Cork camogie ground starting to take shape at Castle Road

ANOTHER huge milestone in the history of Cork Camogie was achieved when the county board officially cut the ribbon on Aras Camógaíochta Corcaigh as they officially opened their clubhouse and dressing rooms.

Eleven years ago the board opened their pitch in Castle Road and since then the huge voluntary effort to have a clubhouse and dressing rooms began. The facility is one of the best in the country with four state-of-the-art dressing rooms, referees rooms, meeting rooms and office. 

On hand to perform the honours were Hilda Breslin, Uachtarán Cumann Camógaíochta, and Larry McCarthy, former GAA President.

Larry McCarthy has huge connections to Cork camogie his late mother Aedin was a former officer of the Cork County board and Munster Council. In his opening speech, Larry spoke of his mother and sisters' involvement in camogie. 

"I was reared in a camogie household, my late mother Aedin played with Old Aloysius and our house was a hive of camogie activity, it is a huge honour for me to be asked to be part of the official opening of this wonderful facility for Cork camogie and I want to say well done to the many people who worked to make this possible." 

Hilda Breslin was delighted to be on Leeside to perform the opening. 

"It’s a huge pleasure for me to be here in Castle Road to help open phase two of your development, it is another a huge achievement for Cork camogie I sincerely congratulate you and wish you every success. Cork camogie are role models and an example of what can be achieved by women in sport, you are All-Ireland senior champions and your promotion of camogie is a credit to all involved in your clubs and county."

VISION

Cork chair Mairead Donovan spoke and thanked all the volunteers whose vision this version of Castle Road was. She thanked the pitch committee of Joe Mc McCarthy, Sheila Golden, Marian McCarthy, Ollie Hallihan and Mary McSweeney who put and continue to put huge work into developing the facility.

Marion McCarthy spoke on behalf of the development committee and took us back to the very beginning when the work began on getting the pitch ready and in 2008 the dream became a reality with the first game played in Castle Road. 

Huge work got under way and on March 29, 2012, the pitch was officially opened. Once that was done the work to get a complex build began and with the final works completed on Aras Camógaíochta Corcaigh the official opening of the complex was held.

Despite the pitch and complex now being completed Cork camogie are not sitting on their laurels. The development committee are already actively looking at the next phase, which is to get work done on their car park and get it fully laid out and marked out. 

There is a need to erect a stand too, which would ensure senior championship and national league game could be played there. There are also plans for lighting to be installed. 

All of this will require a lot of investment and with the board still paying off a mortgage for the original development, every penny must be raised by voluntary fundraising.

Well done to all, Cork camogie can be hugely proud of another milestone in their on-going development of one of the best facilities in the country for women’s sport.