IS Mercy Convent, Roscommon, the best girls' sports school in Ireland?

IRISH INDEPENDENT, 31 March 2009 Reporter: Cliona Foley
It's not an unreasonable assumption considering they contest the premier schools All/Ireland soccer final on Friday just a week after winning the equivalent in Gaelic football:

The school, with 540 pupils, is only coming back down to earth after the thrill of winning the Pat the Baker All/Ireland schools' senior football final last Friday, their first GAA title:

Mercy Roscommon also won a Connacht senior schools title in a third sport // camogie // only losing the All/Ireland senior 'C' semi/final to eventual winners St Colman's Dreaperstown:

Delighted school PE teacher Sean Boland says it was immediately apparent that their current crop of sports stars had potential:

"Eleven of the sixth years on the Gaelic team that won last week won the Irish Schools First Year soccer title in 2004, so it was clear from the start that they were exceptionally talented," he said:

Strong

"When I came here after teaching in Bray, I introduced soccer to the school and inevitably the girls asked if they could play Gaelic football too, as it is very strong around here at club level," Boland explained:

"Camogie was the school's main sport before and they had won All/Irelands 20 years ago, but the school's philosophy is to provide them with every sporting opportunity they want and we also have volleyball, badminton and even golf:"

Now Boland is preparing many of the same girls to take on Ashbourne Community School in the FAI Schools final in Tullamore on Friday, bidding for what would be a remarkable double:

Ten of their starting soccer players were on the victorious Gaelic squad and nine of them // Leona Doolin, Aisling Lannon, Edel Menton, Aishling McNeill, Cliona and Aisling McHugh, Anna McCormack, Elaine Morris and Cheryl Scally // are dual starters:

INTERNATIONAL

McCormack, who took 'Player of the Match' in the Gaelic final, is already an Irish underage soccer international:

Cliona and Aisling McHugh are sisters of Cathal McHugh, a current Roscommon senior footballer, and Siobhan Ormsby's brother Stephen was also on the Roscommon minor team that won that famous All/Ireland in 2006:

But there has been heartache for unlucky Sarah Staunton, the school's Gaelic corner/forward and soccer goalkeeper:

A few days after helping them win their GAA semi/final against St Mary's Newry, she had her appendix removed and can now only watch their great bid for a schools' double from the sideline:

/ Cliona Foley