Camross’ historic All-Ireland Club Intermediate Camogie success unfolded amid a pulsating atmosphere in Croke Park, as black and amber filled the Hogan Stand and drove the Laois champions on for every minute of the final.
In the aftermath of the victory, Kirsten Keenan, Mairead Burke and Donnagh Mortimer spoke candidly about the journey, the support and the sense of disbelief that still lingered after an unforgettable day in Croke Park.
“I feel like we have a big following anyway, and we have been lucky enough to have a couple of home games as well, where obviously some people didn’t have to travel and that.
“The minute we won the Leinster final and got into the All-Ireland semi, the support behind us is unheard of, really, unless you’re at one of the lads’ games or something like that.
“They’re starting to follow us now, as watching hurling rather than just following us because we’re from Camross. We’ve never experienced that before; we’re just so happy. I can’t believe it.”
The scale of that backing created the impression that the whole parish of Camross was inside Croke Park on Sunday.
“It would have been a great place to rob today. I don’t think there’s any other parish like ours, especially when it’s such a small place, and it’s easy to say that when you come from there.
“The whole year has kind of taken us by surprise because this was our fourth year trying to win the county final, so it wasn’t a case that we just thought we’d ever be here at the start of the year. So we’ve just been riding the waves since the county final, so it’s very surreal.”
Looking back on the season as a whole, the trio acknowledged that an All-Ireland run had never really featured in their thinking once the year began to unfold.
“Oh, never, to be honest. Well, I would have thought at the very, very start, because The Harps were kind of doing it back in Laois, they’ve won some.
“As the years went on, I didn’t think it would ever happen for us. If you told us at the start of the year that we’d win the county final, we’d have taken that.”
Attention then turned to a pivotal moment in the final itself, with full-forward Keenan asked about the defensive work that helped create Camross’ crucial goal.
Keenan said: “Well, to be fair now, we do say everyone can play in every position.
“Our defending starts from number 15. To be fair, the harder the backs can get out the ball, the worse of a ball they can get to their people, and it just so happened to fall lovely then for SAF, and like that, the grass out there is like a carpet, so pulling on it, the ball was flying,” Keenan said.
Despite their dominance after the break, Burke and Mortimer admitted they were unaware of just how effective Camross had been defensively as they limited Ballincollig to just three frees before discussing the challenges posed by the vast Croke Park surface.
“We didn’t actually know that; it didn’t feel like that. That is brilliant. It was very helter-skelter at the start, but it’s just such a big pitch. It took us a while to get into it.
“I thought it wasn’t, but when you’re actually lining out, it is huge. I think half-time just sort of settled our nerves.
“We were dropping a lot of balls in the first-half that we normally wouldn’t, and then we kind of just went out and said, right, 30 more minutes left now.”
Mortimer also reflected on the novelty of sharing the field with Erin Walsh, whom she encounters regularly off it, given her role as a teacher in Mountrath Community School.
“It’s mad, I don’t actually teach her in school, I see her more as a friend.
“As she said in an interview about me, she sees me more as a friend, and I’m the same. If I were teaching her in class, it would be a different story,” Mortimer said.
With the All-Ireland secured, thoughts quickly shifted to the celebrations awaiting the team back in Camross, with memories of recent homecomings fresh in their minds.
“Even after our Leinster final and the All-Ireland semi-final, it was unbelievable, the people that came out. It’s a fact to say that this year we’ll be walking three cups over the bridge.
“At the start of the year, we were going in nearly on a downer because we had lost a couple of county finals.
“We needed to win one of them to even be here. We were saying all we needed to do was win the county final; that was our only focus. Anything other than that then was a bonus.”
The players also smiled when recalling the unusual pause in their schedule before the final, after weeks of constant games and little time to breathe.
“I feel like we nearly have actually played better as the year has gone on. We’ve definitely peaked since the county final.
“The week-on-week really helped us, actually, rather than a couple of weeks’ gaps.
“We had two weeks for the All-Ireland semi and two weeks for this; they kind of went fast. I know, I was like, oh my God, we don’t have training for two days, what’s going on.”
They further highlighted the influence of county success earlier in the year, with several Camross players benefiting from the experience of Laois’ All-Ireland triumph.
“Absolutely, yeah, it will. Like that, it was Laois’ second time going for the All-Ireland, having lost by a point last year, and then to win this year, I feel like it boosted everyone.
“We have a good few girls in with the county, and I feel like it boosted us going back in. Oh yeah, it did, definitely. Usually, you’re kind of used to coming in on a low and then going back to the club.
“We came in on such a high, and the girls were flat out training then as well. Everyone was kind of pushing everyone hard.
“We just met in the middle, and we all just drove on. You can see there, even the girls who came on had such an impact. We might have a small panel, but it’s a serious panel at that.”
Burke finished by capturing what she felt lay at the heart of Camross’ success, a bond within the group that strengthened as the season went on.
“We actually feel, I’d say we all feel as united as we actually are, and it doesn’t always happen, but something just clicked this year. We have loads of family, but even though we’re not all related, it still feels like you’re one little family. It’s hard to describe, it’s just amazing,” Burke ended.
SEE ALSO – ‘Jungle Joe’ set for O’Moore Park return following appearance with 2 Johnnies at 3 Arena Show
