Preview: Glen Dimplex All-Ireland camogie finals:
Sunday 10th August
Glen Dimplex All-Ireland camogie finals
Premier Junior: Laois v Armagh, Croke Park, 1pm
Intermediate: Kerry v Offaly, Croke Park, 3pm
Senior: Galway v Cork, Croke Park, 5.15pm
By Paul Keane
This time two years ago, they were talking about a famine in Cork.
They hadn’t claimed a Glen Dimplex All-Ireland senior camogie title since 2018 and, for a county with a record 27 titles at that stage, it felt like forever.
Waterford were Cork’s final opponents that year, 2023, and had never won one at all, yet still Cork had the feeling of needing to make up for lost time.
They duly dismantled the Deise that day, winning at their ease, retained the title last year with seven wins from seven and have returned to this year’s final with five more wins.
Suddenly, Cork find themselves on the brink of a first senior camogie three-in-a-row since the early 1970s.
If anyone would enjoy spoiling the party it’s Galway, Cork’s greatest rivals in recent seasons.
Galway almost pinched the silverware last year, summoning up fury and reeling off six points in a row between the 42nd and 51st minutes of the All-Ireland final to tie the game.
At that stage, with momentum on their side, Galway had placed themselves in a terrific position to win just their fifth ever title, which would have shoved them up a rung in the roll of honour alongside Tipperary.
They couldn’t push on for a landmark win though, failing to score again as Cork reeled off three points in the closing 10 minutes or so from Sorcha McCartan and Clodagh Finn to secure back-to-back titles.
Cork’s only loss so far in 2025 has been to Galway, in the final round of group games in the league. They were flat that day, perhaps with the knowledge that they were already through to the final.
A fortnight later, Ger Manley’s ladies in red were significantly improved and with a number of personnel changes piled more misery on the westerners with a 0-21 to 0-10 final win, claiming a 17th title.
Since then, they’ve been unstoppable and while there was no Munster final played, their 10-point All-Ireland semi-final defeat of Waterford, whom they were due to play in the provincial decider before the skorts debate intervened, suggests they may have taken the silverware.
Still, it wasn’t a perfect Cork display and they will be keen for a big bounceback and a statement win, just like the league final.
Both Cork and Galway topped their groups to advance directly to the All-Ireland semi-final stage and while Cork took care of Waterford there, Galway beat Tipperary by 1-18 to 1-11.
In those semi-finals, the two counties lined out with 11 starters from last year’s All-Ireland final.
It would have been 13 in Cork’s case though Meabh Murphy and Cliona Healy started as subs before coming on while Izzy O’Regan, who also started last year’s final, is injured and Fiona Keating is unavailable this season.
Galway are without last year’s midfield pairing of Niamh Hanniffy and the ultra experienced Niamh Kilkenny, both of whom are unavailable this year. Niamh McPeake and Aine Keane are the other two players who miss out due to injury.
Their absences have been offset by the form of Caoimhe Kelly, Mairead Dillon, Shauna Healy and Emma Helebert.
The Camogie Association is targeting a record breaking crowd and spectators are unlikely to be let down with Cork’s Amy O’Connor chasing another big tally to take the championship top scorer award.
Tipperary’s Grace O’Brien on 4-44 (56) currently leads the way from Niamh Rockett of Waterford 2-42 (48) while O’Connor is next on 5-30 (45). That leaves O’Connor needing a dozen points to move out in front, something you wouldn’t bank against considering she hit 1-13 against Tipperary and 3-5 against Wexford.
Galway’s Carrie Dolan could come with a late surge too. She’s currently fourth on the scorers list with 0-42.
How Galway’s miserly defence – they’ve conceded an average of 10.2 points per game in the championship – copes with a Cork side that has been hitting scores for fun is the big question.
O’Connor, as she memorably displayed in the 2023 final, has the potential to score big but Clodagh Finn has netted in three games this summer while Saoirse McCarthy, as she showed last time out, and Katrina Mackey are gamebreakers too. That’s not to mention Sorcha McCartan, Orlaith Cahalane or the reliable Emma Murphy.
Niamh Mallon – a former Down colleague of McCartan’s – showed her goal threat for Galway against Tipperary in the semi-final. Free-taker and captain Dolan and Aoife Donohue consistently supply important scores for Galway too. It will be their fifth All-Ireland senior decider under Cathal Murray. And they have always been highly competitive, winning the 2019 and 2021 finals, at the expense of Kilkenny and Cork, and losing the other two by a goal each time.
The battle around the middle third between Dolan and Ashling Thompson is an exciting one. Who will Galway choose to mark O’Connor? And can Galway keep that 10-point average in place? If they can, they’ll fancy themselves to take the O’Duffy Cup.
The camogie finals day will begin with the Premier Junior meeting of Laois and Armagh at 1pm. It will be Armagh’s fourth final appearance since 2020, when they last won this title, and PJ O’Mullan will be desperate to lead them to Kay Mills Cup success.
Laois carry a significant goal threat and Susie Delaney, Aimee Collier, Amy Daly, Kirsten Keenan and Clodagh Tynan all netted when they defeated Armagh 5-10 to 0-20 in their group meeting last month.
Kerry will take on Offaly in an intriguing intermediate final at 3pm.
It will be a maiden intermediate final appearance for Kerry who, thanks in part to the ever reliable Patrice Diggin, scored an impressive semi-final win over Down.
David Sullivan is in charge of Offaly and their progress this season has been impressive, capping April’s Division 2A title win – they beat Derry by 15 points – by going on their summer march to the championship decider, taking out Antrim at the semi-final stage.
Senior camogie in 2026 is the carrot for both counties.