All-Ireland Champions Galway have had 10 players shortlisted for a Camogie All-Star when the nominations were revealed this morning.
Sarah Healy, Róisín Black, Rachael Hanniffy, Shauna Healy, Ciara Hickey, Dervla Higgins, Aoife Donohue, Carrie Dolan, Niamh Mallon and Ailish O'Reilly from Galway have all been nominated for an award. Aoife Donohue and Dervla Higgins are among the three nominees for the PwC GPA Camogie Senior Player of the Year, along with Saoirse McCarthy of Cork.
Since the Camogie All-Stars began, Galway have won 70 All-Stars and have featured on every team since 2004. Galway have had a player of the year winner on three occasions. Therese Maher won it in 2013, Niamh Kilkenny in 2019 and Aoife Donohue in 2021. Being in the running for it again this year, the Mullagh woman has a great chance of making history and becoming the first Galway player to win the award twice.
Sarah Dervan and Niamh Kilkenny hold the most all-star awards in Galway at seven each, but if Ailish O'Reilly or Aoife Donohue snap one up this year, then they will move onto six, leaving them only one behind in the all-time Galway roll of honour.
Galway could also potentially break their own record of most All-Star players in a year. That seems unlikely, however, as the record stands at eight players from the class of 2021. Sarah Healy, Shauna Healy, Aoife Donohue, and Ailish O'Reilly, who are nominated this year, all claimed awards that year.
Historically, Galway have always performed strongly at the Camogie All-Stars. Since the Camogie All Stars began back in 2004, Galway Camogie has won more All-Stars than Galway football, hurling, and ladies' football combined in those 21 years. (Camogie 70, Ladies Football 20, Football 11, Hurling 33)
It's sure to be a fascinating and hopefully historic evening in Croke Park on Saturday, 15th November, when the award winners are announced.
Camogie All-Star winners through the years
2004 – (1) Anne Marie Hayes
2005 – (2) Sinead Cahalane, Therese Maher
2006 – (2) Regina Glynn, Veronica Curtin
2007 – (1) Veronica Curtin
2008 – (3) Sinead Cahalane, Jessica Gill, Therese Maher
2009 – (3) Regina Glynn, Anne Marie Hayes, Therese Maher
2010 – (5) Niamh Kilkenny, Regina Glynn, Orla Kilkenny, Brenda Hanney, Aislinn Connolly
2011 – (6) Susan Earner, Lorraine Ryan, Anne Marie Hayes, Therese Maher, Niamh Kilkenny, Brenda Hanney
2012 – (2) Niamh Kilkenny, Niamh McGrath
2013 – (7) Susan Earner, Sarah Dervan, Lorraine Ryan, Therese Maher, Niamh Kilkenny, Niamh McGrath, Ailish O’Reilly
2014 – (1) Sarah Dervan
2015 – (7) Heather Cooney, Sarah Dervan, Lorraine Ryan, Niamh Kilkenny, Niamh McGrath, Molly Dunne, Ailish O’Reilly
2016 – (3) Sarah Dervan, Rebecca Hennelly, Aoife Donohue
2017 – (2) Ailish O’Reilly, Aoife Donohue
2018 – (1) Sarah Dervan
2019 – (7) Sarah Healy, Shauna Healy, Sarah Dervan, Heather Cooney, Aoife Donohue, Niamh Kilkenny, Ailish O’Reilly
2020 – (2) Shauna Healy, Orlaith McGrath
2021 – (8) Sarah Healy, Shauna Healy, Sarah Dervan, Niamh Kilkenny, Aoife Donohue, Siobhan McGrath, Orlaith McGrath, Ailish O’Reilly
2022 – (1) Shauna Healy
2023 – (1) Roisin Black
2024 – (5) Dervla Higgins, Roisin Black, Aoife Donohue, Carrie Dolan, Niamh Mallon
Leading Individual All-Stars:
Sarah Dervan, Niamh Kilkenny – 7
Ailish O’Reilly, Therese Maher, Aoife Donohue – 5
Shauna Healy – 4
Camogie Player of the Year:
2013 Therese Maher
2019 Niamh Kilkenny
2021 Aoife Donohue
