The curtain finally came down on the very popular FAI Schools 5-a-side All Ireland Finals in Leah Victoria Park, Tullamore yesterday (June 1):
160 skilful participants took part in the Finals which were the culmination of three months of County and Regional competitions with eventual Provincial winners progressing to the National stage:
The pick of the bunch from all four corners of the country converged on the Offaly venue for a sunny day of entertainment, passion and skill:
Over 1,000 schools from all over Ireland participated in this the biggest and best competition in the 2011 Primary Schools Soccer Calendar: The competition emphasised the fun element with everyone a winner on the day: Player’s received a commemorative medal and umbro jersey for their participation in this, the FAI Schools season finale:
There was a good geographical spread of winners this year with all four provinces represented as Westmeath, Donegal (Inishowen), Cork, Mayo and Dublin all collected their respective Cups for 2011: Leinster had the overall bragging rights with two schools capturing the ultimate prize while Connacht, Munster and Ulster each had a winner:
Milltown NS, Mullingar won the Schools “A” Section in the small schools division in the first of the five sections: The Westmeath side had plenty of support with them as they got proceedings underway in their section: Tarmon NS from Castlerea gave them a great test of things to come as a six goal thriller entertained the massive numbers in attendance: A missed penalty and the ball hitting the post on three separate occasions ensured the Leinster representatives only got a point from a thoroughly entertaining and exhausting game for both teams: The Roscommon School did extremely well in their opening game and definitely deserved the share of the spoils:
St: Michael’s Cloughjordan and St: Mary’s NS, Glaslough were the second game of the grouping and the Tipperary School had a clear 2/0 win which ensured the early leader board position for the Tipp team:
Tarmon NS turned on the style in their next outing with a 6/2 match winning performance against Ulster stars St: Mary’s:
Milltown ensured a full two points with a closely fought 2/1 victory over Cloughjordan students St: Mary’s:
The final series of games were to prove decisive with St: Michael’s claiming the honours over Tarmon in a well paired game:
Milltown got the 2/1 win they needed over St: Mary’s to claim the coveted title for 2011 in a highly entertaining group:
In fact it was double celebrations for the school as Daire Hynes picked up the Player of the Tournament accolade for to mark a special day for the Westmeath men:
The second of the silverware of the afternoon went to St: Patrick’s NS, Carndonagh, Inishowen in the “B” Section for medium schools: The Inishowen team had the extra dimension of having two players returning having featured the previous year namely Sam Todd and Evan Tweed: The Carn boys came fourth in their Section last time around but made the most of their second consecutive appearance by claiming top spot with three straight wins against their competitors:
John McFeely’s charges noted Wexford’s Scoil Naomh Aine’s 3/1 victory over Scoil Phadraig in the opening game while the Saints enjoyed a trio of goals against a scoreless Roxborough NS in their outing:
Roxborough went on to claim runners up position with a 3/0 win over Scoil Naomh Aine and an impressive 6/1 win against Scoil Phadraig:
Ballina’s Scoil Phadraig did well against the Ulster side with St: Patrick’s just closing the game off with a second goal to end proceedings 2/1:
The final game for Carndonagh saw them edge out Scoil Naomh Aine 2/0 to claim the Cup for the Ulster province:
Sam Todd was a worthy recipient of Player of the Tournament as he led his School to victory:
