Camogie champions welcomed back to Leeside
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The Grand Parade was flooded with red and white to see the O’Duffy Cup back in Cork for a 31st time. Photo: Steven FoxImage 2 of 6
Cork captain Méabh Cahalane said that the support throughout the year was what got them across the line in Croke Park on Sunday. Photo: Steven FoxImage 3 of 6
Isobel Sheehan of Cork in action against Niamh McPeake of Galway. Photo: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile Piaras Ó Mídheach / SPORTSFILEImage 4 of 6
Ashling Thompson with supporters after the final. Photo: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile Piaras Ó Mídheach / SPORTSFILEImage 5 of 6
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Left: Cork captain Méabh Cahalane lifts the O’Duffy Cup. Above: Cork goalkeeper Amy Lee celebrates her sides first goal. Photo: Paul Phelan/Sportsfile Paul Phelan / SPORTSFILERebels thronged the Grand Parade this week to welcome back its camogie champions, who brought the O’Duffy Cup Leeside for the 31st time.
In front of a record crowd of 33,419 people – which beat the previous record set in 2007 by just 265 people – Cork came back from a two-point deficit after the first half against a physical and determined Galway side.
With two goals in the second half, the Rebels were able to hold on against a Galway fightback, which ended when a last-second attempt to drop the ball into goal-scoring range from a free by Galway goalkeeper Sarah Healy went over the bar, leaving the final score 2-14 to 0-19.
With the O’Duffy Cup secured, the girls travelled from Dublin by train, stopping in Mallow, before arriving in Kent Station and being welcomed back Leeside by a jubilant crowd on Cork’s Grand Parade, the first homecoming to be held in the newly-redeveloped city centre.
With the atmosphere electric, the plaza was dominated by the next generation who will one day hope to see themselves on that stage: young girls from camogie clubs all over Cork, who came to see their heroines return.
While the team were welcomed back to speeches from dignitaries including Lord Mayor of Cork Cllr Damien Boylan, Mayor of County Cork Cllr Bernard Moynihan, and An Taoiseach Micheál Martin. They all understood they were not the main attraction, and kept their contributions brief.
With the mic passed to Cork captain Méabh Cahalane, she gave thanks to her teammates – each of whom she welcomed by name – the management team, and to the crowd.
“It’s so great to see so much red and white here in the city. You travelled in your numbers yesterday, and we could hear you get behind us, at times when we needed it coming down the home stretch.
“We heard you above in Thurles in the semi-final, and I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart, it just made the difference yesterday,” she said.
In his closing remarks, Cork Independent columnist Finbarr McCarthy told the crowd to mark this date in their calendars for next year, as the girls will be bringing the cup back in 2027.