Family Affair at Croke Park
By Daire Walsh
IT is set to be a family affair for Tipperary camogie star Mairead Eviston this Sunday when she takes part in a unique double header at Croke Park.
Eviston and her Premier County team-mates will face off against Kilkenny at the quarter-final stage of the Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship in GAA HQ at 1.30pm, before at 4.00pm, Tipperary and the Cats are also set to clash at the penultimate phase of the All-Ireland senior hurling championship.
Three of Eviston’s cousins – Loughmore-Castleiney stalwarts John, Noel and Brian McGrath – could have crucial roles to play in the latter game and she is hopeful it will prove to be a day to remember for her extended clan.
“I’m living with Brian now at the moment,” she revealed, speaking at the launch of the All-Ireland Championship quarter-finals at Croke Park on Monday.
“It’s great to be living with like-minded people and living the same lifestyle as well. We’ve a good buzz in the house now.
“That’s exciting as well, both of us going up on Sunday and playing in Croke Park. You just hope then that Sunday night sitting on the couch that we’ll both have come out the winning side.”
She added: “It couldn’t have worked out any better really. Playing Kilkenny in Croke Park and then being able to watch Tipp and Kilkenny play in the hurling as well. It’s a special day for both counties and there’s no reason why both counties can’t get in early for the camogie match.”
When it comes to quarter-final bouts in the All-Ireland senior camogie championship, Tipperary have a strong recent pedigree. In their last five games at this stage of the competition – stretching back to 2018 – the Premier have come out on top on each occasion.
Overcoming a semi-final hurdle has been something of a challenge for Tipp, however, with the county’s last showpiece appearance in camogie’s top-tier being all the way back in 2006.
The past two seasons has seen them suffering one-point reversals in the penultimate rounds of the senior championship, including in 2024 when they advanced straight to the final-four from the group stages.
Securing a return to All-Ireland finals day remains a burning ambition for this Tipperary side, but Eviston acknowledged they can’t afford to look too far beyond the challenge of Kilkenny on Sunday.
“We’re not going to look too far ahead of Sunday,” she added.
“It’s a game in front of us that is going to be a fierce battle. It’s going to take everything to get over the line to Kilkenny and we’ll see what comes after that.
“There has been heartbreak there the last two years, getting to semi-finals and losing out marginally. We feel it’s kind of nearly a mental thing now, just finishing out games. We’ve missed opportunities there to be in All-Ireland finals.
“We have that hurt coming through. We have that pain still in the locker. We’re going to use it here on Sunday and hopefully we’ll be focusing then into a semi-final.”