Derrynoose have been awarded Camogie Club of the Year, recently decided at the Armagh Camogie annual convention.
Derrynoose saw off challengers Granemore, Derrymacash and Middletown, who had all been shortlisted for the award.
Club delegate Geraldine Quinn was on hand to virtually receive the gong on behalf of the St Mochua’s club and explained, “This is a momentous award for our club which like many others faced huge challenges in the face of the Coronavirus pandemic”.
“This award is testament to all our club volunteers and players who worked tirelessly to ensure we could play as much of our beloved sport as possible in a safe and enjoyable manner”.
Derrynoose had a great season on the field as they reached two underage finals as well as seeing their Senior side crowned Junior Champions.
The Junior Championship consisted of two teams, Derrynoose and Mullaghbawn, with Derrynoose lifting the trophy after the decider.
Their senior captain Emma Mone was also part of the Armagh panel that won the Premier Junior All-Ireland title.
The under 14s contested the division one championship final only to be bested by Granemore after a replay while the under 16s also reached division one final, but due to covid restrictions, their tie with Keady was postponed.
On an executive level Derrynoose contributed strongly with Mary McBride holding the role of County Secretary and Kathleen Woods also flying the flag high for the South Armagh club as President of the Camogie Association.
Armagh Camogie spokesperson, Breda Cunningham commented ‘It has been truly remarkable to see the fantastic work achieved by the camogie clubs of Armagh throughout 2020 both on and off the field.
This was a year which relied heavily on our valued volunteers to step in and take on new roles such as ‘Covid Officer’ to ensure the safety of our clubs and players.
We’ve seen great initiative from clubs when we couldn’t take to the field with online training sessions and virtual summer camps. We also recognise the invaluable charitable work many clubs have taken part in to support their local communities throughout such a challenging period in all our lives.
Well done to all Armagh Camogie clubs on their commitment and participation throughout an ever-changing season and congratulations to St Mochua’s Derrynoose on their award of Club of the Year 2020”.
