AMGEN Educational Bursary Awards

Calling All Cuala Third Level Students in STEM and Health Care!

The AMGEN Education Bursary Awards for the 2025/26 Academic Year are now open. The closing date is Friday 24th January 2025 at noon. Enquiries and applications to be made by contacting Colm Small, Club Secretary at secretary.cuala.dublin@gaa.ie

Camogie Association ‘Tell Their Story’ – Daria Niewiadomska

The Camogie Association ran a ‘Tell Their Story’ series last year with journalist Alanna Cunnane, a freelance sports journalist, reporter and broadcaster. Cuala’s Daria Niewiadomska did an interview with Alanna as part of the series which is now featured on camogie.ie. Read Daria’s story of how she fell in love with playing camogie at Cuala following her move to Ireland from Poland in 2021 by clicking the image above or here.

Camogie at Cuala with Máire Ui Scolaí 

 

 

With the Camogie Association celebrating its 120th anniversary in 2024, we took the opportunity to talk to Cuala’s Maire Ui Scolaí (née Ní Chuirc). Máire played camogie for Cuala from the 1970s to the late 1990s as well as working on a voluntary basis for both Dublin Camogie Board and at national level for the Camogie Association, and is hence a source of many insights into the sport at Cuala and beyond. We wanted to find out more about her experiences of Cuala Camogie, those who were involved when she played, some of the successes over the years and her perspectives on how camogie at Cuala and in Dublin is doing now. 

 

Early beginnings 

Camogie has existed in this area of Dublin since the 1930s. The Naomh Mhuire (St. Mary’s) camogie club was established in Sallynoggin in 1952 by Matt Kane and his wife Vera, using a pitch that now forms part of Joey’s Soccer Club. In 1979, having sustained an informal collaborative relationship with Cuala over many years, Naomh Mhuire joined with Cuala in Dalkey to form ‘Cuala Hurling, Football and Camogie Club’. Máire noting the pride in seeing all of the codes on Cuala’s headed notepaper, something that wasn’t widespread in Dublin at that time.  

Máire’s early camogie years 

While attending Coláiste Íosagáin, where Máire first played camogie winning a Dublin Colleges Intermediate League medal in 1973 (her most cherished medal), a Cuala connection was begun. The very first camogie sticks were purchased for the fledgling school through Cuala legend Mick Dunphy! She joined Naomh Mhuire in 1975 before it amalgamated with Cuala, not long really after the marriage bar (which required women to resign from civil service jobs when they got married) was lifted in 1971 and the LGFA was formed in 1974…female participation in sport was not widespread and received little recognition.  

 

Successes of the 70s and 80s

Máire remembers how in the 70s the numbers playing camogie were very small. A campaign was started in the schools in the area to encourage participation, with some of those who joined at that time still well-known and involved in Cuala.  

There were, however, many achievements for Cuala around this time. In 1984, the loss of the Senior B championship final led to the enlisting of Cuala’s John Bailey, a former Chairman of Dublin GAA board, to train the team. Máire recounts travelling with Cuala’s Hilary Thompson from Galway (where they both worked at the time) to matches back in Dublin. The determination of the team paid off, with Cuala winning the Senior B league and Championship double in 1985 (read more here). Having won the double in 1985, Cuala went up to Senior A and remained so until 1987. 

Meanwhile, Dublin camogie was reaching the heights of the game, with many rural players coming to the city for work and study, and second level colleges doing well throughout the county. We are proud to have had many Cuala players involved in Dublin at the time. Sheila Wallace won an All-Ireland Junior medal in 1971 and captained Dublin to the 1976 All-Ireland Final. Pamela Howard won a junior All-Ireland medal in 1975, with Jo Holden and Bernie Kehoe among others from Cuala who proudly played for county. Dublin won the Senior All-Ireland Championship in 1984 with Sheila Wallace in the backroom team. Sheila also achieved a remarkable place in the camogie story by being appointed as long-standing General Secretary of the (all Ireland) Camogie Association (read more here)

  

Máire’s roles in camogie administration 

Máíre retired from playing with Cuala in 1998, but her involvement with camogie did not diminish. She spent several years as secretary and then PRO of Dublin Camogie, before becoming national PRO for 12 years until 2012, a highlight of her career during which she says she has made lifelong camogie friends to add to those made on the pitch. She is passionate about promoting the sport and points out how despite the inequality in coverage of camogie vs hurling that can still exist, we have come a long way in comparison to the couple of inches that might be written about camogie in the papers in the 1970s. We still have a bit to go so Máire’s advice is for us all to get out and support our women’s camogie teams whenever we can!  

