Daily Archives: March 25, 2007

History in the Making

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On Sunday 17 July 1904 at the Showgrounds at An Umaimh, twenty-four shy young women, all pioneers (non drinkers of alcohol) in skirts that trailed the ground, lined up in two teams of twelve for the first Camogie Game ever played. It was a slow, very slow game of camogie because of those skirts and because the girls had little practice with the camans (the sticks they used to hit the ball). In fact the rules were made as the game went along because not all the rules for men’s hurling were suitable for Camogie.

The teams were from Dublin; Keatings and Cuchullains. That day was born an Irish game for Irishwomen. It was a modified form of hurling suitable for women. The name in Irish “camoguidheacht” derives from camog, the irish for a turned stick.

Not all agreed with the game, tongues whispered: “Imagine women playing a rough game like that.”

This is a true story My Maternal Grandmother was one of those women.


The picture shows the members of the Keating team. My Grandmother is sitting first left in the front row.  I think the photo was taken after the match as Granny seems to have a bloody nose!  Tut! Tut! Whatever will young ladies think of next?

Is it any wonder then that my Elly went on to play Rugby? On one occasion she played on an all male team against an all male team! That is her story and she might share it with you some day!

How to stay married!

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A man and woman had been married for more than 60 years. They had shared everything. They had talked about everything. They had kept no secrets from each other except that the little old woman had a shoe box in the top of her wardrobe that she had cautioned her husband never to open or ask her about.

For all of these years, he had never thought about the box, but one day the little old woman got very sick and the doctor said she would not recover.

In trying to sort out their affairs, the little old man took down the shoe box and took it to his wife’s bedside. She agreed that it was time that he should know what was in the box. When he opened it, he found two crocheted dolls and a stack of money totalling £55,000. He asked her about the contents.

“When we were to be married,” she said, “my grandmother told me the secret of a happy marriage was to never argue. She told me that if I ever got angry with you, I should just keep quiet and crochet a doll.”

The little old man was so moved; he had to fight back tears. Only two precious dolls were in the box. She had only been angry with him twice in all those years of living and loving. He almost burst with happiness.

“Darling,” he said, “that explains the dolls, but what about all of this money? Where did it come from?”

Oh,” she said, “That is the money I made from selling the dolls.”