To celebrate 120 years, The Camogie Association’s Humans of Camogie campaign asked clubs all over the country to tell them about the people contributing to camogie at their clubs. One of our nominees was Donal Murphy, who shared his story of his long involvement with, and love for, camogie at Cuala.

Donal Murphy, Senior Camogie Coach, Cuala 

Donal Murphy has been instrumental in developing Adult Camogie at Cuala over nearly two decades. His inherent love of the sport has no doubt been influenced by strong family connections, with sisters who played for Dublin, including Edel who was on the 1984 All Ireland winning team, and a brother who was a manager for the Dublin senior camogie squad. His daughter, Sinéad, also now currently plays for the Dublin Seniors.  

Having commenced coaching at Cuala in 2005, Donal was involved in re-establishing the Adult Camogie squad and section in the club in 2014/2015, subsequently helping the 1st team progress from Div 5 through to winning Intermediate Championship in 2018 and reaching Senior 2 Championship finals in 2020 and 2022. Further to achieving success on the pitch, Donal has been a champion of good coaching practice in the club, often also coaching juvenile players, and is a strong advocate for life balance for players – encouraging young players to continue to play camogie through teenage years, including through State exams, into college and even when living overseas.  

Donal has undoubtedly been an unwaveringly positive influence in the development of Cuala camogie and in instilling a love of the game in a generation of players.