 

How Máire sees Cuala camogie today

2024 has been a huge year for celebrating 120 years of camogie, alongside 50 years of the LGFA and 140 years of the GAA. Camogie at Cuala has flourished thanks to the work of so many over the years and the structures that were put in place from the beginning to put camogie on an equal footing to the other codes. In 2024 Cuala won the Minor Division 1 and Junior 2 Leagues, reached the Minor Division 1 Championship Final, won the U21 Championship Shield and the Senior Division 2 Championship title.  

Dublin camogie is also experiencing a resurgence, winning the National League Division 1B title for the first time since 1983 as well as the Division 3B league, where Cuala’s Sinéad Murphy won player of the match, playing alongside Hilary Thompson’s daughter Róisín Ní Drisceoil. Dublin also reached the All-Ireland Senior Camogie semi-final for the first time in 7 years with Sinéad Wylde, Hannah O’Dea and Sinead Murphy on the panel. 

Let’s hope for even greater success for Cuala and Dublin camogie in 2025.  

 

A final word.. 

We asked Máire what she would say to our young girls starting out learning to play camogie at Cuala, taking part in GoGames and moving on to competitive matches. Her ultimate advice is to enjoy playing and spending time with the friends you make. Playing field sport is so important as you have to take the good and the bad. But the team spirit lifts you up through the harder times so you can celebrate the achievements. Keep having fun!  

Ní fhéadfainn mo shaol a shamhlú gan Camogie agus Cuala!

 


cartlanndigiteachcuala2

Cartlann Digiteach Cuala (Cuala Digital Archive) was established in 2009 to assemble an on-line archive of images, stories and memorabilia relating to Cuala and its ‘ancestral’ clubs.
If you have any information or material to share with us, please contact –
Michael Goodwin, +353 (0) 87 2266140,  history@cualagaa.ie
Contributors can be assured that all material will be treated with care and returned promptly.  
More History Articles

U21 Camogie and Hurling Success

Congratulations to our U21 Camogie team who won the Div1 Championship Shield, beating Ballinteer St. John’s by a single point.

Meanwhile the Cuala U21 Hurlers clinched the D Hurling Championship title against Skerries Harps. Congratulations!

Camogie Wall Ball-A-Thon

The Women’s Section camogie wall ball-a-thon was a huge success last weekend with a stream of players, members and supporters keeping the Cuala hall alive for 24 hours of camogie fun. Thank you to everyone who supported the event through donations, the cake sale or showing your support at the hall, it is much appreciated!

A special thank you to the following sponsors:
Linguaviva
The Juice Yard Health Bar
T Bourke
McMahon O’Connor Residential
Winthrop Technologies
Cronin’s Newark Service Station
Debra Ireland
Core Real Estate
GMC Ireland
The Club
Finnegan’s Dalkey
Hick’s Butchers
Saus Byrne and the Cuala Sporting Potatoes!

Cuala Camogie Wall Ball-a-Thon

Cuala Camogie are running a 24hr fundraising Wall Ball-a-Thon from 2pm Saturday 7th December to 2pm Sunday 8th December with all funds raised going towards the Minor and Senior Women’s sections.

Find out more and donate here: https://www.idonate.ie/cause/CualaGAAAdultCamogie

LGFA Webinar Series

The LGFA has organised an upcoming series of educational webinars for club members, players and officials.
These webinars are free to enrol on. The modules are as follows:
  • Club Leadership
  • Player Development
  • Coach Development
  • Match Officials Development
Please see this document which provides the full list of topics, dates and info on how to book a place on any webinar or find out more here: Upcoming Webinars – Ladies Gaelic Football.

Women’s Section Awards Night

The Cuala Womens Section Annual Awards Night will take place on Friday 22nd November at 7.30pm! Join us for a fantastic evening celebrating the achievements of our amazing female athletes. The event will take place at The Purty Kitchen, a cozy venue perfect for a night of fun and recognition. Get ready for a night filled with awards and great company, followed by DJ and dancing. Don’t miss out on this special occasion to honor the success, hard work and dedication of our talented women. Tickets are free but must be booked via the link below. See you there!

