Were it not for the magic weaved by Cathal Murray’s senior camogie team in Croke Park last August, it would have been a bleak year for the maroon and white.
When captain Carrie Dolan stood over that free in the dying moments of that classic final against Cork, she reduced hardened people to tears with the majesty of her execution. That capped a victory that was created in the depths of winter; the product of more than 90 training sessions to bring glory to their county.
However, this weekend, the players and supporters will be holding a bucket collection at the hurling semi-finals to help raise funds for a much-deserved squad holiday at the end of the year.
A fundraising breakfast with guest speakers will also be held in the Clayton Hotel on Oct 31 to boost the fund, but the absence of any donation from the game’s governing authority has disappointed many.
Traditionally, the GAA reward the finalist of the senior men’s football and hurling All-Ireland championships with a generous €150,000 donation to a holiday fund; a sort of thank you to those who have emerged victorious after entertaining the hordes all summer.
However, such a luxury is not yet afforded by the Camogie Association and the LGFA, but this is to be addressed when integration becomes complete in a couple of years.
The GAA provides a holiday fund to the four senior All-Ireland finalists in football and hurling, with each finalist receiving €150,000.
This funding is a significant increase from previous years, which used to allocate €80,000 to each of the four finalists. The total amount distributed annually for these holiday funds for the men is now €600,000.
The absence through of the support does not mean that the camogie winners are any less deserving of their break and any help that comes that way. All-Ireland wins are carved in the depths of winter, on damp pitches and misty nights when the muscle mass and the mental fortitude are bolstered against the elements.
This winter, the Galway senior squad and support crew are to head to New York for a short break together; and the appeal is to be made to raise the necessary funding to cover the costs of the trip.
Their ground breaking manager Cathal Murray told the Advertiser that the squad deserve this holiday for the effort thay have put in and the joy they brought to Galway followers this summer.
He said that while intregration is a few years away, the preparation needs to go now into how to treat the players better.
“The level the game is gone to is almost professional and is elite. So the manner with which we treat the players has to mirror that. The allocation of player tickets to the final, for example and the reward for the efforts has to be much better,” he said, adding that he is appealing to the Galway public and to businesses to get behind this appeal to raise a six-figure sum to cover the cost of short trip to the United States at the turn of the year.
“We are having the breakfast fundraiser on Oct 31 and this weekend at the hurling semifinals, the girls will be holding a bucket collection, which is not ideal for elite role model athletes,” he said.
Already players and officials have lent their time and vocal support to help the cause, now they are appealing to the public and to the business community to get on board and boost the coffers.
The Galway senior camogie team have become role models for young players not just in the county but across the country where the bar has been raised by the attitude and beliefs installed by Murray and his support team.
In a competitive year, the Galway victory breathed new life into the importance of spirit and determination. They travelled to Croke Park seen in many quarters as merely the supporting cast in the coronation of an all-conquering Cork team seeking a third title in a row.
What ensued was quite the opposite as Galway soared into a strong lead, only to be drawn back late on. At that stage they drew on the reserves of mental toughness to forge a victory that brought great joy back west and around the country.
We were thrilled to support the girls on that glorious quest in high summer — now is our time to show them just how much we appreciate their efforts.
Support the breakfast and the cause and let our heroes feel the appreciation for the glory of summer.
