Midleton Camogie Club thriving after 10 years with numbers soaring

MIDLETON Camogie Club celebrated its 10th anniversary at Clonmult Memorial Park recently.

The club has made massive strides since 2014, attracting huge numbers of new members each year and performing with great distinction on the playing fields across the county.

A hugely dedicated committee and team of coaches is crucial, with the rewards of their work clearly visible. Despite the damp conditions, large numbers of players and supporters turned out for the big birthday bash, where all age groups were catered for with a series of inter-club blitzes. 

Face painting, food stalls and music added to the feelgood factor. The club also unveiled it's new crest and took the opportunity to acknowledge founding members, whose work was instrumental in establishing the club. The successful junior team were also presented with their county championship medals from 2023. They defeated Éire Óg in the country B final and now make the significant step up to Junior A level this season.

Ingrid Connaughton is one of those founders, who has served the club in a major way over the past 10 years. She was initially chidren's officer and then took over as chairperson for a three-year term before handing over to Tracey Ryan in November, 2022. 

"We had a huge amount of young players interested in playing camogie. It was a hugely exciting time. 

A lot of girls in the town wished to play camogie, but had nowhere to play and then there were others who had joined clubs outside the area also. 

"It was a no-brainer to get the club off the ground."

"There was an instant take-off and we got stronger every year in terms of numbers. Key to the success was the great support we got from Midleton GAA club. People like John Fenton and Kevin Hennessy were fantastic and there were so many people in the background willing to help us. Shortly after our formation, we all became part of the one club model, so that brought everybody even closer together.

"There are many girls who are also playing football in the club and there has always been great co-operation between the two groups. It was planned from the start in such a way that the players never had to choose and always had the opportunity to be involved in both codes."

ONE CLUB

The one-club model is certainly moving smoothly in Midleton and a lot of coaches are involved with three strands, camogie, ladies football and hurling/football. The support of all has helped to see camogie numbers increase rapidly.

"At the start, we had one team in each age group, but after a three- to four-year period we had a number of teams in each age group. Players began to come from neighbouring clubs and the influx of new people moving into the town helped us to form older teams. 

"Fielding our first junior team in 2020 was another landmark occasion. Covid was a challenge, but we maintained a presence all the time and we have continued to constantly grow. Participation in the start-up group at U6s is huge every year, which is a great sign for the future."

Midleton players have also made their mark with Cork. Ingrid's daughter Jill won three provincial and three All-Ireland medals in Rebel red. There have been others who were quickly recognised at divisional level and many got the call to Cork squads also.

Current club secretary Claire Griffin, whose three daughters Kate, Leah and Anna all play on different teams, epitomises the busy schedule of a club officer.

"It's fairly non-stop with matches and training and juggling pitches. The wet weather certainly caused issues and we had to use a number of different venues. But sure, it's all part of it and we all love it." 

The official membership has now soared to 373.