Fun-filled camogie blitz honours Orla

A VIBRANT and craic-filled camogie blitz was held in St Anne’s GAA Club in Bohernabreena on Saturday, in memory of a local woman who passed away after being diagnosed with breast cancer.

Orla Byrne, who was a past pupil of Glenasmole NS and Firhouse Community College, passed away in 2021 at age 42 after putting up a courageous battle against stage four inflammatory breast cancer.

Her friends and family were keen to hold an event in her memory, and so the inaugural Orla Byrne Cup competition, which took the form of a friendly camogie blitz, was organised.

The blitz was held as part of the club’s Caman ‘n’ Chats which, in essence, is a camogie version of GAA for mothers and others.

It was a successful event which raised €3,800 for Breast Cancer Ireland, a charity which Orla had previously fundraised for.

It saw eight teams compete in fancy dress.

The Barbie Team

One of the event organisers, Louise Magaharan, told The Echo: “It was absolutely fantastic, the buzz around the place was unbelievable – there were women who had never played camogie before and this was their first match.

“There was a Cup, but we didn’t want it to be competitive – it was all about the spirit of it, having fun and craic and getting involved.”

At the heart of the event was remembering the impact Orla had on the people in her life, and celebrating the vibrant and fun-loving attitude that she embodied.

Action from the blitz on
Saturday

“To be honest, if Orla was still alive, she would’ve been in the thick of it all,” Orla’s sister, Michelle McGrath, told The Echo.

“She was amazing at organising things, and even dressing up for things – she would’ve loved it and been delighted with how it went.”

The plan is for the Orla Byrne Cup to become an annual event in the St Anne’s calendar following the success of it last week, and Michelle said she got a sense that her sister was there.

“Before she died, Orla always said, ‘Follow the sun and I’ll be at the end of the rainbow’, and at the blitz there was a really big rainbow over Ballycragh.”

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