27 February 2007 Schools competitions reach Provincial final stage in Connacht Share this Article 0 0 0 Shares! 0 Shares! Post-Primary Schools competitions reach Provincial final stage in Connacht The Ladies Gaelic football Post-Primary schools competitions in association with Pat The Baker have reached provincial final stage in Connacht. The following schools have qualified for the A & B finals to take place in the coming weeks. Pat The Baker Connacht Post-Primary Senior A Final. 1st March: Tourlestrane, Co. Sligo. 12.30pm St. Attractas Comm. School, Tubbercurry v Dunmore Comm. School, Co Galway Path to the final: Dunmore: Dunmore 1-7 St Attractas 0-13 Holy Rosary 1-4 Dunmore 1-22 Dunmore 4-15 Convent of Mercy 1-7 Dunmore 4-8 Presentation Tuam 1-2 Semi Final: Dunmore 3-13 Convent of Mercy 1-6 Details of the school There is great excitement in the corridors of Dunmore Community School surrounding the fact that the Senior girls’ G.A.A team will compete in the Connaught senior A final for the first time ever. This team has created a lot of history. In 2005, they won the All-Ireland C final and last year they were defeated in the All-Ireland B final. In fact, this team will complete a 3-in-a-row if they win the Connaught final .winning C, B, & A in three years. However, this team knows the task ahead of them having been defeated by St. Attractas in an earlier round. Eleven of the team are members of the Junior team so they are very young, but, they are committed and hungry for success! Galway inter county star Barbara Hannon is the Captain of the team and has been a member of this team for six years. Niamh Connaughton, Roisin Comer and Aoife Conneally are the other “oldies” of the team and provide huge strength and confidence throughout the team. Sarah Meehan at full forward gives huge commitment to Gaelic games in Dunmore Community School both on and off the pitch. St. Attractas have a good tradition in Division A football but Dunmore Community School are setting out to make themselves known in football circles and what better way than a Connaught A title!!!! Path to the final:St Attractas: Dunmore 1-7 St Attractas 0-13 St Attractas 1-16 Convent of Mercy 1-6 St Attractas 0-19 Presentation Tuam 5-2 Semi Final: St Attractas 4-10 Presentation Tuam 0-4 Details of the school: St Attractas Senior Team awaits their Connacht final showdown with Dunmore on March 1st and they are confident of retaining their title. The team has lost only three players from their successful campaign last year. Under the new management team of well known Senior County players, Katriona Connelly and Noelle Gormally, training began in earnest last September when the management and players set themselves the goal of going one step further this year in qualifying for an All-Ireland final. All involved must be complimented on the level of enthusiasm and commitment shown in the intervening months and hopefully the rewards for such dedication and hunger will be reaped later in the season. In its ranks the senior squad contains two Senior County players who recently picked up All-Ireland Junior Championship medals with Sligo- namely, Therese Marren and Tracey O’Hara. But while it is players that win matches, it is teams that win championships, and this is definitely one team built by the contribution of all panel members, with intense competition for all positions. Many of the players have represented their county at under-age level, while twelve of last month’s semi-final starting fifteen have two Connacht Junior Secondary School’s titles to their name. In the run up to this final, St. Attractas have remained unbeaten in the league with Dunmore providing their toughest competition last October. On that day, they recorded a two-point win over the Galway side. Now, Three months later, the same two teams find themselves pitted against one another in what promises to be a highly charged, ultra-competitive final. Pat The Baker Connacht Post-Primary Senior B Final 5th March: Clan na Gael, Co. Roscommon. 