Nepedia
Back to Discover
Fluent Reader
📖

Camogie

sports Maturity 7-9 Next article →

Camogie is a fast and exciting team sport played by women.

Garda V Defence Forces (8121574946)
Garda V Defence Forces (8121574946)

It is a very important part of Irish culture. UNESCO even lists it as part of the world's Intangible Cultural Heritage. Many women play the game in Ireland and around the world. There are about 100,000 players in total. They play in many places like New York and Australia. People love to watch the big matches on television.

Lil Kirby
Lil Kirby

Each team has 15 players on the field at once. These players have special jobs on the team. There is one goalkeeper to protect the goal. There are also full backs, half backs, and midfielders. The team also has forwards to try and score. The game has two 30-minute halves. Players take a 15-minute break at half-time. If the score is tied, they play extra time. In extra time, the first team to score wins.

Garda V Defence Forces (8121567016)
Garda V Defence Forces (8121567016)

Players use a wooden stick called a hurley. The length of the stick depends on how tall the player is. They hit a small ball called a sliotar. The camogie sliotar is a size 4. This is smaller than the size 5 ball used in hurling. The goalposts are shaped like the letter H.

Scoring in Gaelic games - H shaped posts
Scoring in Gaelic games - H shaped posts

If the ball goes under the bar, it is a goal. A goal is worth three points. If the ball goes over the bar, it is a point. A point is worth one point.

Camogie has a long and interesting history. The name was made up in 1903 by Tadhg Ua Donnchadha. The name comes from the word for the stick. Women used a shorter stick called a camóg. The first public match was in Navan on July 17. Women like Máire Ní Chinnéide helped create the rules. The Camogie Association was started in 1905 to run the sport.

Camogie Team, Waterford, 17 October 1915
Camogie Team, Waterford, 17 October 1915

Today, many clubs play across Ireland. There are 538 clubs in total. Most of these are on the island of Ireland. Some areas have many clubs, like Leinster with 195. Other areas have fewer, like Connacht with 47. The best teams compete in the All Ireland Championship. The winners of the top championship receive the O'Duffy Cup.

Sean O’Duffy(c. 1885-1981) in his volunteer uniform from the 1916 Rebellion
Sean O’Duffy(c. 1885-1981) in his volunteer uniform from the 1916 Rebellion

This sport brings people together through skill and pride.

369 words

Where will your curiosity go next?

Keep exploring at your chosen reading level.

🖼️ Images & Media (11)
File:Garda V Defence Forces (8121574946).jpg
Garda V Defence Forces (8121574946).jpg
File:Garda V Defence Forces (8121567016).jpg
Garda V Defence Forces (8121567016).jpg
File:Garda 1255 (8121328116).jpg
Garda 1255 (8121328116).jpg
File:Scoring in Gaelic games - H shaped posts.png
Scoring in Gaelic games - H shaped posts.png
File:Camogie Team, Waterford, 17 October 1915.jpg
Camogie Team, Waterford, 17 October 1915.jpg
File:Lil Kirby.jpg
Lil Kirby.jpg
File:Sean O’Duffy(c. 1885-1981) in his volunteer uniform from the 1916 Rebellion.png
Sean O’Duffy(c. 1885-1981) in his...
File:Coat of arms of Quebec.svg
Coat of arms of Quebec.svg
File:Coat of arms of Alberta.svg
Coat of arms of Alberta.svg
File:Arms of Ontario.svg
Arms of Ontario.svg
File:Arms of British Columbia.svg
Arms of British Columbia.svg
More to explore

🔬 Go deeper

More advanced topics to explore

🪜 Step back

Simpler topics to build understanding

What is Nepedia?

A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.