The weekend of August 16-18, 2024 marked a historic moment for the women of the St. Louis Gaelic Athletic Club, bringing back the Karen McCormack Ryan Junior A Camogie Championship cup from San Francisco. 

The club was founded in 2008, and involves the promotion and participation of men and women Gaelic Sports including Hurling, Camogie, and Gaelic Football. It has a strong tie to the Dogtown community as it also celebrates Irish Culture and Community in St. Louis. 

This year the national championships for the US Gaelic Athletic Association (USGAA) were held in San Francisco, California, on August 16-18. The team traveled out with supporting members from Indianapolis to fight for the Heartland Division against competitors from all over the United States and nearby territories. 

The women from St. Louis and Indy put their hearts into both Gaelic Football and Camogie for a full weekend of Irish Sports. They were triumphant in their Gaelic Football match against the Caymen Islands, making it to the semi-finals where they fell short to Houston placing 3rd. Camogie fought hard in the semi-finals, beating Pittsburgh, 33-3, giving them a spot in the Junior A Championship Final match on Sunday, August 18.

They played against Cu Chulainn Junior A ladies from San Francisco. With a much larger population and Irish presence, San Francisco are fierce competitors. They had a full squad with a line of several subs, while St. Louis only have 3 subs available. The game came down to a nail-biting tie with less than 2 minutes to go. St. Louis victoriously scored the winning point, ending the game with a one-point victory at 16-15. The day was for the underdogs from Dogtown.

This was the first time that Camogie from STLGAC won a national championship. The last time another team from STLGAC won a championship was Gaelic Football in 2013. We hope this marks a moment of growth and strength for the club, showing how our hard work, camaraderie, and commitment to a positive team culture can result in winning national championships.

The team is currently recruiting all skill levels before our season officially starts up again in 2025! Come join a winning team!

Camogie is the sister sport of hurling which began more than 2000 years ago in Ireland. Camogie was formalized about 120 years ago. It is a fast-paced field sport involving a Hurley (stick) and a sliotar (ball). The object is to strategically move the sliotar down the field to score a point or goal in rugby/soccer-style goals. It is uniquely a part of St. Louis’ heritage not only in its celebration of Irish culture, but also the fact that the only time hurling competed in the Olympics was during the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904. 

The St. Louis Gaelic Athletic Club also offers the sport of Gaelic Football, which has a different ball and equipment than hurling and camogie. With roughly 200 members, STLGAC is a part of the roughly 9000 members of the broader USGAA and participates in local, national, and even world-wide tournaments in Ireland. 

STLGAC would like to thank our gracious sponsors and community support for contributing to our success. Special thanks to Seamus McDaniel’s, John D. McGurk’s, Tower Pub, Everything Automotive, AOH of St. Charles, AOH of St. Louis, BeeCovered, Law Offices of Ellen Morgan, Amsterdam Tavern,