On cloud nine – Loreto Kilkenny are All Ireland champs again!

Loreto Kilkenny 2-14 Ursuline Thurles 2-6

By Aoife Lanigan, PRO

It was a day to remember for the Loreto Kilkenny Senior Camogie team as they clinched a record-breaking 9^th All Ireland Title on Saturday

The girls from the Granges Road moved to the top of the roll of honour as they beat the Ursuline Thurles in Rathdowney

The winners were quick off the mark, with early points from Sarah Kehoe – played in by a neat handpass from Caoimhe Keher Murtagh and Rachel Dowling (free)

Lucy Purcell scored Ursuline Thurles first point in the 7^th minute after a lovely one-two with Sarah Corcoran but over the following 6 minutes, Loreto added four points through Rachel Dowling (2 placed balls and 2 from play) to take a first grip on the game

Their control of the fray got even stronger when in the 15^th minute, they landed their first goal. Caoimhe Keher Murtagh broke the defensive line & made her way towards the Ursuline goal. Working the sliotar on, Ciara Dunne shot at goal but netminder Orla Ryan in the Ursuline goal blocked it out. Tara McGrath was quickest to the ball, tapping it into the net to put Loreto 1-6 to 0-1 ahead

Caoimhe Stakelum stopped the rot with a pointed free in the 16^th minute for the Ursuline but Aisling Browne added a point for Loreto after a one-two with Tara McGrath

The Ursuline scored two points from play through Robbyn Fitzgerald and Caoimhe Stakelum but Loreto finished the scoring when Tara McGrath scored a lovely point after Caoimhe Keher Murtagh had flicked the sliotar off Sarah Corcoran’s hurl and into McGrath’s hand. At half time the Kilkenny girls were  1-8 to 0-4 in front

The Loreto showed they were in no mood to let up when on the resumption of play, midfielder Sarah Kehoe stormed towards the Ursuline goal and laid off a pass to Rachel Dowling who slotted the sliotar over the bar

However, the Ursuline were determined to fight their way back into the game. Over the next three minutes, they scored 1-1 through Ava Bevans, the goal coming after Maria Ralph had taken a shot towards the Loreto goal. The sliotar was dribbling towards the line, but Bevans was quickest to tap it into the net to make it a four point game (1-9 to 1-5)

Caoimhe Keher Murtagh steadied the Loreto with a great point in the 38^th minute, a score which was cancelled out by a Caoimhe Stakelum free. Worse was to come for the Kilkenny side as, not long after, Bevans struck again when she fired a rocket-like shot past Ali Kennedy in the Loreto goal

That strike meant there was only a point in it. With 20 minutes to go it looked like Ursuline had the upper hand but that goal from Bevans was their last score of the match

Vital Score

The Loreto didn’t panic and set about restoring their advantage. Rachel Dowling converted a 42^nd minute free after Keher Murtagh had been brought down. It was a vital score and settled the Loreto

They settled on again, Dowling added a 45’ after Tara McGrath shot was deflected out by Orla Ryan in the Ursuline goal. She converted another 45 in the 53^rd minute, stretching the Loreto to four points (1-13 to 2-6)

The Kilkenny side kicked on and were rewarded when the hard-working Ciara Dunne finally got a goal for all her efforts. With five minutes left to play Emily Smith played the sliotar forward – Dunne lifted it and weaved her way around the defence and slotted it past the Ursuline goalkeeper

Dowling hit over her 10 point which was the Loreto’s insurance score, when she struck a lovely point off her left hand side three minutes into injury time. Shortly after the Referee blew the Full time whistle, leaving the Loreto Kilkenny winners on a 2-14 to 2-6 scoreline

Loreto are now top of the table with their 9^th Title (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2023, 2024) going ahead of St Raphael’s Loughrea and St Mary’s Charleville

Loreto Kilkenny Scorers – Rachel Dowling 0-10 (3f, 3 45’), Tara McGrath 1-1, Ciara Dunne 1-0, Sarah Kehoe, Aisling Browne, Caoimhe Keher Murtagh 0-1 each