The “C” Section for large schools was the third prize to be awarded on the day with St: Anthony’s NS, Cork winning the title: Kevin O’Sullivan and Paddy Murphy were experienced veteran’s at the Nationals having mentored the school to winning titles in 2003 and 2008: A third straight gold medal for the Ballinlough school has lead to a tremendous record in this competition for the Corkians:
This section had it all to play for as last year’s runners up Scoil Chaitriona, Renmore were in the group along with 2009 fourth place finishers Scoil Iosagain, Buncrana: The Donegal school had the more impressive résumé with three appearances at All Ireland level but the only thorn in their side was the lack of a first place finish at this level:
The school to definitely make the headlines yesterday were debutants Bishop Foley of Carlow who lacked experienced in the competition but showed great flair: Under the management of Tony Crowe the school came runners up in a class that demonstrated some great football ability and commitment: The second place finish was merited only on goal difference as third place finishers Scoil Iosagain shared the leader board’s second spot on three points each but a greater goal difference saw the school move down to third:
Galway’s Scoil Chaitríona were unfortunate not to collect any points on the day but the players were outstanding in their endeavours over the three games:
St: Anthony’s ensured three straight wins in the “C” Section as a tally of 16 goals was an outstanding feat:
The Ballinlough supporters were buzzing with excitement as they overcame Scoil Iosagain (6/0), Bishop Foley (4/3) and Scoil Chaitriona (6/2): The icing on the cake for the school was to follow as Captain Fantastic Bryan Cotter claimed the Player of the Tournament accolade in his section:
Now, the two girls sections were awarded leaving the best to last:
The “A” Girls Section for small schools was an interesting title race with Holy Family NS, Newport in Mayo ending up on poll position:
Deirdre Nevin’s ladies had an anxious start to their campaign with a 1/1 draw to Wexford’s Bree NS:
The Glenties Scoil Mhuire were looking good as they got the two points on offer against St: Beacon’s Kilkenny in the second game (2/0):
Newport were given a life/line back into contention as a 4/0 win against the Glenties shifted the odds in their favour but Bree also got a 3/1 win against St: Beacon’s to ensure a trio of teams were in the title race contention:
The Newport v Glenties game proved to be the ultimate decider as Newport won their final group game against St: Beacon’s 5/0 and Scoil Mhuire won their outing to Bree NS 1/0: A solidarity point deciding the order of merit as Newport’s five points was enough to see them in the number one spot:
Runners up Scoil Mhuire, Glenties did very well under the leadership of John G McCann while Bree came third on three points and St: Beacon’s NS finishing fourth: Anthony’s O’Keefee’s Mullinavat team can be very proud of his girls achievements as not only were they County but Regional and Provincial winners in a highly successful year for the school
The Tullamore venue erupted when Newport’s Sarah Baynes was named Player of the Tournament for an incredible day’s outing for the Mayo side: Definitely one to remember for all involved:
The fifth and final section to be announced was the Girls “B” Section for medium schools:
Representatives from Sligo, Limerick, Dublin and Monaghan were all in prime position to claim the ultimate prize as the noon kick off commenced:
This was a difficult section as all participating teams were suffering up some mouth watering ties: Many of the group encounters were so close to call that it saw two draws midway through the day: Other games were decided by a solidity goal as all four qualifiers were eager to entertain:
The Dublin school had the added advantage of having appeared in the 2002 finals: St: Oliver Plunkett’s did the business that day with a first place finish and teacher Joe Morton was well aware that his girls could repeat the record if the team could hold their nerve:
