By Niall Gartland

TIMES were very different when Tara Haughey enlisted with the Éire Óg camogs in their foundation year.

It was 2004 and Haughey was one of just a smattering of young children who turned up at those very early training sessions.

It was perfectly enjoyable in one sense – the sheer love of playing camogie was a reward in itself – but viewed more broadly, it could be something of a struggle with playing numbers at a premium.

How things have changed. On Saturday last, Haughey delivered a fine performance in nets as the Éire Ógs surged to a historic national title in the All-Ireland Junior ‘B’ final.

Now camogie is absolutely thriving in the club, and that’s largely due to the commitment of players and coaches who have never countenanced throwing in the towel. They dared to dream and now they’re All-Ireland champions.

Speaking after their 2-7 to 1-5 victory over St Kevin’s, Haughey said: “I don’t think there are any words that can adequately express how everyone feels right now.

“It’s something we’ve worked towards for years and years.

“I remember going to training at the very start, and there could have been three or four girls at training, and I thought it was lethal.

“The likes of Ciara Clarke and Leanne McKernan were playing there today, and there’s the likes of Ursula McKernan and Denise McCann standing out there who have put so much into Éire Óg camogie over the years.”

Stationed on the sidelines was Bríd Uí Dhonnghaile, a member of the management team and one of the driving forces behind camogie’s rejuvenation in Carrickmore. Haughey says that her commitment to the cause has never once wavered.

“We used to have to ring around houses trying to get girls to come to the camogie. Bríd was our knight in shining armour really. She’s put in so much over the years, and she’s always there. She’s been a real stalwart for the club and that’s never changed.”

The big ambition at the start of the year was a maiden Tyrone Intermediate Championship title. But one thing this Éire Óg team has shown time-and-time again is that they never stand still.

They showed immense resilience plotting a path through Ulster and have now crowned a spectacular year with All-Ireland honours.

“We felt bitterly disappointed when we were beaten in the intermediate final a couple of years ago. I think that’s where our hunger came from – we knew we were better than we showed in that match. That’s what drove us on to win it this year.

“So we never looked past that one game. We talked about the ladder at the start of the year, but the first step was that Intermediate final, and thankfully we haven’t looked back.”

At 28 years of age, Haughey can look forward to many more years between the sticks for Éire Ógs.

There are others who are only teenagers, and the blend of youth and experience is one of the secrets of their success.

“I’m one of the older girls at this stage. We trained with the minors this year. You’ve the likes of wee Aoibhinn Haughey, Katie Marley, Minnie McCallan. All those girls have brought so much intensity and it means that you have to play better and fight harder for possession in training.”

Haughey pointed out that it isn’t just a special time for the camogie wing of the club. Their hurlers too are enjoying a year to remember and take on Kerry side Tuairín in Sunday’s All-Ireland Intermediate semi-final at Kingspan Breffni.

“It’s been such a great year. Our senior men’s team won their first ever Ulster Intermediate Championship which is unbelievable. All focus will switch to those lads and their All-Ireland semi-final. Our underage camogie and hurling is thriving as well so it’s really special to be a part of it all.”

So what’s the next step? Can they knock Eglish off their perch? It’s a big ask given Eglish have won 23 Tyrone Senior Championships in-a-row, but as far as Haughey is concerned, the sky is the limit for this Éire Óg team.

“My answer would be ‘why not?’ We played against the likes of Dungannon and Eglish in the senior league this year, and we just want to drive things on.

“It’s nice for the players winning titles, but you also see the underage camogs at these matches, girls who we have the pleasure of coaching, and they can see what they can achieve in a couple of years.

“And it’s not always about winning either – we’ve had plenty of hard years struggling to get girls out on the pitch.

“But we still stuck together and kept our shoulders to the wheel and thankfully it’s paying off now.”