The Crossover: Women’s football, camogie & basketball

It has been well documented that the men’s inter-county game has been influenced by basketball but what about women’s football and camogie?

Lindsay Peat is one of Ireland’s most decorated athletes, and is well known for finding success across four sports: football, basketball, women’s football and rugby. She represented Ireland in three of those codes and won an All-Ireland football title with Dublin in 2010.

The next generation of dual stars have made themselves known including Aine McDonagh (Galway) and Dayna Finn (Mayo), who both stepped away from inter-county duties to focus on their AFLW careers. However there are a number of players who are involved this weekend in the women’s football and camogie All-Ireland quarter finals who have also experienced success on the hardwood.

Dublin

Jennifer Dunne

Dublin star spent her time in Loreto Abbey Dalkey secondary school focusing on hockey and basketball, competing on both school teams.

The 2023 All-Star has continued to explore sports further afield as she signed for Brisbane Lions in Australia, flying out to pre-season just days after winning the All-Ireland title last summer. She has an AFLW premiership title to her name and at 24 years of age, Dunne is destined for success.

Sinead Goldrick

Coláiste Íosogáin is known for their school basketball team, with heavy links and crossover with Meteors basketball club. As a first-year student, Sinead Goldrick joined the school team and would go on to win 11 All-Ireland schools’ basketball titles. She would also serve as team captain.

A serial winner she has continued to experience success on the football pitch winning four All-Ireland medals and seven All-Star awards. Goldrick also made history in 2022 Alongside Blaithin Mackin becoming the first women’s football player to win an AFLW Premiership title.

GALWAY

Ailbhe Davoren
The Galway star won two All-Ireland titles with Maigh Cuilinn basketball club before focusing on Gaelic football. Davoren transferred to Kilmacud Crokes in Stillorgan last season as she works locally at St. Andrews College. The secondary school teacher helped Crokes claimed both Dublin and Leinster club titles and will be hoping to add an All-Ireland title to her medal collection.

Ailish O’Reilly
The two-time All-Ireland camogie champion played for the Claregalway squad that competed in the Basketball Ireland development league this year, the third tier of the national basketball leagues. Ailish will return to Croke Park this weekend after falling short in the league final earlier this season to Tipperary.

A four-time camogie All-Star, she won multiple underage All-Ireland School titles with Calasanctius College. O’Reilly is a key part of the Tribeswomen full forward line as they take on last year’s All-Ireland finalists Waterford ahead of the All-Ireland SHC semi-final between Limerick and Cork.

WATERFORD

Abby Flynn

An accomplished camogie player, she is arguably a more decorated point guard, leading the Under-18 European Championships with 6.8 assists per game and ranked second in efficiency overall in the 2019 competition.

She was also ranked 12th overall in scoring with 14.5 points a game. The player who led the other two major statistical categories of the tournament (points and rebounds) is Awak Kuier, from Finland, who currently plays in the WNBA with the Dallas Wings. The Waterford Wildcats star stepped away from basketball to focus on camogie and has won national cups with the club and an Ashbourne Cup title in 2022 with DCU.

Beth Carton

The 2023 camogie Player of the Year was also a talented underage basketball player. She experienced success while attending Presentation Secondary School Waterford winning an U16 All-Ireland schools ‘B’ title in 2014, however fell short in the U16 ‘A’ Cup final the following season. Since moving her focus to camogie, she has developed into one of the most exciting players in the game and led her county to the 2023 All-Ireland camogie final.

KERRY

Lorraine Scanlon

2017 All-Star Lorraine Scanlon followed in her mother Mary Lane’s footsteps, who won the same award 30 years previous. Scanlon picked up her second All-Star award after her performances in midfield for the kingdom during their 2023 All-Ireland campaign. She is also a key piece of Utility Trust St. Paul’s women’s basketball team who gained promotion to the superleague earlier this year contributing 13 points and 15 rebounds in the promotion final. Her performances throughout the season earned her a spot on the Division One basketball All-Star third team. Scanlon is no stranger to the Superleague as she played with St. Mary’s Castleisland, scoring 30 points against Glanmire during the 2022 season.

Niamh Ní Chonchúir

The second of the three key pieces to both the Kerry seniors and Utility Trust St Paul’s basketball teams, Ní Chonchúir is an underage irish basketball international. The Corca Dhuibhne club woman is on a quest to win her second trophy of 2024 as Kerry face Meath in the quarter-finals this weekend having beaten the Royals in the same fixture last season.

Siofra O’Shea

The 22-year-old is a star on the Gaelic football pitch and basketball court. O’Shea has been part of Irish squads from U15 to U20 and competed on the European stage at the U16 and U18 championships in 2018 and 2019.

The Caherdaniel native was named captain of the Kerry senior team in 2023 and lifted the Division 1 trophy on the steps of the Hogan Stand last spring. Later that season she sustained a second ACL injury, however she featured in the All-Ireland final opting to play before getting surgery. O’Shea remained present at both Kerry and St Paul’s games throughout the season. To Kerry’s delight she has made a full recovery and in her second appearance of the season scored a goal off the bench versus Waterford last month.

The future

This trend is only set to grow as many underage talents balancing both sports including U18 Irish international and Division One Young Player of the Year Emma Tolan. The Cavan Eagles star is also a key part of the Cavan minor football team that will compete in an All-Ireland final next Thursday, 12 July against Kildare.

She is joined on the Irish U18 women’s basketball team by two U16 All-Ireland football winners, Aisling Moran and Grace Prenter of Dublin. Both continued their winning streak on the basketball court, claiming back-to-back U18 national titles with Meteors last January.

Leah McMahon, who shares the court with Lorraine, Niamh, and Siofra is a mainstay on the Kerry minor football team, alongside Lucy O’Connor who is a member of the Ireland U17 team. Both players are in All-Ireland action on 12 July as the Kingdom faces reigning champions Galway.

Watch the All-Ireland Camogie Championship quarter-finals, Kilkenny v Dublin (3pm on Saturday on RTÉ One) and Galway v Waterford (4pm on Sunday on RTÉ2). Both games available on RTÉ Player