Carndonagh edge out Burt after extra-time to reclaim Donegal senior camogie title

After a week in which camogie was much spoken and written about in the aftermath of Mary McAleese’s resignation from the national integration committee, Donegal Camogie hosted their 2026 senior championship final at Buncrana GAA club grounds on Saturday evening, with Carndonagh getting the better of Burt after extra time.

Saturday’s final was a novel pairing too, with the Inishowen pair facing off after Burt had defeated St Eunan’s and Carn got the better of three-in-a-row chasing Markievicz in the semi-finals a week earlier.

The end of normal time was a real rollercoaster. Burt had led for most of the game and were defending a one-point lead when Roisin Toland hit what looked like the winning goal for Carn after a scramble in the big square, putting the green and red 2-5 to 0-9 ahead for the first time in the 56th minute.

However, Burt teen Aoibhinn Wallace fired home a 60th-minute goal after Eabha Henry’s shot flashed across the face of goal, as they retook the lead heading into injury time.

A 62nd-minute free awarded to Carn was brought forward by referee EP Cassidy and Brónagh Butler showed nerves of steel to strike the sliotar over the bar and send the final to extra time.

Ciara Gibbons gave Carn the perfect start within seconds of extra time commencing when she got on the end of a cross into the square from the impressive Ciara O’Donnell and struck the sliotar just inside Hannah McDermott’s left post.

Brónagh Butler landed a free for Carn soon after as they pulled clear of their tiring opponents.

A Bláithin Toland point just before the break put Carn five points ahead and left the Burt girls with a mountain to climb.

And climb it they did, laying siege to the Carn goals in the second period of extra time. Time after time they played the sliotar into the danger area, but each time keeper Aoibhinn McLaughlin, captain Cliona Gibbons and the Carn defence cleared their lines.

Catriona McKinney did land a free for Burt, their only score of extra time, but despite dropping frees short into the square they just couldn’t engineer a good goalscoring chance and Carn clung on for a four-point win.

The start of the game had been oh-so-different. Carn enjoyed the lion’s share of possession early on, but they couldn’t turn attacks into scores, with the Burt girls tackling ferociously all over the pitch and forcing turnovers and over-carrying on their opponents.

Burt’s sharp corner forwards Aoibhinn Wallace and Eabha Henry hit early points, and two further points from Catriona McKinney had them 0-4 to 0-0 ahead by the 14th minute.

While they fell five points in arrears after McKinney converted a 25-metre free, Carn were starting to get to grips with their opponents, with Brónagh Butler redeployed from wing forward back to a sweeping position that cut out supply to Burt’s inside forwards.

From there, Carn were able to get centre forward Ciara O’Donnell and midfielder Roisin Toland on more ball and they slowly started to pull themselves back into contention.

Butler opened their scoring with a point from a free in the 18th minute, and three minutes later they were celebrating when Kitty McGinn rattled the Burt net, pulling on a loose ball after Burt keeper Hannah McDermott had batted a dropping shot away from under the crossbar.

Burt led by 0-5 to 1-1 at half time, and three Catriona McKinney frees after the change of ends, and one in response from Butler, had the Burt women 0-8 to 1-2 clear.

But Butler - who was the best player on show, not just for the score-getting and accurate free-taking but also for her excellent reading of the game and ability to station herself in just the right position to pick up opposition clearances - gave Carn a real shot in the arm with two points from the top drawer.

Her first, on 38 minutes, was struck over from play from 40 metres out after she’d dispossessed an opponent, and she drew Carn back to within a point by landing a 55-metre free.

Bláithin Toland hit the equaliser for Carn shortly after, but Burt gained a bit of breathing space when Catriona McKinney maintained her 100 per cent record from placed balls by winning and converting a 49th-minute free for a 0-9 to 1-5 lead.

Burt were holding on for dear life, and looked like they’d lost it when Roisin Toland put Carn two points clear with that 56th-minute goal.

Then they looked like they’d won it when Wallace hit the net, only for Butler to force the issue to extra time with a late, late free, and the Carn women dominated extra time to reclaim the Mary Rose Doherty (Newman) Cup, three years on from their last championship win.

Carndonagh scorers: Brónagh Butler 0-6 (5f); Kitty McGinn 1-0; Roisin Toland 1-0; Ciara Gibbons 1-0; Bláithin Toland 0-2.

Burt scorers: Catriona McKinney 0-8 (6f); Aoibhinn Wallace 1-1; Eabha Henry 0-1.

Carndonagh: Aoibhinn McLaughlin; Rhianna Gallagher, Cliona Gibbons, Mary Kate McCrossan; Amy Porter, Eimear O’Donnell, Niamh Toland; Roisin Toland, Anais Doherty; Brónagh Butler, Ciara O’Donnell, Laura McCrossan; Kitty McGinn, Ciara Gibbons, Bláithin Toland. Subs: Clare Doherty for M McCrossan (half time); Aoife McCarron for L McCrossan (37 mins); Kate Sarsfield for K McGinn (50 mins); Erin McLaughlin; Maria O’Kane, Saoirse Butler; Lucia Doherty, Savannagh McGonagle.

Burt: Hannah McDermott; Anna Polina Mallon, Alice Doherty, Abbey Tierney; Zoe Whoriskey, Leah Gallagher, Teigan Duffy; Clodagh McKinney, Grace McGonagle; Kate Tourish, Alannah Curran, Catriona McKinney; Eabha Henry, Sarah Scott, Aoibhinn Wallace. Subs: Avril Craig for S Scott (37 mins); Anna McDaid for A Curran (49 mins); Kaitlinn Doherty, Dearbhla Porter, Mary Doherty, Annabelle McArthur, Lucy Murray, Courtney Clare, Shantel Robinson.

Referee: EP Cassidy (Limavady).