Relegated Offaly drawn in group 3 of All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship

Offaly have been drawn in Group 3 of the All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship for 2023.

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.  

Offaly will open their campaign on June 3-4 at home to Waterford. They are away to Antrim on June 17-18 and at home to Limerick on July 1-2.

Offaly have been relegated to the third tier of the National League after bowing out of Division 1B last Saturday as a result of their 2-14 to 1-14 defeat to Limerick at Mick Neville Park. Both senior sides were in danger of making the drop to Division 2A, with Offaly having managed a draw and Limerick after losing all of their previous four games. 

However, last year’s All-Ireland quarter-finalists struck gold with the last six points of the game, having looked to have been in trouble trailing by three entering the final quarter. 

They had goalkeeper Laura O’Neill to thank for not being further behind in what had been a close affair for the majority of proceedings before the see-saw conclusion. 

Offaly got the perfect start with a goal from Siobhán Flannery after three minutes but Claire Keating settled the hosts with a brace of points. Mairéad Teehan restored Offaly’s advantage with six points in the first half alone but a Caoimhe Lyons goal made it 1-8 apiece at the interval. 

Teehan was unerring in the second half once more but Limerick dug deep with their backs to the wall, Rachael O’Brien, Lyons, Orlaith Kelleher and Keating splitting the posts to record a momentous victory. 

The draws for the Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Camogie Championships were broadcast across The Camogie Association's social channels last week. As a result. Kilkenny will 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 Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Championships off to a blockbuster start as they do battle in the opening round at a Galway venue on the weekend June 3rd-4th. 

The Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Intermediate Championship will get under way on the weekend of May 27th-28th. 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 Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Premier Junior Championship, which also starts on May 27th-28th. 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. 

Qualification criteria 

As in previous years, six teams will qualify for the knockout stages of the Glen Dimplex 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.  

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