Nell McCarthy

Ellen ‘Nell’ McCarthy (Éilís Ní Chártaigh) was the 15th president of the Camogie Association and the most successful camogie coach of all time, training Dublin camogie teams at a time they won 18 All Irelands in a 19-year-period. She was born in Carrigtwohill in Cork. Her uncle Jimmy Kennedy captained Cork senior hurlers to All Ireland honours in 1919.

She played with the Dublinclub Celtic and went on to manage them winning the first All Ireland Club Championship in 1964.

She was chair of Dublin County Camogie Board from 1952 to 1970 before defeating Inez Leonard in the contest for the presidency in 1971. As chair in Dublin she had initiated the sports’ first coaching course in Gormanston College and expanded it nationwide as president.

Her presidency was marked by the change in regulation to allow skirts rather than the traditional gymslips with black stockings at congress in 1972. The ban on camogie players playing hockey, soccer and Ladies Football was lifted and CCIA was set up with Úna Uí Phuirséil as chair.

In 1971 four issues of the first dedicated camogie magazine was published under the editorship of Kilkenny player Ann Carroll.

She died on February 18, 2009. Cork hurler Niall McCarthy was her grand nephew.