Eileen Duffy-O'Mahoney was an Irish sportsperson who played senior
camogie
Camogie ( ; ga, camógaíocht ) 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 of hurling (which is played by men only ...
with
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...
from 1949 until 1957.
Background
Eileen Duffy was born in
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...
. She showed great skill at the game of
camogie
Camogie ( ; ga, camógaíocht ) 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 of hurling (which is played by men only ...
in her youth and quickly joined her local
Celtic camogie club. It was with this club that Duffy first tasted success, and she later won five Dublin county camogie titles. She quickly came to the attention of the
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...
senior camogie selectors and made her senior inter-county debut in 1949.
Career
It was a golden era for Dublin camogie,
and Duffy won seven
All-Ireland
All-Ireland (sometimes All-Island) refers to all of Ireland, as opposed to the separate jurisdictions of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. "All-Ireland" is most frequently used to refer to sporting teams or events for the entire islan ...
medals in-a-row, beginning in her debut year. Her skills were particularly noted in 1951 as she was named as Sports Star of the Year, an honour she won again in 1957. Three years later in 1954 Duffy was the
Leinster
Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of Ir ...
goalkeeper when the first inter-provincial game was played in Navan to mark the
Golden Jubilee
A golden jubilee marks a 50th anniversary. It variously is applied to people, events, and nations.
Bangladesh
In Bangladesh, golden jubilee refers the 50th anniversary year of the separation from Pakistan and is called in Bengali ''"সু ...
of
Cumann Camogaíochta na nGael
A (Irish for association; plural ) is the lowest local unit or branch of a number of Irish political parties. The term ''cumann'' may also be used to describe a non-political association.
Traditionally, Sinn Féin and Fianna Fáil have called ...
in 1954. In 1956
Antrim brought an end to Dublin's camogie dominance, however, "the Dubs" returned in 1957 with Duffy as captain. It was another successful year as she captured her eighth and final
All-Ireland medal.
Citation
In 2004, Duffy was honoured by being named as the goalkeeper of the Camogie Team of the Century. Her citation read: "quick to react between the posts, sure and confident, she had a great understanding with her backs, her lengthy clearance and long puck out were other features of her game."
Family
She retired from camogie after she got married because "it was not considered ladylike''; to continue playing.
'' Her daughters Niamh, Sheila and Gráinne played for
Celtic and Gráinne played for Dublin.
References
External links
Team of the Century
{{DEFAULTSORT:Duffy, Eileen
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
Dublin camogie players