick/Coulter development strategy, but history will dictate that Saturday’s game specifically against Down won’t allow management the latitude to sway from a winning plan. Down will turn up with expectations and this will be a test for Antrim’s form, so far three wins from three games. A fourth win would probably place them in a league final and that could be a back-to-back experience with Clare. What panel will start on Saturday, and can they make it four from four? Grab a ticket and answers will be available from 2pm.
Antrim come out for the second half against Down in last year’s league game in the beautiful setting of Attical
Loch Mór Dál gCais Dinner Dance 2025 Loch Mór held their annual dinner dance in The Ballymac Hotel on Saturday past. A variety of awards were given, including the first presentation of the Seán Jude O’Brien memorial cup for Youth Volunteer of the Year. This was received by very worthy recipient Donncha O’Hare and presented by Seán’s parents, Sean and Clare O’Brien.
We also had the privilege of having the All Ireland U16 Camogie winning trophy and the team managers from St Dominic’s Grammar School in attendance and this was presented to our two Loch Mór/Glenavy U16 players Erin Kelly and Sian McNama, along with a token from the club to say well done.
However, the highlight of the night was the senior Camogs collecting their first ever league medals for winning the development league 2024.
The award winners on the night were:
U16 Loch Mór/Glenavy Joint Camogie Players of the Year – Meabh Culliton & Jessica Morgan
U18 Loch Mór/Glenavy Camogie Player of the Year (Elizabeth McNiece Memorial Shield) – Anya Morgan
Senior Hurling Players player of the Year – Bailey Graham
Senior Hurling Player of the Year (Tess Burke Memorial Cup) –
Darragh Turley
Senior Camogie Joint Players Player of the Year – Charlene Foster & Niamh Butler
Senior Camogie Player of the Year – Margaret McCabe
Youth Volunteer of the Year (Seán Jude O’Brien Memorial Cup) – Donncha O’Hare
Club Volunteer of the Year (The Pickering Cup) – Sean O’Brien
The evening ended with everyone dancing the night away to the tunes provided by DJ James Smith and a great night was had by all.
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Antrim v Derry Round 1 of the All Ireland Minor A Shield 9th March 2025
Antrim 5-12 Derry 2-08
Match report and photos from Antrim Camogie PRO, Michael Corcoran in Ballycastle
It was almost a blistering summer-like day in Páirc Mhic Uilín, Ballycastle but if the day came up a tad short on that front, the game didn’t. Played at a blistering pace from start to finish, spectators were entertained with sixty solid minutes of quality camogie as goals flowed each end amidst tough rucks and skillful solo runs, catching, hooking and blocking.
Derry opened their account straightaway, having referee Simon Redmond from Dublin, reaching for his notebook within the first thirty seconds to record their point. Antrim’s reply was two points in quick succession from Eva McNeill and Mary McArthur.
However, with 4 minutes gone on the clock, Derry’s Grace McCartney found Connie McBride and a lobbed sliotar bounced out of the hand of Antrim’s goalkeeper, Orlaith Johnston and Derry suddenly looked like the contender.
Eva McNeill would close that to a point of a difference as she floated her free over the bar from a push in the back foul. Derry though stroked another three points over the bar, two coming from McCartney and one from Emma Quinn before Antrim’s Eobha McAllister won a ground ball and placed it right between the uprights.
With fifteen minutes gone, Derry’s Connie McBride would strike at Antrim’s net as she pushed through to the edge of the box and struck a low diagonal shot, making that two goals from the full forward.
Antrim’s reply was equally as good as Cara Delaney offered up the sliotar to Eobha McAllister and sending in a high ball that dropped over the head of the goalkeeper to have the umpire reaching for the green flag and Antrim were now on their way to closing the three point gap.
Antrim’s first goal from Eobha McAllister slips in under Derry’s bar in Ballycastle
Derry were still intent on pushing up sliotars to find the full forward line and when Ellie McCartney fed a ball into Aoibh Mullholland, it looked ominous but Antrim’s defence were now swarming and Mulholland opted to take her point score on the twentieth minute.
That would mark a turning point for Antrim’s fortunes as they now started to test Derry’s defence with a series of attacks around the box that ended in Derry offering up a wide that McNeill cruised over before Kady McNeill helped Antrim’s scoring campaign with a fine point on the twentieth minute.
With confidence building, Antrim pushed up deep into Derry’s defence and it would fall to Eimear McCaughan to raise the green flag from an impossibly tight angle on the left of the goal, and Antrim took the lead for the first time in twenty three minutes. Scores stood Antrim 2-06 Derry 2-05.
Antrim would close out the first half with another two points from Eva McNeill as Derry’s Emma Quinn pointed from a free awarded due to an Antrim charge and that brought the first half to a finish, Antrim 2-08 Derry 2-06.
Derry opted to play away from the clubhouse on winning the toss, into a noticeable breeze that had by now dropped for the second half. Antrim would take that as an omen and within the first five minutes, Eimear McCaughan would have her second goal from a fine pass from Cara Delaney.
This was going to be Antrim’s half as they doubled down on the rucks, played clever sliotars off the hand and closed Derry down when they advanced into the scoring area. Eobha McAllister would start Antrim’s fourth goal, winning the ball and dropping it deep to the left hand side of the pitch, where Aimee Ferris took possession and offloaded towards Aoife McAteers net. Despite the sliotar being saved, an advancing Mary McArthur pulled and in the twelfth minute in the second half, Antrim were four goals and nine points to Derry’s two goals and seven points.
Antrim’s Mary McArthur finds the net past Derry’s Aoife McAteer for Antrim’s fourth goal in the game
Although Derry would make regular advances up as far as Antrim’s twenty metre line, scores alluded them and when Antrim’s Kady McNeill sent in a high dropping ball, the angle was perfect to slip between McAteers stick and the bar for Antrim’s fifth and final goal of the game. Derry would reply from a free from Connie McBride before Kady McNeill stroked the last point of the game in the thirty first minute.
Scoring differences in the second half narrate the game unfairly, as Antrim scored 3-03 to Derry’s 0-02. Never at any point did Derry ease up and had Antrim not been on form, this was a game that would have gone the other way as Derry illustrated physicality, skill and determination matched only by Antrim’s and bettered on the day.
Antrim starting panel and scorers
Orlaith Johnston, Rhianna Black, Eva Lee, Leona Gillan, Maeve Devlin, Casey Crawford, Laura Black, Eobha McAllister 1-01, Kady McNeill 1-03, Cara Delaney, Eva McNeill 0-07 (3f 1×45), Órlaith Gould, Aimee Ferris, Mary McArthur 1-01, Eimear McCaughan 2-00
St. Enda’s and Loughgiel u14 camogs at Sally Gardens, Poleglass for the winter league small sided games
Sally Gardens Playing fields (3G), Poleglass was the sun kissed venue for Saturday’s Development Winter League that allows small sided U14 & U16 teams to keep working on their camogie skills ahead of the main season.
In attendance for the first session of U14s, we had St. Paul’s, St. Enda’s , Lamh Dhearg, Creggand and Loughgiel. Then in the afternoon, the U16s split the session into two and the first group of four comprised Sarsfields, Rossa, St. Paul’s and Creggan.
The second U16 session had five teams made up from Naomh Brid, Carryduff, St. Enda’s, St, Paul’s and Lamh Dhearg.
Here’s an album of pictures from today’s earlier sessions league games.
