Portumna opens camogie season with a medal presentation event

Portumna Camogie Club has kicked off its 2023 season with a medal event and social evening. The event, which was held at the Portumna Town Hall on 17 February, saw the local community come out to celebrate the young women who represent Portumna on the pitch. The local Comhaltas group set the scene, welcoming everyone with wonderful music.

There was a large number of medals presented – the club hadn’t been able to celebrate these achievements in person since 2019, so there was lots that needed to be made up for.

The medals were presented by guests of honour: Senior county camogie player and club All Ireland winner Siobhan Mc Grath and All Ireland Intermediate Champions 2022 Katie Manning, Caoimhe Starr and Portumna’s own Alannah Kelly.

Club chairperson Margaret Lohan paid tribute to the star players, and Portumna’s Tara Ruttledge (also on the champion All Ireland Intermediate team), in her absence, for their great achievements and for inspiring the younger players.

“It takes a lot of talent, teamwork and good old fashioned hard work and practice to be as successful as you have all been to date,” she said.

“We would like to congratulate you all on showing such mastery of teamwork, skill, strategy and determination and in the process inspiring all our young children, adolescents and young adults to play the game of camogie with pride.

“You are the reason that we are able to say that the movement “if she can’t see it, she can’t be it” was successful for us here in Portumna Camogie Club as we followed your journey to All Ireland Success.”

Margaret added that “this is evident here tonight with the many rolls of honour that we are presenting, 17 in total, from 2019 to 2022. It is great to have gathered in person after all those Covid years to present to our players from Under 12 to Junior B.”

These are the teams who were given medals:

U13 A Cup Runner up 2019 
U13 A1 Plate Winners 2020
U13 B Plate Winners 2021
U13 A1 Shield Final Winners 2022
U14 A Cup Final Runners up 2020
U14 B County Shield Winners 2019
U14 A Cup Final Runners up 2020
U15 A Shield Runners up 2021
U15 B County Shield Winners 2020
U16 B Cup Winners 2021
U16 B Final Runners up 2020
U16 B1 Shield Winners 2019
Minor B1 Cup Final runners up 2021
Junior B County Final Winners 2022
Connacht Final Winners 2022

Margaret paid tribute to the club’s teams of managers, coaches and trainers, and had a special word of welcome to all the sponsors who made tonight possible, including to official photographer Jim Hynes, who was on hand to capture the evening.

“It is testimony to the community spirit of our Gaelic sports, and we couldn’t have pulled off such an excellent evening without all the support from our community. The medal event was a superb way to start the new year. We look forward to a successful camogie season for Portumna Camogie Club,” she said.