Cork are Glen Dimplex All-Ireland senior camogie champions once again after edging Galway by 2-14 to 0-19 in a thrilling final at Croke Park.
In front of a record camogie attendance of 33,419, second-half goals from Saoirse McCarthy and Orlaith Cahalane proved decisive as the Rebels claimed their third All-Ireland senior title in four seasons and 31st overall.
Galway led 0-9 to 0-7 at half-time and looked the sharper side for long spells of the opening half, with Carrie Dolan, Niamh Niland and Caoimhe Kelly all influential. Cork, however, stayed within reach through Amy O’Connor frees and the attacking threat of Sorcha McCartan.
The game changed after the restart. Emma Murphy helped spark Cork into life before McCarthy struck the first major blow in the 39th minute, finishing brilliantly to the roof of the net. Seven minutes later, Cahalane gathered a long delivery and found the far corner with a low finish to open up a five-point Cork lead.
Galway refused to fade. Dolan was immense, dragging her side back into contention with a heroic display of ball-winning, carrying and free-taking. Deep into stoppage time, Galway goalkeeper Sarah Healy came forward for a late free outside the arc, but her effort went over the bar rather than under it. Cork survived, and the O’Duffy Cup returned to Leeside.
For Cork, this was a win built on renewal. Ger Manley’s side had lost major players and key backroom figures since last season, yet rebuilt quickly enough to return to the top.
Laura Hayes, one of Cork’s standout performers, admitted the group had carried doubts through the year.
“We were in the trenches at the start of the year,” she said. “I’ve never been so excited and grateful for the build-up, and I just wanted to go out there and have this team let the shackles off.”
Cork did exactly that in the second half.
Earlier in the day, Antrim secured an immediate return to senior camogie with a dominant 1-22 to 0-11 win over Laois in the Glen Dimplex All-Ireland intermediate final.
Laois, last year’s premier junior champions, competed strongly early on and reduced the gap after half-time, but Antrim’s attacking power eventually told. From the 34th minute onwards, the Saffrons hit 13 scores from 16 attempts to take control of the final.
Róisín McCormick delivered a superb performance, finishing with 1-11, while Eobha McAllister added five points from play. Maeve Kelly also made a memorable return to Croke Park, scoring three points after years of injury setbacks.
“There were times when I thought I’d never hurl again,” Kelly said. “It really gets you down, but I really got down to it this year. I moved back home and I put a lot into county camogie. It takes a lot of a person, but now, it’s all worth it.”
Antrim will now return to the senior championship in 2027.
Armagh also had their moment at Croke Park, ending years of final heartbreak with a 0-17 to 0-15 win over Cavan in the Glen Dimplex All-Ireland premier junior final.
Having lost four premier junior finals at Croke Park since 2016, Armagh finally broke through after a fiercely contested encounter. Cavan, who had not fielded a team at the start of the year, pushed them all the way and threatened a late comeback.
The decisive spell came either side of half-time, when Armagh turned a two-point deficit into a five-point lead. Captain Rachael Trainor led the way with 0-6, while Sinéad Quinn, Corinna Doyle, Eimear McGeary and Ciara Geoghegan all made important scoring contributions.
Cavan kept coming, with Eimear Brady finishing with 0-7 and Niamh Keelaghan going close to a late goal. But Armagh held firm, helped by a crucial Eimear O’Kane hook and a point-blank save from Ciarraí Devlin.
“It’s unbelievable,” said Eimear Hayes. “It’s such an honour to play in Croke Park, but to win on it is just unbelievable. We never stopped believing that this day would happen.”
On a landmark day for camogie, Cork reclaimed the senior crown, Antrim returned to the top tier, and Armagh finally made Croke Park their own.
