Humans of Camogie Series

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.  

Cuala Minor Player Resource Pack

Members may recall research survey shared in April 2024 on the experience of Minor GAA Player’s move to Adult. The survey purpose was to gauge perceived value for a player yearbook and online form at the end of their season as they prepare for a move to adult team(s). The number of responses received from a mix of players, parents, coaches and club members, far exceeded expectations and the insights gathered proved valuable feedback for creation of a Minor GAAP Resource Pack, which has been approved by Coiste, Coaching Forum and shared with Coaching Director, Minor and Adult section chairs and mentors.
Summary of approximate % of positive responses to questions presented are detailed below (weighted from Likert scale 1 to 5):
Question
Approx % of Positive Responses
“I believe that a minor to adult GAA Player Handbook/Form would be beneficial for player and coach communication.”
90.48%
“I believe the minor to adult GAA Player Handbook/Form would help players with their move and integration to adult team(s).”
88.89%
“I believe the minor to adult GAA Player Handbook/Form would help coaches (minor and adult) with the player’s move and integration to adult team(s).”
94.44%
“How important do you think it is for coaches to receive information on the player when they move to adult?”
88.89%
In addition, considerable comments and suggestions were provided that contributed to the overall design of the resource pack, with more ideas coming through that have been added to the Coaching Forum backlog and will be progressed with the club’s Coaching Director.
We would like to thank everyone for their interest in this area, including those who took the time to respond to the survey, the players and coaches who participated in workshops and the members who provided feedback on the versions presented. More detail on the project can be accessed at Minor Player Resources and the Cuala Minor Player Resources are available at Policies, Documents & Forms – Cuala GAC – Official Website (cualagaa.ie).
Míle buíochas,
Niamh O’Connor, Fintan Quill, Joyce Groarke