Age no barrier as Therese Donohue still setting the standard on the biggest stage

The 44 year-old mother of three didn't think she would be back in Croke Park following her retirement from county.

Therese Donohue with her sons Harry, Billy, and Bobby. Pic: BurrenEye Photography

Therese Donohue emerges from the Athenry dressing-room, her wet hair wrapped in a bath towel.

How are you feeling after that, I inquire?

“Exhausted,” she shoots back, grinning.

Irrespective of age or family size, Donohue was heroic in Sunday’s All-Ireland camogie club final. A performance to stand firmly on its own two feet.

It’s a performance, though, that is amplified and attracts further admiration by the fact that she is 44 years of age and has successfully restarted her playing career after the birth of each of her three sons over the past 11 years.

There’s logic, and then there’s a 44-year-old mother of three giving an unrivalled display of demonic work rate, ceaseless leadership, age-defying athleticism, score-taking, and score-creation in an All-Ireland senior club final.

She’s known to everyone as Therese Maher. She’s been known to everyone in camogie circles since coming on as a 16-year-old sub in Galway’s 1997 All-Ireland final defeat to Cork.

28 years later, she was back in Croker for one last dance. And oh she did she dance and dominate.

Authoritative right from the off. Catching Eimear Keane’s crossfield delivery, she delivered the final’s opening score less than 90 seconds in. She was fouled for their second. She posted the Athenry momentum-breaker on 24 minutes after a Barrs five-in-a-row.

On 63 minutes, she was still thriving. Her carry from halfway to the 40-metre arc began the move that ended with Kayla Madden’s equaliser. Four of Athenry’s last six scores bore her fingerprints.

In total, she scored 0-3, created the comeback igniting goal, was fouled for a converted free, and was involved in another 0-3.

As she collected her player of the match award, circling giddily behind her were sons Bobby (10), Harry (9) and Billy (6). There were a couple of pictures taken in front of the Hogan Stand before mammy went off to clean the blood from her face. A warrior - still.

“They've only ever known me going with the gear bag,” Therese begins.

“I took time off when having the three of them. Ever since they’ve come along, we’ve always been going to matches. I’m down coaching them at underage level now too.

“I love the car journeys with them, the craic we have. They say every year, ‘mum, of course you're going back’.

“It's lovely for them to see me playing. They obviously weren't around when I was playing with Galway. They can only hear stories. It's lovely to bring them here today and to see that Mammy's out there trying to do her best.”

And her best she did.

For those wondering why an All-Ireland senior winner is still turning out for her club at 44, there’s context.

Therese was a central figure in Athenry reaching the 2007 and 2009 All-Ireland club finals. They came up short to Cashel in both.

The recent wave of underage talent to take sprout in Athenry revived her fading ambition of adding an All-Ireland club medal to the piece of gold won with Galway in 2013.

They pushed Sarsfields to extra-time in the 2024 Galway semi-final. The latter won the All-Ireland a few weeks later by a margin of 14 points.

The decision to continue going out the door with the gear bag was marvelously justified on Sunday. The fairytale finish is still in play.

“I never thought I'd be back here in Croke Park once I finished county. I'm absolutely delighted at this stage of my life to get a run out there, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. There were hard hits. The last five minutes weren't for the faint-hearted. I am delighted we have another chance.

“I've been very lucky,” she adds of her body allowing her to stay operating at this level. “I can look at it and say it's either good genes or good luck. I haven't had any serious injuries for the whole time I've been playing.

“I still get a kick out of it. I still enjoy it. I get great energy from the young ones around me. I suppose we can’t play it forever, and I know I’m saying that at 44 and I'm on borrowed time as it is.

“I have always loved it. I have always loved the team element of it. But above all, I love a fight.” 

Sunday, if we needed the evidence, reaffirmed that final statement.