Killimor Co, Galway could be described as a sleepy village with little going on, but that indeed would be a gross misinterpretation of what is really happening in this rural community set in East Galway.

For this is home to the newly crowned All-Ireland Senior Camogie Champions and they were wide awake when they represented the West, against the Leeside ladies Inniscarra from the Rebel County earlier in the year.

They love GAA in this part of the wood as team captain Brenda Hanney explained.

"I have always loved Gaelic Games; you really would need to be careful coming into our house as you could trip over a hurley fairly handy," quipped Brenda. "My sister Niamh is also on the team she plays in the full back line. It's great sharing this whole experience with her, our younger brothers Kevin and David have been giving us lots of support and advice. Kevin was on the under 14's and under 12's hurling team that won county medals with Killimor this year, so there has been great celebration in our house."

Brenda is not the only one who could draw strength from her sister as the team has two more sets of sisters, Martina and Claire Conroy and Karen and Serena Brien, who are daughters of team selector Vinnie Brien.

"In the semi final we weren't given much of a chance in the media, some even wrote off our chances completely," said Brenda. "I suppose on paper the Wexford girls did appear to be bringing more experience to the contest, but it's what happens on the day that counts. We knew after the semi that we were good enough to win.

"I am so proud of all the girls, they really put everything on the line out there they never stopped working even when we took a commanding lead, there was no complacency we maintained our focus until we heard the final whistle.

"Our strength as a team has grown over the last few months, we have gone from strength to strength and have a firm belief in our own ability and each others and we are united by a massive desire to win.

"Inniscarra are a very good side, and I am sure they will be hot contenders for next year. Things went right for us on the day; we knew we would have to bring our best game to the Croke Park if we were to succeed and that is what we did.

"This has been such a fantastic experience for everyone in Killimor and we have such great support from Killimor and the surrounding towns and villages, we expected to see lots of Black and Amber in the stands on March 6th and were not disappointed.

"We could not have been better prepared both physically and mentally, and to that end I must on behalf of all the girls on the panel express our gratitude to the management team of Tommy Callagy, his selectors Vincent Brien, Porter and Pauline Mitchell and not forgetting our coach Bertie Sherlock. They always believed in us and made sure we were given every opportunity too avail of the best facilities and training methods available. Many teams can only ever imagine what it would be like to win an All Ireland Final; I think it will take some time for it to fully sink in that we have."

Team manager Tommy Callagy is particularly proud of his young ladies and was not impressed with the casual manner in which they had been written off either.

"That was a big mistake alright," he says with a smile. "I think it gave our girls the ammunition they needed, they performed brilliantly on the day. They have shown that they were not just a one hit wonder. We could not have asked or expected any more from the team they worked hard for each other and never stopped.

"We are blessed with the group of girls we have on the panel, they work and train hard and are always prepared to make the extra sacrifices needed to be successful. We faced Inniscarra and gave a performance we can be truly proud of, each of the girls worked continuously for the sixty minutes, never stopped hunting and hounding for the ball. We knew we were going up against a serious side that have a superb reputation and wonderful players, thankfully our girls have shown that they are not easily intimidated.

"I was at the their (Inniscarra) semi-final when they beat Antrim's O'Donovan Rossa, You have to give Inniscarra credit they are a very good side, it was all the more important for us to prepare with a mix of respect for our opponents and a unwavering belief in ourselves.

"We have prepared as best we can and the excellent coaching from Bertie Sherlock made an incredible difference to the team and how they prepare, we have made the best use of all the facilities available to us and found the Thornton Sports built Synthetic pitch in Portumna a great asset. We used the full size Synthetic Pitch in the Athlone Institute of Technology which was also built by Thornton's as part of our final preparations, it gave the team an indication of the speed and response they could expect from the surface in Croke Park.

"I would like to personally thank my selectors who have all put in such tremendous work to get us where we are today, I am truly grateful to our supporters who have become our 16 man (or woman) of the team, and cannot thank them enough for their support, and words of encouragement all through this campaign, we can all enjoy the celebrations.

"I have always supported and admired local hurling teams like Kiltormer and Portumna who have won All Ireland titles over the years and am just glad that our team of ladies were able to emulate their success in Croke Park on March 6th."

Whilst in Killimor, this writer decided to take a stroll through the village which was adorned with flags, buntings posters and placards from well wishers, all encouraging their team to do their best in the final. A stop was made for some liquid refreshment in Duffy's Shop and Pub where a pint of the creamiest black elixir was delivered in a fashion fit for a king although there was a bit of a scrum to get to the bar. Celebrations were in full flight, after one or two mouthfuls Fir an Ti Eugene Duffy gave his impression on how the ladies performed in Croke Park.
"They did the job, that's what they did," said a delighted Eugene, who said he took great joy in travelling to see the team play.

"I would have had very few for company here if I didn't go, sure whole place was in Croke Park, We were all really looking forward to it, the girls have given us all a welcome distraction to all the old rubbish with the Banks and recession and so on.

"I think it was never more apt to say 'last one out, turn off the light,' and I am just glad it was all here when we got back!"

The calm self belief is without doubt the trade and stock of this incredible bunch of women. They have always shown immense respect for each other and the management team who have done such a fantastic job in preparing them. Looking back on Killimor's journey to Croke Park you would have to wonder do they actually realise exactly how good a unit they are. They seemed completely at home at HQ and maintained their confidence and control throughout both halves.

Inniscarra must still be reeling from the encounter, in truth the Cork ladies never really settled into the game, the Killimor girls were in control in every position and ended the first half with a commanding lead of 2-4 to 0-1 courtesy of goals from Helen Quinn'sand Lorraine Donnelly with points from Conroy sisters Claire and Martina and Susan Keane.

The Galway women were definitely on a mission and were relentless in their drive to fulfil their goal, they should no mercy as they took back to the field after the break and gave an equally impressive performance in the second half. Inniscarra had no reply and although team captain Niamh Dilworth found the Killimor net at the close of the encounter, it was a case of too little too late, the score board high lighting the extent of the victory 4-18 to 1-4.

So once again the Bill Carroll Cup will reside in the West, and you couldn't think of a more hospitable home. We will no doubt see a lot more from this team; they are a strong, talented group of women who have an exceptional bond between them, with a number of strong young prospects looking to make their mark on the first fifteen team sheet, the future looks good for camogie in Killimor. Whatever the future holds, the people of Killimor will never forget when they won their first All Ireland Senior camogie final and the fantastic journey they experienced along the way.

The Management and staff of Thornton Sports Ireland would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the management and players of Killimor Camogie Club on their success in the All-Ireland Senior camogie final and are delighted to see them following on from other Galway camogie clubs such as Pearse's, Oranmore, Athenry and Mullagh in bringing the Bill Carroll Cup West.

The Killimor side which lined-out at Croke Park, which will forever be remembered in the history of the club, was as follows: H Campbell; N Hanney, N Lawless, J Brien; K Brien, AM Hayes, M Duane; E Haverty (0-2), AM Starr; C Conroy (0-1), B Hanney (0-4, 1 free), M Conroy (1-6, 0-4 frees); H Quinn (1-0), S Keane (0-4), L Donnelly (1-0). Subs: AM Lagana for Quinn (52 mins); S Brien (0-1) for Donnelly (52); N Donnelly for C Conroy (57); N Connolly for Keane (59); C Brien for M Conroy (60)

Dick Ridge Thornton Sports Ireland Office 090 9741955 Mobile 0868096068 [email protected] www.thorntonsports.ie Tweet

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