Last year’s organisers Glenda and Louise, with Orla’s sister in St Anne’s GAA Club on Saturday, October 19 2024
Orla Byrne Camogie blitz helps raise funds for breast cancer
Up to fourteen teams will take part in a social camogie blitz this Saturday at St Anne’s GAA Club in Bohernabreena, in memory of a former member who died of breast cancer.
The annual Orla Byrne Memorial Cup will be held for its third year on Saturday, October 18, an event filled with fun and laughter raising vital funds for Breast Cancer Ireland.
The cup is in memory of former club member Orla Byrne, whose family have been involved in St Anne’s for many years and who died from breast cancer at the age of 42 in 2021.
“Because it’s for Breast Cancer Ireland, everyone can relate to it and knows somebody,” co-organiser Louise Magaharan told The Echo, who helped establish the cup after Orla’s sisters reached out to her.
She said the tournament has grown from eight teams in their first year, and will this year host clubs from across Dublin, as well as Clare, Cork, Down and Kildare.
The tournament is for non-competitive social camogie, an initiative designed by the Camogie Association to promote the sport among women of all ages and abilities.
“It’s all fun, it’s all participation and raising awareness for breast cancer,” Louise explained.
“It’s totally non-competitive, it’s a fun day out and whoever wins the cup, it could be for best dress, most enthusiastic team, you know, or a team that shares players to another team.”
The day is sponsored by windows and doors firm Carlson & Co Limited, based in Ballymount.
Louise also helped establish the social camogie team at St Anne’s as a way to encourage more women into coaching at the club.
“It tends to be the men that go into coaching, and the women are the one picking the kids up more,” she said.
“I think now that the women have learned the skills of camogie, they feel competent to teach it, in St Anne’s our female coaches have gone up off the back of it.”
The Orla Byrne Memorial Cup will be held at St Anne’s GAA Club in Bohernabreena, from 2-4pm, on Saturday, October 18, with food and entertainment in the club bar afterwards.
