Cuala Camogie Club – 1940’s
Cartlann Digiteach Cuala is grateful to Colmán Ó Drisceoil for spotting this delightful picture in the 1988 King of Dalkey Millennium Festival brochure. But wait! Cuala Camogie in 1942? Cartlann Digiteach Cuala was always under the impression that our Camogie roots sprung out of the long association with Naomh Mhuire Camogie Club in Sallynoggin. Founded in 1948 and informally “affiliated” with Cuala since 1972, they officially joined the Cuala family in 1979, an event that was the impetus for setting-up the Ladies Section in the club.
So where does a pre-1948 “Cuala” team fit in to our club story? As it happens, we had been following some strong leads about a “Cuala” Camogie team and even found details of Junior “C” fixtures in 1940-41
- v Clontarf (won 3:0 – 1:00)
- v Jacobs (won 3:00 – 2:00)
- v St Mochnas (beaten 3:2 – 02)
- v Eoghan Ruadh (drew 2:00 all)
- v Droigeadoiri (College of Pharmacy) (won 1:0 – 0:0)
- v Pembroke (w/o)
In common with most adult teams in the county, all Cuala’s games were in the Phoenix Park – which does not tell us anything about their home location. We even wondered might they be the Camogie arm of Comhar Cualann – but no, that side was not establish until 1945.
Incidentally, in 1941/2 – another local club emerged – Naomh Padraig of Dun Laoghaire who also played in the Phoenix Park and we have names for them which we list here in the hope that some senior readers might recognise what families might have been involved.
E. Durning, M. O’Loughlin, J. Kilbride, S Bracke (Brock?), D. Devitt, B McGowan, K. O’Toole, M. Murphy, M. Moody, B. Moody, P. Moody, J. Bowen, E. O’Neill, M. Butler, G. Butler, P. Kelly
Since neither team appear together in any news report, we wondered whether Naomh Padraig might be a saintly alias for our location-less Cuala team?
Then, two nuggets of information came to our attention. A 1941 Patrick Moran’s minute book (another gem unearthed by Colmán) refers to the Cornelscourt club being given access to a field in Dalkey by Cuala Camogie Club. And now this latest pictorial evidence of the Cuala Camogie team, names too. All are undoubtedly local and we’re intrigued that both sides boast a M. O’Loughlin.
Do any of your relatives feature in the Cuala Camogie Team? Do you recognise any names from Naomh Padraig? We’ll be delighted to learn more.
Cartlann Digiteach Cuala (Cuala Digital Archive) maintains an on-line archive of images and stories relating to Cuala, its ‘ancestral’ clubs and other Gaelic clubs that once operated in its area. If you have any information or material to share with us, please contact –
Michael Goodwin, +353 (0) 87 2266140, history@cualagaa.ie
