St Peter’s, Dunboyne (Meath)…0-12
St Lazarian’s Abbeyleix (Laois)…1-08
Edited 10/11/25 – 15:13pm
Some days things occur in sport which convince you that there are spectators in the stadium for away that have your back. Today was certainly one of those days for the camogie faithful in Dunboyne. The ball bobbled in and out around their goalmouth in the dying embers of this one and nobody in black and amber would need convincing there were a few extra defenders on the field in spirit repelling the best the lively Laois side could throw at them.
Thus the records will show that it was the lady on the ’40’, Laura Reilly, who bookended this historic day, hitting the first and last scores of the day from play as the Royal County representatives claimed their first ever provincial title in the small ball code at the SETU Campus in Carlow on Sunday evening. The 3:15 throw in time ensuring that the floodlights were indeed going to be needed, but in those closing moments it appeared it was going to be a longer night still as extra time loomed large on the horizon but Reilly’s 58th minute strike transpired to be enough to ensure history was made.
County star Ellen Burke opened the scoring inside two minutes and even though her comrade in green and gold, Maeve Clince (2, frees), the aforementioned Reilly, Sinead Hackett, Amy O’Hara and Erin Mangan (two) also splitting the posts, the Laois side showed they too had plenty of their own armoury and the eventual winners were possibly a shade fortunate to go in leading by 0-07 to 0-05 at the break. A combination of profligacy and fine defending meant the ladies from Abbeyleix were nowhere near as efficient as might have been the case.
Hackett tacked on her second point at the beginning of the second half before Erin Mangan went on to register the next three Dunboyne scores which gave Donal Cashin’s charges leads of 0-09 to 0-05, 0-10 to 0-07 and 0-11 to 0-07. However, then the outstanding Hollie Brennan rifled a bullet to the Meath side’s net to leave the minimum between the sides. Reilly’s 58th minute strike – after brilliant approach play by substitute Tara Watters and superb corner forward Mangan placed the No. 11 to clip over her second point of the day to put two between the sides.
Brennan then flashed over another score at the other end – which could quite easily have dipped under the crossbar and prompted a flag of a different colour – meaning that finger nails of anybody of a Dunboyne persuasion came under sustained assault but an outstanding batted save from Bronagh Moran typified a truly heroic defensive effort. lifted the siege and ensured another chapter of history was written. Which prompted scenes of delirium as Sinead Hackett accepted the silverware. Continuing the fine tradition of herself and her brother Neil being lucky captains.
St Peter’s, Dunboyne – B. Moran; N. Boyce, S. Synan, D. Curran; C. Maher, M. Clince (0-2F), E. McGovern; E. Burke (0-1F), A. Kane; S. Hackett (0-2), L. Reilly (0-2), N. O’Connor; E. Mangan (0-4), A. O’Hara (0-1), E. Cunningham. Subs – T. Watters for Cunningham.
Referee – Shane Phelan (Carlow).
It might be bordering on impossible to quantify how much this victory means to our club. More new ground broken, another chapter in our long and storied history written a preserved.
A county title at any grade is hard won at any time, never mind a provincial one. But to understand how monumental an achievement this represents, you must first know the back story.
That Dunboyne were once the queenpins of the sport in the county. Garnering a run of county titles that stretched well into double figures. Having in their ranks at least two of the finest players – male or female – to ever pick up a hurl in this county.
Yet for whatever reason they could never push on and make their mark at the next level. Then, as is often the case, when that glorious run did come to an end, the black and ambers somewhat fell off the camogie landscape in the county before the club’s proud tradition in the sport was re-ignited in the early 2000s.
Yes, there have been peaks and troughs along the way, but gut feeling is that, having captured our first county title at adult level in 19 years, it could be exactly the springboard required to put camogie on a sound footing in our club. Mirroring what, to some extent, has been happening at county level. Though recent developments revolving around the county senior team would give lie to that notion.
You would just hope a solution to that situation could be expedited quickly as, in their own way, this group of Meath players have made significant progress in recent years and, with proper infrastructure, they are capable of going further. But such windows of opportunity don’t stay open indefinitely.
Legacy is important too. And they don’t come much better than that of Dunboyne in Meath camogie. Which, on days such as this, keeps some very special people in the dressing room far away poignantly close to mind.
As the lyrics of that which is probably the Dunboyne anthem at this stage, The Big Tree encourages “Let’s drink to those who are here today and remember those who are gone”.
In this instance, however, to me at least, “Those who are gone” applies twofold. Not only those gone to the great field far away, but also those who were stars of the golden era who have now taken one new roles as these players write their own history.
There are connections to both facets of the above in this present triumph. For instance, Sinead and Maeve Clince’s mother Teresa (nee Lynch) and Dearbhla Curran’s mam Dolores (nee Maguire) were part of the all conquering teams.
But more than that, substitute Tara Watters is great grand-niece of the late Molly Watters who is held in the utmost reverence in Dunboyne camogie circles and in whose honour the club runs a 7-a-side tournament every summer.
Also, custodian Bronagh Moran is a niece of the late Anne Moran (nee Watters), widely regarded as one of the finest camogie players to ever pick up a hurl and the winner of nine Meath Senior Camogie Championship medals.
If I may – even though I am always fearful of mentioning names in case somebody is upset at mentioning (or not) x but not y, if you get me – I couldn’t help but think of my late uncle Jimmy on Sunday evening.
He had passed away 15 months before yours truly docked on this here planet, but I know he was Club Treasurer for 33 years and was held in high regard. Moreover, he evidently was something of a hoarder – apple didn’t fall far from that tree!
Anyway, in some of his ledgers from his years as Cisteoir, which I miraculously managed to get hold of and have in my archives – there are entries detailing himself and the late Jimmy Oxx buying hurls – recorded as “sticks” – for camogie team(s) costing 6 Shillings in total.
I can just imagine how they would marvel at how far the club – and camogie in particular – have come since the days when their astute efforts kept the show on the road.
Finally, and I earnestly hope nobody will mind inclusion of the following – while watching the match online, I couldn’t help but think of one man who was undoubtedly hitting every ball in spirit as I was myself.
John Reilly – who did so much to promote and develop hurling at all levels with both club and county and whose sons Davin, Neville and Stephen represented club and county with distinction in the small ball code.
Furthermore, John’s daughter Gillian is a former Chair of our club and has herself played a big part in the restoration of camogie, but on Sunday last her main role would’ve been that of proud mammy as Laura made an outstanding contribution to a historic day.
I’ve no doubt there was a very happy grandad in the forge too. We must never forget our past, it paved the way to the present and is the foundations on which the future is built.
Just as what these ladies are currently achieving will be the torch to guide future generations to come.
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