Sliabh Luachra Camogie Club has proven its determination to survive and thrive and how well merited its receipt of the Munster Development Club of the Year 2021actually was.
After its recent and well flagged departure from Castleisland Desmonds GAA Club headquarters at Moanmore after a four year spell there, the club entered talks with Castleisland Rugby Club and has reached an agreement with the custodians of The Crageens.
The agreement will provide the camogie club with training facilities while it looks around for a more permanent base on which it can play its home games and provide the facilities necessary for these engagements.
An Accommodating Club
“The Sliabh Luachra Camogie Club is grateful to have found an accommodating club and grounds on which to train our girls. However, we still need larger pitches to play our home games and train our older teams on,” said camogie club founder member and joint chairperson Anne Walsh – who shares the role with Noelle O’Sullivan.
“We have appealed to all clubs in the Sliabh Luachra area to help us this year and are hoping for positive results.
Extremely Grateful
“We were facilitated in this regard last year by some of the local clubs and it really helped.
The use of the rugby club is absolutely fabulous and we cannot emphasise enough how extremely grateful we are for that.
“Camogie in general is still on the back foot in the GAA. The recent efforts of the LGFA and camogie association to finally amalgamate with the GAA is very welcome in our club and we support it fully.
Camogie Thriving
“Maybe someday we can dream of a camogie pitch in Kerry but for now inclusion is all we can ask for. Camogie is thriving in our town and in our schools. We want to keep it going for the girls that love it.
“Our season started with a training session on Monday evening March 7th at 5:30pm for the various teams at The Crageens and we’ll welcome new members from eight to 16 year of age.
“We’re still reaching out to GAA clubs in our club’s catchment area as we have players from this and all the neighbouring areas involved with us,” said Anne.
Rugby Club’s Point of View
From the Castleisland RFC point of view the decision to accommodate the camogie players and club came naturally.
“Of course we had to discuss it at club level but it was a quick and unanimous decision,” said Castleisland RFC Chairperson, Bill Horgan.
“As a Sliabh Luachra based club the players are all drawn from an area from which we also draw support as a club.
Support for Split the Bucket
A lot of our players come to us from these areas as well and we get solid support there for our Split the Bucket draw since it started a couple of years ago.
“We didn’t want to see the club without a base and we were happy to step in and provide that,” said Mr. Horgan.
To keep in touch with all things Sliabh Luachra Camogie keep an eye on the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/sliabhluachracamogie
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