THE DRAWS FOR the Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Camogie championships were made this evening, with Kilkenny set to get the defence of their senior title under way in a group involving Dublin, Tipperary and Wexford.
Brian Dowling’s outfit edged out Cork in the All-Ireland final last August courtesy of a late goal by substitute Sophie Dwyer and dramatic winning point from Denise Gaule.
It was a second consecutive defeat in the decider for the Rebels and as if they needed any further motivation, they have been drawn in Group 2 along with Galway, who got the better of them in the 2021 decider. They are joined by Clare and Down.
Cork and Galway will get the All-Ireland championships off to a blockbuster start as they do battle in the opening round at a Galway venue on the weekend 3-4 June.
Group 3 comprises two of last year’s quarter-finalists, Waterford and Limerick, as well as an up-and-coming Antrim and a rebuilding Offaly. All four teams have been competing in Division 1B of the Very Ireland National Leagues and indeed, Limerick and Offaly cross swords on Saturday in a crucial tie where the loser will drop to third tier, Division 2A.
It isn’t the only weekend outing that has had a bit of extra spice added as a result of the draw, as Cork and Galway go head to head with the Tribeswomen needing a positive result to be in with a chance of making the final and defending their League crown, while Tipperary and Kilkenny clash in a mouth-watering local derby that if the Premiers win, will see them play in a first national final decider since losing the 2009 League final to Wexford.
The All-Ireland Intermediate championship will get under way on the weekend of 27-28 May.
Champions Galway have been given the stiff task of emerging from a five-team group involving the second strings of Cork, Dublin and Kilkenny, as well as Kildare. Group 2 involves last year’s Premier Junior winners Antrim, Derry, Carlow and Wexford’s second team, while Meath, Laois, Kerry and Westmeath make up Group 3.
There are also three groups in the All-Ireland Premier Junior championship, which also starts on 27-28 May. Group 1 is a three-team affair comprising Cavan, Wicklow and Tipperary.
The other two groups are made up of four teams, with Armagh, Mayo, Limerick and Offaly in Group 2 and Clare, Louth, Tyrone and Roscommon in Group 3.
As in previous years, six teams will qualify for the knockout stages of the Senior All-Ireland championships, two from each group. Two of the three group winners will advance directly to the semi-finals, with one team joining the other three second placed teams in the quarter-finals.
The identity of those straight to semi-final will be determined by a draw involving the three group winners.
The quarter-final pairings will be decided by an open draw but there will be no repeat pairings – i.e. the group winners participating in the quarter-final cannot play the runner-up from their group.
The full-fixture lists for this year’s All-Ireland Camogie championships can be found here.
Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Senior Championship
Group 1: Cork, Galway, Clare, Down
Group 2: Kilkenny, Dublin, Tipperary, Wexford
Group 3: Waterford, Limerick, Antrim, Offaly
Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Intermediate Championship
Group 1: Cork, Dublin, Kilkenny, Kildare, Galway
Group 2: Derry, Wexford, Carlow, Antrim
Group 3: Meath, Laois, Kerry, Westmeath
Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Premier Junior Championship
Group 1: Cavan, Wicklow, Tipperary
Group 2: Armagh, Mayo, Limerick, Offaly
Group 3: Clare, Louth, Tyrone, Roscommon
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