And it was in fact St: Oliver Plunkett NS, Malahide, Co: Dublin who advanced over near rivals St: Anne’s NS, Rathkeale by the thinnest of margins: Two wins and a draw were enough for Dubliners to advance as rivals Limerick only managed a win and two draws in their three game grouping:
Sligo’s Scoil Mhuire picked up a win, a draw and a defeat to ensure a good outing for their school while Gaelscoil Ultain were placed fourth in a great day for the Ulster schools section:
There was some consolation for the Limerick school who were runners up as superstar Aideen Lyons was announced as Player of the Tournament: A well deserved recipient who was slightly shocked by the accolade: No doubt we will see Aideen and a few more stars feature in the schools soccer calendar in the future:
Alex Harkin (FAI Schools), Miriam Malone and Liam McGroarty (FAI) were on hand to present the prizes to all 160 participants: Alex thanked the teachers and participating schools for ensuring the finale was such a wonderful success:
Harkin also paid tribute to the excellent work of the FAI’s Community & Development Officers who executed their respective County, Regional and Provincial events in association with the Provincial Co/ordinators Paul Holland (Leinster & Meath), Charles O’Connor (Connacht & Galway), Gerard Duggan - Fergus McDaid (Munster & Cork - Waterford) and Martin Robins (Ulster & Inishowen)
END
SCHOOLS, PLAYERS, FIXTURES & RESULTS
“A” Schools:
TEAMS
Tarmon NS, Castlerea, Roscommon (CONNACHT)
St: Michael’s NS, Cloughjordan, Tipperary (MUNSTER)
Milltown NS, Westmeath (LEINSTER)
St: Mary’s NS, Glaslough, Monaghan (ULSTER)
FIXTURES
12:00 Tarmon NS 3/3 Milltown NS
12:30 St: Michael’s NS 2/0 St: Mary’s NS
1:00 Tarmon NS 6/2 St: Mary’s NS
1:30 St: Michael’s NS 1/2 Milltown NS
2:00 Tarmon NS 0/2 St: Michael’s NS
2:30 Milltown NS 2/1 St: Mary’s NS
Winner: Milltown NS, Westmeath
Runner Up: St: Michael’s NS, Cloughjordan, Tipperary
Third: Tarmon NS, Castlerea, Roscommon
Fourth: St: Mary’s NS, Glaslough, Monaghan
Player of the Tournament: Daire Hynes, Milltown NS
PLAYERS
Tarmon NS, Roscommon
Conor Murray, James Larkin, Daniel Gannon, Jack Keane, Jamie Aaron Burke, Tomás Hester, Michael Kelly
Principal: Kieran Dowd, Coach: Greg Kelly, Teacher: Mary McElroy
St: Michael’s NS, Cloughjordan, Tipperary
Danny Maguire, Bramall Hague, Cian Darcy, Martin Grace, Owen Usman, Rob Banaghan, Liam Dooley, Luke Dervan
Principal: Vivian P Dooley
Milltown NS, Mullingar, Westmeath
Daire Hynes, Ian Burke, Conor Dillon, Joseph Newman ,Leon Hynes, Peter Kennedy, Jack Kenny & Michael Harnett
Teacher: Dónal Whelan
St: Mary’s NS, Glaslough, Monaghan
PANEL:Karl McKenna, Michael McAlister, Oisin Campbell, James Boyle, Jake Duffy, Ryan O’Neill, Robert McAlister, Kyle Tracey
Principal/Coach: Mark Macklin
“A” Girls Schools:
TEAMS
Holy Family NS, Newport, Mayo (CONNACHT)
St: Beacon’s NS, Millinavat, Kilkenny (MUNSTER)
Bree NS, Wexford (LEINSTER)
Scoil Mhuire, Glenties, Donegal (ULSTER)
FIXTURES
12:00 Newport NS 1/1 Bree NS
12:30 St: Beacon’s NS 0/2 Scoil Mhuire
1:00 Newport NS 4/0 Scoil Mhuire
1:30 St: Beacon’s NS 1/3 Bree NS
2:00 Newport NS 5/0 St: Beacon’s NS
2:30 Bree NS 0/1 Scoil Mhuire
Winner: Holy Family NS, Newport, Mayo
Runner Up: Scoil Mhuire, Glenties, Donegal
Third: Bree NS, Wexford
Fourth: St: Beacon’s NS, Millinavat, Kilkenny
Player of the Tournament: Sarah Baynes, Holy Family School, Newport, Mayo
PLAYERS
Holy Family NS, Newport, Mayo
Rachel Baynes, Sarah Baynes, Jennifer Chambers, Ellie Dillane, Emma Knox, Feena McManamon, Aisling McNulty, Ann Sheridan
Teacher: Deirdre Nevin
St: Beacon’s NS, Mullinavat, Kilkenny
Ciara Phelan, Kate Walsh, Hannah Holden, Rachel Sutton/Duggan, Elizabeth Rafter, Michelle O’Connor, Rachel Rafter, Blaithin Haberlin
Teacher: Anthony O’Keeffe
Bree NS, Wexford
Bríd Byrne, Niamh Treacy, Casey Doyle, Sophie McCabe, Niamh Sinnott, Shannon Carr, Claire Jordan & Emma Byrne
Teacher: John Joe Fitzgerald
Scoil Mhuire, Glenties
