Ann Downey (born 1957 in
,
Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
) is a retired
camogie
Camogie ( ; ) is an Irish stick-and-ball team sport played by women. Camogie is played by 100,000 women in Ireland and worldwide, largely among Irish communities.
A variant of the game "hurling" (which is played by men only), it is organised ...
player, winner of 12
All Ireland inter-county medals, captaining the team in 1989 and 1994, and seven
All-Ireland club medals with
St Paul's
St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...
and
Lisdowney (1) – one more than her sister
Angela who was suspended for one final.
Family background
Her father,
Shem Downey won an
All-Ireland
All-Ireland (sometimes All-Island) is a term used to describe organisations and events whose interests extend over the entire island of Ireland, as opposed to the separate jurisdictions of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. "All-Irelan ...
medal with
Kilkenny
Kilkenny ( , meaning 'church of Cainnech of Aghaboe, Cainnech'). is a city in County Kilkenny, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region, Ireland, South-East Region and in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinst ...
in
1947
It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Events
January
* January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country i ...
. Her twin sister
Angela was cited in 2004 as the greatest player in the history of camogie.
Career
She went to school in
before joining her sister in St Brigid’s in
Callan. During their careers in the 1970s and '80s Kilkenny completely dominated the game, including winning seven senior All-Irelands in-a-row from 1985 to 1991.
Awards
She was recipient of the
Player of the year award
Several sports leagues honour their best player with an award called Player of the Year. In the United States, this type of award is usually called a Most Valuable Player award.
Association football
In association football, this award is held on b ...
in 1991 on her own account and jointly with her sister
Angela in 1986 and 1989. In 2010 the Downey sisters received a Lifetime Achievement in Sport award.
Management
In May 2007 she took over management of the Kilkenny camogie team, becoming only the second female manager in senior inter-county camogie, after Wexford's
Stellah Sinnott.
Team of the Century
In 2004 when she was overlooked for selection on the
Camogie team of the century, her sister Angela snubbed the ceremony.
Other sports
A notable golfer, she also won Irish Veterans' Championship over-40 women's squash singles in 1998.
[Hickey, Paddy (1998-12-02]
Ireland face Euro drop
Independent.ie. Retrieved on 2013-02-09.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Downey, Ann
Living people
Kilkenny camogie players
1957 births
Irish twins
People from Castlecomer