Cuala Womens Section Annual Awards Night Tickets, Fri 22 Nov 2024 at 19:30 | Eventbrite

Cuala are Senior 2 Dublin Camogie Champions 2024!

Congratulations to the Senior Camogie Team who clinched the Senior 2 Championship Title last Sunday in a thrilling match v Erin’s Isle!

 

Match Report by Dermot Malone

The venue was St. Peregrines, the date was Sunday 13th October and the opposition were a teak tough Erins Isle, side led by Dublin stalwart Louise O’Hara. The result however was exactly what our senior Cuala Camóg’s were training so hard for, a delirious one point win that elevates Cuala to Senior Division 1 of Dublin Camogie.

It was a full stand of anxious onlookers with fan numbers split equally between the two clubs. The game started with Isles benefiting from a strong breeze and racking up a point every two minutes without reply until they had garnished a 3 point lead. Cuala dug deep and started getting on top of the possession stakes, drawing level after 12 mins with the help of two nicely taken points from Rachel Hartnett. Cuala benefitted from lots of direct running, which opened up the Isles defence, with two goal opportunities coming from our own Dublin stars Sinead Wylde and Sinead Murphy, with Wylde’s effort skimming the crossbar for a point and Murphy’s incredible bit of individual brilliance matched by an equally brilliant save by the Isles keeper. It wasn’t all one way traffic however, with a few heart stopping moments as Isles had their own goal opportunity denied in a goalmouth scramble, in which the Cuala defence came out on top. Points were traded up to half time, with Cuala’s direct play giving the opposition no option but to foul, and three well taken frees from Eimear Hurley led Cuala into the break three points up 0-8 to 0-5.

The second half began as the first half had ended with another accurate Eimear Hurley free to extend Cuala’s lead, but from there Isles increased their intensity and the tackles hit harder. A point for Isles followed by another from Sinead Wylde and another again from Isles, brought the game to within three. Not to be outdone however, a clever ball from the aforesaid Louise O’Hara, dropped into the Cuala square, which led to momentary panic, with an Isles defender hitting the ground and a Cuala defender adjudged to have transgressed… referee David Murphy raised both arms and signalled for the penalty, which was duely dispatched to the corner of the Cuala net. Level scores. Cuala dug deep and the next three scores were for the red and white, courtesy of “Laoch na himeartha” Sinead Murphy, the newly introduced Julliette O’Flynn and the ever reliable Sinead Wylde, which meant that the travelling Cuala fans could breathe once more. But not for long. Minutes to go and Isles were on the attack on the left flank… a well taken pacey strike with a low dipping trajectory and the ball once more found it’s way into the corner of the Cuala net. Isles were not giving up without a fight… Yellow cards were traded, and Cuala somehow found strength from within, fuelled perhaps by the pain of near misses, having played and lost 3 previous Senior 2 finals in 4 years. In the dying minutes of the game, Eimear Hurley found herself as our furthest forward attacker on more than one occasion, gathering possession and taking on multiple defenders. It was a real battle that the Cork player relished, feeling right at home in red and white. One more pressure play from Cuala resulted in one more free… Confident and bold, Hurley steadied herself, Took a deep breath, lifted and struck a beautiful ball over the bar! Would that be it? Whistle ref? But not before 4 minutes of sustained pressure from Isles in extra time.. ball after ball dropped just short of levelling the game and forcing a replay. The Cuala defence stood firm and with possession in hand, the shrill of the final whistle, there were hugs and tears of joy all round for the red and white!

Receiving the trophy, our jubilant captain, corner back Ciara Byrne was generous in her praise for the opposition and officials, but left special thanks to Donal Murphy for his 10 years of dedication in guiding Cuala camogie to the pinnacle of the high table of Dublin Camogie. The pairing of Donal Murphy with JP Byrne, supported by a fabulous backroom team, has brought growth and success to this team and adult Cuala camogie in general.

Comhghairdeachas go Léir!
Cuala Camogie Abú

Senior Camogie and 2017 Girls Blitz

Some of our Senior Camogie players joined the 2017 girls for their blitz last weekend. A great morning of fun was had by all with impressive camogie skills on show all round! The 2017s were inspired by the senior players and are looking forward to supporting them in their semi-final this weekend!