Galway glory

Galway glory

13 August 2025

PORTAFERRY’S Niamh Mallon has been basking in the celebrations after helping Galway secure their fifth All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship tittle on Sunday.

The former Down player contributed a point as Galway upset the odds to beat Cork at Croke Park. 

Mallon has now achieved something unique in camogie terms. Having won Junior and Intermediate grade titles with Down in 2014 and 2020 respectively, she now adds a senior medal to her collection.

Speaking after her latest feat at Croke Park, she said: “This is turning out to be some year. I got married on March 14 and my granny died in March as well. So, I have been on a roller-coaster of emotions.”

The switch from Down to Galway has worked in Mallon’s favour, but she admits it was not a choice she took lightly.

“In no way was it an easy decision for me to switch allegiance to Galway. It’s still something that I think about to be honest. I had played all my sporting life for Down,” she added.

“Today’s obviously fantastic, but I will never forget the day we won the Junior title here in Croke Park in 2014, when I was Down captain.

“In 2020, we won the Intermediate title in Breffni Park, Cavan, during Covid. Those days are right up there with today.”

Cork were very hot favourites to make it three titles in a row — a feat they last achieved over 50 years ago. 

Castlewellan native Sorcha McCartan had contributed handsomely to the two previous wins, bagging a goal and a point in the 2023 final against Waterford and two points off the bench against Galway and Mallon last year.

On Sunday, in her fourth successive final, she started at full-forward, before being forced to move out wide as Cork struggled to break down Galway. 

McCartan provided a couple of passes to create scores, but with her team five points in arrears, she was substituted in the 40th minute.

Mallon, on the other hand, was part of an industrious Galway forward division that tracked back to midfield and beyond to help build the lead. 

They were still five points clear after 50 minutes, but they hit a couple of wides and Cork grabbed an equalising goal as the game went into added time.

Captain Carrie Dolan had to point a huge free from the side-line, around 55 metres out, to seal Galway’s fifth title.

“That’s high level sport. These things happen in big games, but there was resilience in the group,” Mallon added.

“There was a huge amount of work put in since the start of the year and particularly since the league final.

“We took a good, hard look at ourselves and asked if we were nine points worse than Cork, but we had to put in some serious work to prove that.”

Mallon’s cousin and current Down and Portaferry senior player, Saoirse Sands, also featured in Croke Park. 

As PTE Sands of the 27th Battalion of the Irish Army in Dundalk, she was one of the provincial flag-bearers, carrying the Ulster flag behind the Artane Band in the pre-match parade. 

Meanwhile, at half-time, the Down U-14 team which won the All-Ireland Blitz in Trim on Saturday was celebrated on the pitch.