'The girls owe us nothing. They’ve given Cork camogie some of its best days ever'

It was another “tough pill to swallow” for Cork fans over the weekend as they lost out to Galway in the All-Ireland Senior Camogie final.

The Rebel side were hoping to go three for three by bringing home the O’Duffy cup for the third time in a row. However, the Tribeswomen had other ideas, beating the Cork side by just one point this evening.

Speaking to The Echo ahead of the match at Croke Park, Wendy Lynch from Cork city said: “We’re buzzing to be here—it’s been electric since we rolled into town this morning. Here’s hoping we can rally and keep that three-in-a-row dream alive!” Ms Lynch was joined by her two daughters Abbie and Maisie Lynch who were excited to cheer on their Camogie heroes for their first ever visit to Croke Park.

Following Galway’s last-minute victory, the mood was low on Jones’ Road as Cork supporters trickled out from the stands.

“Gutted for the girls. They fought tooth and nail, but it just wasn’t our day. You can’t win them all—still proud to be from Cork. That red card changed the whole game. Galway smelled blood and took their chances. Hard to watch, but fair play to them,” Breed Coughlan from Bandon said.

Maire Tobin of Buttevant shared her sadness at the result: “We came up hoping for three-in-a-row and we’re heading home empty-handed… but sure, we’ll be back. Rebels never stay down for long.

“It’s a tough pill to swallow, especially after the year we’ve had. They gave us some great days out though, and that counts for something,” she said.

Tony Cashman also from Buttevant, agreed: “We’ll clap them off the field every time—they’ve given everything for the jersey. Today hurt, but they can be proud of how far they’ve come.” 

“The roar at the start was unreal, but by the end you could feel the heartbreak. Still, they can come home tomorrow evening with heads held high. That group of girls have done so much for the sport in Cork and across the country and have inspired so many little girls in their wake, my own nine-year-old included. The scoreboard might not have told of their glory, but the history books will,” Paudie Boyle, Carrigtwohill, said.

Mary Hurley from Mallow said: “We’ve been spoiled with the camogie the last few years, so maybe we forgot how sore losing feels. Fair play to Galway—they were sharper when it mattered.” 

The future was bright in the eyes of Passage West woman Jackie Dunne who said: “I’ve seen us win and I’ve seen us lose, but I’ve never seen this team give up. That’s why we follow them. The bus trip home will be quieter but come January we’ll all be back talking about next year. The girls owe us nothing. They’ve given Cork camogie some of its best days ever. Tonight’s for licking wounds, but the future’s still bright.

“It’s hard to take when you know the talent is there, but that’s finals—there’s no second chances,” she said.

The loss, following Cork's loss in the All-Ireland Senior Hurling final last month, was a sore spot for many of the Cork fans, many of whom travelled to support the Rebels in Croke Park for both games.

“One point… that’s what’ll haunt us. One bounce of the ball, one shot the other side of the post—it’s a cruel way to lose. It’s easier to take a big loss—you can say the other side were better. We saw that with the men’s game with Tipp. But one point? That’s pure torture. And add that to our loss to Tipp. Are we cursed?” Brian Cahill, Cobh, joked.

Georgina Price held onto hope until the last whistle: “The whole way through I thought we’d nick it at the end. When we got that goal I thought we had pulled it out of the bag somehow. One more minute and maybe it was ours… but that’s sport."