Bridie Martin-McGarry from Kilkenny is a former camogie

Camogie

Camogie is an Irish stick-and-ball team sport played by women; it is almost identical to the game of hurling played by men. Camogie is played by 100,000 women in Ireland and world wide, largely among Irish communities....

 player selected on the camogie team of the century in 2004, and winner of nine All Ireland medals.

Background and Early Career

She first played Camogie when she went to Presentation Convent where she won an All Ireland Senior Colleges

All Ireland Colleges Camogie Championship

The All-Ireland Colleges Camogie Championship is an Irish camogie tournament played each year to determine the national champion secondary school or second level college....

 title in 1969. She played with Thornbrack and Lisdowney before winning several county championships and three club All Ireland medals

All-Ireland Senior Club Camogie Championship

The All-Ireland Club Camogie Championship is the most important competition for club teams in the Irish women’s field sport of camogie. It is contested by the senior club champions of the leading counties and organised by An Cumann Camógaíochta.-Trophy:...

 with St Paul’s.

Inter-county

She first played with Kilkenny senior team in 1972 and went on to win nine All Ireland medals in what was the county’s most successful period in the game to date. She was captain in 1985 and again in 1987. She won seven National League

National Camogie League

The National Camogie League is the second most important competition in the Irish team sport of Camogie, played exclusively by women. The competition is held in four divisions graded by ability....

 medals with Kilkenny and eight Gael Linn Cup

Gael Linn Cup

The Gael Linn Cup is a bi-ennial tournament in the Irish sport of camogie contested by Ireland’s fuur provincial teams. Currently played at senior and junior level on alternate years. The tournament has existed in various guides since 1956, is played at senior and junior level on alternate years...

 inter-provincial medals with Leinster. She later became involved in coaching the Development Squad in Kilkenny and is also a referee.

Awards

Apart from her selection on the camogie team of the century in 2004, she won B&I Player of the Year in 1976, won the 1976 Kilkenny Sports Star award and an Irish Nationwide ”Women in Sport” Award.

Citation

Her team of the century citation read: “she made Camogie look easy, her range of skills a joy to watch. Her dainty physique belied her strength under the dropping ball. Always distributing the ball to best advantage she was an attacking centre-back.”

Other Sports

A talented soccer player she was chosen to play for Ireland but had to withdraw due to the clash of fixtures between Camogie and soccer.

External links

• Camogie.ie Official Camogie Association Website
• Team of the Century on Camogie.ie website
• On The Ball Official Camogie Magazine Issue 1 and issue 2
• Historic newspaper reports of All Ireland finals
• County and provincial websites: Antrim
• History of Camogie slideshow. presented by Cumann Camógaíochta Communications Committee at GAA Museum January 25, 2010 part one, part two, part three and part four
• Camogie on official GAA website
• Timeline: History of Camogie
• Camogie on GAA Oral History Project
• County and provincial websites: Antrim Armagh Clare Connacht Cork Derry Down Dublin Galway Kerry Kildare Kilkenny Leinster Limerick London Louth Meath Munster North America Offaly Tipperary Ulster Waterford Wexford Wicklow