PANEL: Dearbhla Ward, Shauna Quinn, Amy Boyle Carr, Gemma Byrne, Danielle McDermott, Niamh O’Donnell, Kristy Gallagher, Mary Mannering
Teacher: John G McCann
“B” Schools:
TEAMS
Scoil Phádraig, Ballina, Mayo (CONNACHT)
Roxborough NS, Limerick (MUNSTER)
Scoil Naomh Aine, Rathgarogue, Wexford (LEINSTER)
St: Patrick’s NS, Carndonagh, Inishowen (ULSTER)
FIXTURES
12:00 Scoil Padraig 1/3 Scoil Naomh Aine
12:30 Roxborough NS 0/3 St: Patrick’s NS
1:00 Scoil Padraig 1/2 St: Patrick’s NS
1:30 Roxborough NS 3/0 Scoil Naomh Aine
2:00 Scoil Padraig 1/6 Roxborough NS
2:30 Scoil Naomh Aine 0/2 St: Patrick’s NS
Winner: St: Patrick’s NS, Carndonagh, Inishowen
Runner Up: Roxborough NS, Limerick
Third: Scoil Naomh Aine, Rathgarogue, Wexford
Fourth: Scoil Phádraig, Ballina, Mayo
Player of the Tournament: Sam Todd, St: Patrick’s NS, Carndonagh
PLAYERS
Scoil Phádraig, Ballina, Mayo
John Battle (Capt), Daniel Maughan, Roy Collins, Jordan Delaney, Eric Nash, Mark Birrane, Simon Leonard, Jason Muldoon
Teacher: Brian Lawlor
Roxborough NS, Limerick
Séan Mc Namara, Ruairi Casserly, James Deery, Brian Ryan, John Blake, Mark Edwards, Karl Moloney
Liam Harrington
Teacher: Donat Leahy
Scoil Naomh Aine, Rathgarogue, Wexford
Eoin Porter, Kieran Kelly, Enda Kelly, Fionn Slattery, Eric Cummins, David Thorpe, Liam O' Shea & Ricky McGrath
Teacher: Kay Grace
St: Patrick’s NS, Carndonagh
PANEL: Sam Todd, Evan Tweed, James Monagle, Kieran Farren, Conor Browne, Calvin O’Donnell, Ronan McCusker, Scott McElhinney
Manager: John McFeely
“B” Girls Schools:
TEAMS
Scoil Mhuire gan Smal, Ballymote, Sligo (CONNACHT)
St: Anne’s NS, Rathkeale, Limerick (MUNSTER)
St: Oliver Plunkett NS, Malahide, Co: Dublin (LEINSTER)
Gaelscoil Ultain, Muineachain (ULSTER)
FIXTURES
12:00 Scoil Mhuire gan Smal 0/2 St: Oliver Plunkett NS
12:30 St: Anne’s NS 3/1 Gaelscoil Ultain
1:00 Scoil Mhuire gan Smal 2/1 Gaelscoil Ultain
1:30 St: Anne’s NS 1/1 St: Oliver Plunkett NS
2:00 Scoil Mhuire gan Smal 0/0 St: Anne’s NS
2:30 St: Oliver Plunkett NS 3/1 Gaelscoil Ultain
Winner: St: Oliver Plunkett NS, Malahide, Co: Dublin
Runner Up: St: Anne’s NS, Rathkeale, Limerick
Third: Scoil Mhuire gan Smal, Ballymote, Sligo
Fourth: Gaelscoil Ultain, Muineachain
Player of the Tournament: Aideen Lyons, Rathkeale, Limerick
PLAYERS
Scoil Mhuire gan Smál, Ballymote, Sligo
Aisling Durey, Shauna Conlon, Sophia Cogan, Saoirse O Dowd, Shauna Byrne, Kelly Gardiner, Ciara Keenan, Ciara Davey
Teacher: Patricia Hunt
St: Anne’s NS
Tara Coleman, Eadaoin Lyons, Kate Geary, Chloe Cunnigham, Sinead Fitzgibbon, Katie Brennan, Sarah Fitzgerald and Chloe Mullins:
Teacher: Maria O’Shea
St: Oliver Plunkett NS, Malahide, Co: Dublin
Abbie Brophy, Megan Byrne, Cliona Hamill, Amy Phelan, Amy Ewing, Caoimhe McCann, Carys Herbert & Niamh Smyth
Teacher: Joe Morton
Gaelscoil Ultain, Muineachain
PANEL: Eadaoin Nig Uidhir, Emma Ní Chléirchín, Bláithín Ní Dhúláin, Morgan Ní Chionna, Claire Ní Dhufaigh, Lee Nic Sandair, Celine Ní Fhailigh, Niamh Ní Chorragáin
Múinteoir: Joe Ó Gallchoir
“C” Schools:
TEAMS
Scoil Chaitríóna, Renmore, Galway (CONNACHT)
St: Anthony’s NS, Ballinlough, Cork (MUNSTER)
Bishop Foley NS, Carlow (LEINSTER)
Scoil Iosagain, Buncrana, Inishowen (ULSTER)
FIXTURES
12:00 Scoil Chaitriona 1/2 Bishop Foley
12:30 St: Anthony’s 6/0 Scoil Iosagain
1:00 Scoil Chaitriona 1/2 Scoil Iosagain
1:30 St: Anthony’s 4/3 Bishop Foley
2:00 Scoil Chaitriona 2/6 St: Anthony’s
2:30 Bishop Foley 1/1 Scoil Iosagain
Winner: St: Anthony’s NS, Ballinlough, Cork
Runner Up: Bishop Foley NS, Carlow
Third: Scoil Iosagain, Buncrana, Inishowen
Fourth: Scoil Chaitríóna, Renmore, Galway
Player of the Tournament: Bryan Cottor, St: Anthony’s NS, Ballinlough, Cork
PLAYERS
Scoil Chaitríóna, Renmore, Galway
Jack Coyne, Eoin O’Donovan, Rouirc Greaney, Malcolm Corbett, Adam Jones, Luke Byrnes (Capt) Kevin Vahey and Patrick Doyle
Teacher:Richard Delaney
St: Anthony’s BNS, Ballinlough, Cork
Simon Falvey, Owen O'Sullivan, Adam Coughlan, Bryan Cotter (Capt), David Hogan, