1979 All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship

The 1979 All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship was the high point of the 1979 season. The championship was won by Antrim who defeated Tipperary by a three-point margin in the final.[1] The match drew an attendance of 2,900.[2][3][4][5][6]

All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship 1979
Championship Details
Dates Sept 9
Counties
Sponsor
All Ireland Champions
Winners Antrim (6th title)
Captain Mairéad McAtamney
Manager
All-Ireland Runners-up
Runners-up Tipperary
Captain Maureen Maher
Manager
Matches played 2

Semi-finals

Kilkenny disposed of reigning champions Cork at Douglas by 4-5 to 0-10 on June 17 in the first round of the most open championship draw since the open draw was introduced six years earlier. Cork pleaded with some justification that midfielder Clare Cronin was nursing a leg injury, Marie Costine was ill and Pat Moloney had unexpectedly announced her retirement from the game. Antrim then surprised championship favourites Kilkenny by 5–5 to 4–3 at Randalstown on July 29 with two goals each from Kathleen McCaughey and Philomena Gillespie while Angela Downey scored three breakaway goals for Kilkenny.

Antrim went on to defeat Wexford, in the All Ireland semi-final at the same venue. A Margaret Griffin goal in the first half gave Tipperary victory over Limerick who were contesting their first ever senior semi-final.

Final

Irish Press journalist Maol Muire Tynan, who played for Tipperary against Antrim in the 1979 All-Ireland final, wrote about her experience in the following day's newspaper. Her piece reflects the frustrations of a defeated player, as well as those of an inter-county camogie player in the face of the general apathy shown towards women’s sport:

Even when the lead slipped away from us, we fought back, desperate to inscribed our name on an All-Ireland trophy. But Fate, or, should I say, Antrim’s sheer talent and abundant stamina, interfered with our plans. Yesterday’s weather in Croke Park provided the perfect setting to an exciting duel. It was regrettable that those natural elements were not complemented by properly defined sidelines or freshly painted goal posts. Yet this game was a cracking performance of speed and skill. The few thousand supporters, all confined to the Hogan Stand, showed their appreciation as enthusiastically as the 53,535 who thronged it the previous week. The first 25 minutes were magical for Tipperary and by half time it seemed that the O'Duffy was southward bound. But our confidence was unjustified, the scoreboard did not reflect the run of play. While our forwards were running through a crumbling Antrim defence, their efforts rarely came to fruitful conclusion. This was due to the incredible anticipation of Antrim goalkeeper Carol Blaney who celebrated her 21st birthday in style. Antrim have successfully overcome the restrictions and difficulties the game has faced during the past decade. For the superb Antrim side, it is the resurrection of camogie in Northern ranks, while we in the Premier County, with our long, impressive tradition of hurling, must painfully carry out the post mortem on our sister game.[7]

Final stages
Kilkenny4-5 – 0-10Cork
Antrim2-9 – 0-2Galway
Ballindereen
Limerick3-6 – 3-5Dublin
Russell Park
Tipperary4-3 – 4-1Down
Wexford4-7 – 1-4Clare
Antrim5-5 – 4-3Kilkenny
Antrim3-5 – 0-1Wexford
Tipperary1-6 – 0-6Limerick
Antrim2-5 – 1-4Tipperary
Ann McAllister 1-2, Kathleen McCaughey 1-0, Mairéad Quinn 0-1 Siobhán McDonnell 1-0, Deirdre Lane 0-1, Sheila Delaney 0-1, Mary Griffin 0-1
Attendance: 2,900
Antrim
Tipperary
ANTRIM:
GK1Carol Blaney (Tom Williams)
FB2Mairéad Donnelly
RWB3Mary McMullan (Loughguile)
CB4Jo McClements (Loughguile)
LWB5Jackie McAtamney (Portglenone)
MF6Siobhán McAtamney (Portglenone)
MF7Mairéad Magill (Capt) (Portglenone)
MF8Rita Moran (Creggan)
RWF9Philomena Gillespie (Loughguile)
CF10Mairéad Quinn (0-1)  Half time'
LWF11Ann McAllister (1-2)
FF12Kathleen McCaughey (1-0)
Substitutes:
MFMaeve O'Hagan for Mairéad Quinn  Half time'
(TIPPERARY):
GK1Mary O'Brien (Portroe)
FB2Monica Butler (Drom-Inch)
RWB3Maura Hackett (Portroe)
CB4Deirdre Lane (Celtic) (0-1)
LWB5Rosie Ryan (St Bernadette’s Roscrea)
MF6Maureen Maher (Drom-Inch) (Capt)
MF7Sheila Delaney (Drom-Inch) (0-1)
MF8Mary Griffin (St Mary’s Newport-Kilcommon) ( (0-1)  50'
RWF9Mona Quigley (Portroe)
CF10Agnes Brophy (Lorrha)
LWF11Maol Muire Tynan (Drom-Inch)
FF12Siobhán Tynan?Siobhán Tynan-McDonnell (Drom-Inch) (1-0)
Substitutes:
MFAnn Ralph (Moycarkey) for Mary Griffin  50'

MATCH RULES

  • 50 minutes
  • Replay if scores level
  • Maximum of 3 substitutions

See also

References
  1. Moran, Mary (2011). A Game of Our Own: The History of Camogie. Dublin, Ireland: Cumann Camógaíochta. p. 460. 978-1-908591-00-5
  2. Report of final in Irish Press, September 10, 1979
  3. Report of final in Irish Independent, September 10, 1979
  4. Report of final in Irish Times, September 10, 1979
  5. Report of final in Irish Examiner, September 10, 1979
  6. Report of final in Irish News, September 10, 1979
  7. irish Press page 1 September 10, 1979]
Preceded by
All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship 1978		 All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship
1932 – present		 Succeeded by
All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship 1980
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