Áine Keane on the comeback trail
Pictured at the launch of the Electric Ireland Camogie Third Level Championships is UL’s Áine Keane. This season, through its #FirstClassRivals campaign, Electric Ireland will spotlight players from across the Championships in the Electric Ireland ‘Player POV’ series and continue to celebrate the unique alliances that form between county rivals as they come together in pursuit of some of the most coveted titles across GAA.
By Cian O’Connell
Áine Keane’s camogie return is imminent. A cruciate ligament knee injury ruled her out of the closing stages of Galway’s triumphant 2025 All-Ireland campaign.
It was a demanding spell, but Keane tried to remain positive. Three weeks ago, Keane started running again, another task accomplished.
Does Keane hope to play some part in UL’s Electric Ireland Ashbourne Cup defence? “It is probably coming a bit quick for me, but nothing is impossible, put it that way,” Keane says.
“I'll be around seven months when the Ashbourne end of championship is about. So, nothing has been ruled out, but it probably will be a bit early for me. More impossible things have definitely happened.”
Hope has kept Keane going on a demanding journey. “It has been tough, there is no point in telling you any different,” Keane reflects.
“Anyone who has gone through this will understand. Unless you go through it, you don't fully understand the rehab and mentally how challenging it can be. Obviously, it is a long-haul injury, you go through the stages of prehab before surgery. Then, you get surgery, and it is a rough road from there for the first four weeks.
“From there on, it is mini milestones. That is the way it has been and how I've approached it. Every month you're trying to see progress in some way. I've been lucky enough; I haven't had any real setbacks which has been brilliant.
“That has made it a lot easier. It is a game of cat and mouse, it is trying to be patient, just keep yourself moving in the right direction. Thankfully, I've been lucky enough my recovery has gone fairly well, and I've been going in the right direction.”
Having established herself as an influential player for Galway, watching the All-Ireland series was demanding. “It is definitely a challenging time,” Keane says.
“I think I was very lucky, in the sense that I'd Niamh McPeake with me, she was in the same situation.
UL's Áine Keane in action during the 2025 Electric Ireland Ashbourne Cup Final against UCC. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
“We were both playing the year previous in the All-Ireland final, and we both had suffered ACL injuries. So, in that sense I had someone. It was building for four years to get to that point, to get over the line.”
Nonetheless, Keane was delighted her colleagues truly delivered on the Croke Park stage. “For me, the overwhelming feeling I had was just how proud I was of the girls and how unbelievably well they performed,” Keane adds.
“I could see it happening in training, they were just improving and improving as the weeks went on. It is a bit bittersweet, to not be on the pitch.
“When you win an All-Ireland, you want to have an impact in some way, whether it is off the bench or starting the game. There was that side of that. For me, the overwhelming thing was just how proud I was of the girls, how excited I was for them to get over the line. It was four years in the making.”
Cathal Murray’s charges have been a consistent and competitive outfit for much of the past decade. Remaining relevant is key. “I suppose last year was a year none of us could ever forget from a whole Galway camogie point of view,” Keane remarks.
“Athenry winning the All-Ireland too, I was there myself personally. It was incredible. We've obviously been lucky enough to have Sarsfields over the last few years doing that, it is hugely inspiring.
“Any club team as a county we love to see that, and we embody that and strive to be successful at inter-county level on the back of your club teams being so good. Winning the U23 All-Ireland was incredible, it was actually the day I got my surgery. To wake up from the surgery in not so good form to watch the girls, who I played all along with, I was eligible for U23s.
“To see them win gave great inspiration to our senior panel to go on to win an All-Ireland. We will try to be successful again this year in U23 and senior with Galway, but as everyone knows, any inter-county season in any code, it is really hard to be successful. You've teams that are so good and chomping at the bit, to get on top.”
Keane continues to contribute to the St Thomas’ story and acknowledges Sarsfields and Athenry’s victories can act as a source of inspiration to others in the west. “100 per cent, we got to a final against Sarsfields, we were bet by a good bit on the day, but at any given point you feel you could be in with a chance of winning a championship,” she says.
“You look at Athenry, what they've achieved is what any of us want to achieve. They've shown us you can achieve that; you can be successful at club level if you put your mind to it and have the right people involved, got players there, who want to achieve success. The rest of the clubs in Galway are trying to aspire to that.”