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The 1995 All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship—known as the Bórd na Gaeilge All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship for sponsorship reasons—was the high point of the 1995 season. The championship was won by Cork who defeated Killkenny by a four-point margin in the final, taking the lead for only the first time in the match with a goal by Linda Mellerick that dropped into the net from a long shot with just 30 seconds of normal time left. The match drew an attendance of 9,874, then the highest for a camogie-only final (one which was not on a jint hurling programme), beating the 52-year-old attendance record set for Dublin v Cork in 1943. Lynn Dunlea scored 4–20 in the championship.

Sponsors

Bord na Gaeilge became the first sponsor of an All-Ireland camogie championship. At the launch Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, Cathaoirleach of Bord na Gaeilge, said that “in sponsoring the camogie championship, Bord na Gaeilge is underlining the importance of promoting Irish at community level.”

Semi-finals

A powerful finishing 15 minutes saw Cork beat Wexford in the All-Ireland semi-final at Páirc Uí Rinn in a match in which a match in which Lyn Dunlea scored 3–9.while Kilkenny trailed Galway by 1–6 to 0–6 at half-time in the semi-final at Nowlan Park before Sinéad Millea’s free-taking yielded eleven points and Sinéad ran through the Galway defence to place Jillian Dillon for the all-important goal to give Kilkenny a 1-14 to 1-9 victory.

Final

Angela Downey brought her three-year-old daughter Katie in the pre-match parade for the final, a free ridden stop-start affair. She was marked by Paula Goggins in the final. Lynn Dunlea palmed a Cork goal, Angela Downey’s shot from a free cancelled it out. Cork sent on 17-year-old Vivienne Harris (a niece of international soccer player Miah Dennehy) as a sub and she made an immediate impact. Angela Downey scored another goal from another 15-metre free. Cork captain, Denise Cronin, finished a spectacular solo run through the Kilkenny defence with a goal. Kilkenny were leading by a point when Linda Mellerick gathered a short clearance and landed a speculative ball in the goal giving Cork the lead for the first time. A third close-in free by Angela Downey was defended and Cork won by four points. Kathryn Davis wrote in the Irish Times:

Putting ghosts to rest is a regular pastime at Corke Park and another was laid to rest yesterday when Cork defeated Killkenny for the first time in six final meetings over the past 20 years. A goal by Linda Mellerick with only 30 seconds of normal time remaining saw Cork take the trophy for the 17th time.

Linda Mellerick said:

I knew we were a point down so when I caught the ball I kept going and just hit it. I was not certain whether I had scored as they were a bit slow in putting up the flag, but the crowd was cheering and then I realised that it was a goal. Words cannot describe what it is like beating Kilkenny in a final. With ten minutes to go we were dead and buried and God must have had a hand in it.

Dunleas

Sisters Lynn and Stephanie Dunlea were grandnieces of Kate Dunlea who captained Cork to their first All-Ireland success in 1934.

Final stages

Cork

Kilkenny

CORK: GK 1 Kathleen Costine (Killeagh) FB 2 Eithne Duggan (Bishopstown) RWB 3 Paula Goggins (Inniscarra) CB 4 Sandie Fitzgibbon (Glen Rovers) LWB 5 Mags Finn (Fr O'Neill's) MF 6 Linda Mellerick (Glen Rovers) (1–0) MF 7 Denise Cronin (Glen Rovers) (1–0) (Capt) MF 8 Stephanie Dunlea (Glen Rovers) RWF 9 Fiona O'Driscoll (Fr O'Neill's) (1-1) CF 10 Therése O'Callaghan (Glen Rovers) LWF 11 Irene O'Keeffe (Inniscarra) (2–0) FF 12 Lynn Dunlea (Glen Rovers) (1–7). Substitutes: RWF Vivienne Harris (Bishopstown)  45)'

KILKENNY: GK 1 Michelle Fennelly (Ballyhale Shamrocks) FB 2 Deirdre Malone (St Brigid's Ballycallan) RWB 3 Margaret Hickey (St Lachtain's) CB 4 Sinéad Costello (St Lachtain's) LWB 5 Bridget Barnaville (Lisdowney) MF 6 Marina Downey (Lisdowney) MF 7 Ann Downey (Lisdowney) MF 8 Marie Maher (St Martin’s) RWF 9 Sinéad Millea (St Brigid's Ballycallan) (0–5) CF 10 Breda Holmes (Lisdowney) LWF 11 Angela Downey (Lisdowney) (Capt) (2–5) FF 12 Jillian Dillon (St Lachtain's) Substitutes: RWF Tracey Millea (St Brigid's Ballycallan)  45)'

References

1. Moran, Mary (2011). A Game of Our Own: The History of Camogie. Dublin, Ireland: Cumann Camógaíochta. p. 460. 978-1-908591-00-5
2. Report of final in Irish Independent, September 25, 1995
3. Report of final in Irish Times, September 25, 1995
4. Report of final in Irish Examiner, September 25, 1995
5. Report of final in Irish News, September 25, 1995
6. Report of final in Irish Times, September 25, 1995
7. Report of final in Irish Independent, September 25, 1995
8. Report of final in Irish Examiner, September 25, 1995

External links

• Historical reports of All Ireland finals

• 1995 in camogie
• All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship seasons