She was one of the first women to appear as an analyst on RTÉ's then-new highlights programme The Sunday Game. Liz Howard, who served as president of the Camogie Association from 2006 to 2009, died on 21 May 2026. A player, administrator and broadcaster, she spent decades raising the profile of camogie in Ireland. The Camogie Association has issued an announcement and asked people to await formal funeral notices before sending condolences.

You are deciding whether to send condolences, follow funeral arrangements, or read up on a life that crossed playing, media and administration. I'll tell you straight, the immediate practical step is simple: wait for the formal notices. Both the Camogie Association and Tipperary GAA have encouraged those who wish to pay respects to await official announcements. Local reports say funeral arrangements are to follow.

A life on the pitch and off it

Howard's public story began in a family steeped in Gaelic games. She was born in Carrick-on-Suir, the daughter of Garrett Howard, who won five All-Ireland senior hurling medals with Limerick and Dublin. The family later moved to Feakle in County Clare, where her parents were instrumental in founding the Feakle camogie club. Those roots mattered: they set the direction for a playing career that covered club and county and two provinces.

As a player, Howard represented Feakle, Roscrea and Knockshegowna in county competition and played in Dublin with Celtic and Phoenix. Her honours include winning the inaugural National League with Tipperary in 1977, a Munster championship, a county championship with Roscrea and an All-Ireland junior medal while playing with Dublin. Those achievements alone would have marked her out in any era, but she used them as a springboard to leadership.

Firsts in media and administration

Howard moved quickly from playing to administration and media. But she was appointed National PRO of the Camogie Association in 1979 and in 1980 she became the first woman appointed to the Tipperary County Board when she took the role of Tipperary PRO. She held that county public relations post for more than two decades until 2003. The longevity of that service matters: it was a consistent presence behind the scenes at a time of major change for the games and for how they were covered.

She also broke ground in broadcasting. Howard became the first female analyst on RTÉ's then-new highlights programme The Sunday Game. Sources record that she spent three years on that show, where she covered both hurling and football, and she later remained a familiar pundit on television, radio and in local columns.

Mastheads

Tipperary GAA noted that at a time when women were rarely represented in Gaelic Games coverage, Howard led the way with confidence, expertise and passion, and described her as one of the most recognisable and respected voices in the association.

Her administrative reach extended beyond Tipperary. Howard served on national GAA committees including policy and planning, and she chaired presentation and awards. And she was active on a national committee for increased participation that helped prepare the groundwork for closer integration among the Gaelic associations. She was also appointed to a Sport Ireland anti-drugs disciplinary panel. Those roles show a career that moved between practical support for teams and strategic work at national level.

Recognition followed. Howard was named Tipperary Person of the Year in 2007, she won National Administrator of the Year at the Volunteers in Irish Sport Awards in 2009, and she received a Laochra Gael award from Tipperary GAA in 2022. Those honours underline both the local affection and the national respect she earned over decades of service.

Thing is, outside the field and the boardroom Howard had a long career with Aer Lingus. She worked as ground and cabin crew, moved into human resources and later managed cabin crew on the airline's European operation. Tributes from across the games have highlighted the practical support she offered behind the scenes to players, administrators and management teams across Tipperary and the wider Gaelic games family.

That said, the Camogie Association paid a formal tribute in its announcement, saying she had "served the Association and the sport of camogie with distinction across several decades." Brian Molloy, president of the Camogie Association, offered sympathies to Howard's family, her many friends, former colleagues and the wider Gaelic games community on her passing. Tipperary GAA echoed that sentiment and pointed to her trailblazing work in media and administration.

For anyone who wants to mark her life with a gesture, the clearest route is simple and practical: follow the official channels. The Camogie Association and Tipperary GAA will set out funeral arrangements and any public tributes. That's where accurate times, venues and guidance for condolences will appear.

There is another, quieter response that many will prefer. Read through the record.

The mix of club loyalty, county success, national administration and broadcasting work maps a path that several generations of women in the games have since followed. If you are compiling memories or planning a tribute column, those are the facts you should build from: the clubs she played with, the National League win with Tipperary in 1977, the years she served as Camogie Association president from 2006 to 2009, and the honours she collected along the way.

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Funeral arrangements are to follow, and both the Camogie Association and Tipperary GAA have urged people to await official notices. Check announcements from the Camogie Association and Tipperary GAA for confirmed funeral details and information on any public tributes.

This article was created with AI assistance.