12.00pm St. Joseph’s, Athlone v St. Brigids Convent of Mercy Secondary School, Tuam Path to the final: St Brigids Tuam: Glenamaddy 2-10 St Brigids Tuam 1-7 St Brigids Tuam 7-11 Ard Scoil Mhuire 0-2 St Brigids Tuam 2-14 St Mary’s 2-1 St Joseph’s 2-8 St Brigids 3-6 Semi Final: St Brigids 4-8 Coola 0-6 Details of the school St Brigids Convent of Mercy Secondary School won the Senior C All-Ireland final in 2006 where they beat Portmarnock Community School. Sixteen of this years’ panel were part of the All-Ireland winning panel last year. Marian Murray, Cliodhna Maloney, Siofra O’Brien, Marian Hernon, Amy Finnerty, Michelle Molloy, Lisa Kelly, Deirdre Brennan and Lisa Walsh. Have all represented Galway at various age groups. Path to the final: St Joseph’s Athlone St Mary’s 2-2 St Joseph’s 13-18 St Joseph’s 6-16 Glenamaddy 4-13 St Joseph’s 2-8 St Brigids 3-6 Semi Final: St Joseph’s 3-14 St Mary’s, Ballina 2-7 Details of the school For St Joseph’s College Summerhill reaching the Senior B final has been a culmination of hard work and determination. Led by Ciara Fallon they overcame tough opposition in the semi final from St Mary’s, Ballina with outstanding performances from inter-county players Jenny Downey, Aine O’Brien, Claire Shanagher and Sarah Finnerty. Many of this team already have tasted All Ireland success as part of the Senior B panel of 2004. The school contested the Junior B competition the same year. The team is made up of girls from Clan na Gael, St Brigids, Padraig Pearses, St Dominic’s and Four Roads Ladies Gaelic Football clubs with numerous underage minor, junior and senior county medals between them. Pat The Baker Connacht Post-Primary Senior C Final. 2nd March: Corofin, Co. Galway. 12.00pm St. Pauls, Oughterard v St. Joseph’s Convent of Mercy Secondary School Castlebar Path to the final: St Joseph’s Castlebar St Joseph’s 5-9 Coláiste Muire 3-5 St Joseph’s 2-8 Mount St Michael 3-6 St Paul’s 6-4 St Josephs 8-6 Semi Final: St Joseph’s 8-8 Ballinamore 3-6 Details of the School: St. Josephs are playing in their first ever Senior Connacht final. 3 players of the panel Aoife Conroy, Noelle Tierney and Claire Ryan played in two Junior Connacht Finals back in 2002 and 2004. Earlier this year St. Joseph’s played against Barcelona Gaels while on a school football trip to the Catalan capital. A Players Perspective: By Kathryn Sullivan St Josephs U19 ladies are in wonderful form this season. Having come so close to competing in a Connacht final for years, the time has finally arrived. Players have come together from surrounding clubs, such as Castlebar Mitchells, Breaffy, Carnacon and Islandeady and to be honest we’ve all really formed into a big happy family so hungry for that Connacht title! For some of the girls on the team this year, it’s their last and final chance to be in a Schools Connacht final or possibly even ever play in any Connacht Final. We’ve come so far this year despite losing our first game but we have won all our matches since. Training in those wet windy horrible days up at An Sportlann and as well on our own small football field up at the school has helped us to build lots of character which we bring to our game on final day. A lot of the girls have represented their club in playing for the County and it most definitely shows on the field from goalkeeper to back line, midfield and the powerful forward line. We have the best management a team could ask for because really if it wasn’t for our manager Fr. Mike Murphy and assistant manager Ms. Mc Dermott, we really wouldn’t have a team put together. I hope, and I assume the whole team will as well, thank these people by showing what we are hopefully capable of, by bringing back the trophy! An extra mention also to Cora Staunton who has trained us all this year and put such dedication into doing so, thank you! So to carry these girls to get their long awaited title, as much support as possible is needed on Friday the 2nd of March against Oughterard, another determined team and this game will be played in Corofin pitch at 12pm. Best of luck girls! Path to the final: St Paul’s: Coláiste Muire 2-2 St Paul’s 1-13 St Paul’s 6-4 St Joseph’s 8-6 St Paul’s 3-9 Mount St Michael 3-7 Semi Final: St Paul’s 4-9 Ard Scoil Mhuire 4-6 Details of the school: Ladies Gaelic football is still in its infancy in St Paul’s Secondary School, however they met with great success in their first year in 2006. The senior team won the D competition, beating Oranmore in the Connacht Final. St Paul’s past pupil and prominent Galway player Niamh Fahey played a crucial role throughout the competition last year and is now playing in the O’Connor cup with NUIG. The D competition player of the tournament in 2006 Lisa O’Halloran has taken over the captaincy from Niamh Fahey this year. This years’ senior team progressed to the final rounds of Division C having beaten Claremoris and Strokestown in the later stages of the tournament. Both matches were highly competitive with close finishes. St Paul’s also entered the Junior C competition for the first time this year and showed much promise for the future, reaching the second round of the competition. It is hoped that St Paul’s Senior Ladies Gaelic panel can emulates the success of last years panel and continue to go from strength to strength over the coming years. Share this Article 0 0