Ursuline Thurles – Ava Bevans 2-1, Caoimhe Stakelum 0-3 (2f), Lucy Purcell, Robbyn Fitzgerald 0-1 each

Loreto Kilkenny – Ali Kennedy (Windgap), Marie O’Keeffe (Young Irelands), Angela Carroll (Dicksboro), Orlaith Kirwan (Thomastown), Emma Corr (Clara) (Capt), Anna Doheny (Tullaroan), Emily Smith (James Stephens), Ambar Laherty (Mullinavat), Sarah Kehoe (Mount Leinster Rangers), Rachel Dowling (Dicksboro), Caoimhe Keher Murtagh (Rower Inistioge), Aisling Browne (Dicksboro), Aoife Shealy (O’Loughlin Gaels), Ciara Dunne (Tullaroan), Tara McGrath (Dicksboro)

Subs – Julie Lennon (Young Irelands) for Aoife Shealy, Eleanor Doheny (Tullaroan) for Ambar Laherty, Louisa Gilmore (Danesfort) for Sarah Kehoe, inj, Isabelle Egan (Dicksboro), Isabelle Fahy (Dicksboro), Abbie Gibbons (The Harps, Durrow), Lisa Kirby (The Harps, Durrow), Jenna Larkin (James Stephens), Isabel Roberts (Dicksboro), Sinead Carroll (Dicksboro), Aoibhin Deegan (Dicksboro), Sarah Keher (John Lockes), Ellen Murphy (Rower Inistioge), Jessica Smith (Barrow Rangers), Ayesha Belalaoui (Dicksboro), Lucy Boyd (Clara), Grace Brennan (Tullaroan), Ona Kennedy (Windgap), Siofra Kennedy (Conahy Shamrocks), Aoife Kirby (The Harps, Durrow), Shauna Mahony (Danesfort), Shannon Doheny (Tullaroan), Muireann Kenny (Rower Inistioge), Eva Tynan (Dicksboro)

Ursuline Thurles – Orla Ryan (Clonoulty Rossmore), Rachel Phelan (Emeralds), Alison Fitzgerald (Holycross Ballycahill), Caoimhe Fitzgibbon (Moycarkey Borris), Aoife Bourke (Clonoulty Rossmore) (Joint Capt), Aoife Kavanagh (Emeralds), Paula Quirke (Boherlahan Dualla), Danielle Ryan (Boherlahan Dualla), Sarah Corcoran (Moycarkey Borris), Kate Ferncombe (Clonoulty Rossmore) (Joint Captain), Robbyn Fitzgerald (Holycross Ballycahill), Lucy Purcell (Thurles Sarsfields), Caoimhe Stakelum (Thurles Sarsfields), Maria Ralph (Thurles Sarsfields), Ava Bevans (Borrisoleigh)

Subs – Clodagh Ryan (Clonoulty Rossmore) for Maria Ralph, Isabelle Carr (Holycross Ballycahill), Tara Gleeson (Emeralds), Andrea Quirke (Clonoulty Rossmore), Ella Minogue (St Brigid’s), Anna Wynne (Moycarkey Borris), Sarah Quinlan (Holycross Ballycahill), Moya Brennan (St Anne’s), Miah Bourke (Holycross Ballycahill), Kate Stakelum (Thurles Sarsfields), Ashling O’Loughlin (St Anne’s), Laragh Griffin (Thurles Sarsfields), Roisin Duffy (Burgess), Hazel Ryan (Slieve Felim Rapperees), Margaret McGrath (Rockwell Rovers), Grainne O’Loughlin (St Anne’s), Michelle Slattery (Clonoulty Rossmore), Aine Power (Gortnahoe), Kate Marnane (Knockavilla Kickhams), Niamh Lanigan (Gortnahoe), Clodagh Gleeson (Emeralds), Emma Hickey (Emeralds), Emma Ely (Clonoulty Rossmore), Aoife McCormack (St Anne’s), Alisha Kearney (Moycarkey Borris), Roisin  Ferncombe (Clonoulty Rossmore)

Referee – David Copps (Cork)