2024 review: St Cillian’s make history with first camogie crown
If a sporting story unfolds that’s likely to be used as a tale of inspiration for generations to come, then it would be churlish to lead with anything else when reviewing a sporting year. And when it comes to Offaly camogie in 2024, the tale of the camogie club that was formed just 18 years ago in a rural community, which went on to win their first ever senior championship title last month, is unlikely to be topped.
There’s a picture on the St Cillian’s social media pages of Brigid Killeen, Catherine Brennan and Margaret O’Brien holding the championship trophy, the three women who founded the club back in 2006 and who were there in St Brendan’s Park to see the club record a 1-10 to 1-5 win over reigning champions Birr, thus securing their place in history as one of just six clubs that have ever won the title.
As a feelgood story and a testament for what can be achieved if people of commitment, vision and leadership take the reins and put their hearts into a project, it was undoubtedly one of the stories of the year. However as a boost for Offaly camogie as a whole, it was also of huge value.
It’s not just the immediate boost, which is that a different group of players will walk a little bit taller and believe in themselves that bit more because they have county medals in their pockets. It’s also because in a county where winning the big prize has been something of a closed shop, the success of St Cillian’s gives a lot of the other, newer clubs something to aspire to, and something to believe it.
Whether it’s Kinnitty, Belmont, Naomh Bríd, St Sinchill’s, or even some of the older clubs that perhaps haven’t been as competitive as they’d like in recent years, what St Cillian’s have done is admirable, impressive, but also attainable. It’s not that they’ve dominated the underage scene, they’ve merely been consistent, and kept doing the right things. There is a talented group of players, but there isn’t a single talismanic figure, a player in the mould of Michaela Morkan who was just that clear cut above the rest, and could dominate games single-handedly.
St Cillian’s didn’t take shortcuts. Their success was built upon a solid defensive structure, good athleticism and energy all over the pitch, good coaching that showed through in their decision making and their execution of the key skills, and players on the field with the right attitude.
After a bleak few seasons for Offaly, with another year ahead competing in Division 2A of the National League and intermediate level in the championship, any injection of positivity is welcome, and allied to a little bit of the same from Naomh Bríd and St Sinchill’s, who picked up the Senior 'B' and Intermediate crowns respectively, it could well be a revamped panel who will hopefully be able to bring a new energy to the league in the upcoming spring.
Overall, there should still be momentum within the county panel after the summer’s championship campaign, where there was clear progression from a much more disappointing league. The absence of second teams from the likes of Cork and Kilkenny presents a huge opportunity, albeit there is a solid argument to say that if Offaly is losing to Cork’s second team by 2-13 to 0-13, then perhaps they need that stepping stone before they’re ready to go back to the senior grade.
However, it’s entirely possible that some of the other senior counties that are just not able to compete with counties like Cork, Galway and Kilkenny of this world might yet look to regrade at some point in the next couple of years, and getting back to a point where Offaly is at least on a par with Limerick, Derry, Down and Wexford would at least be a big step in the right direction.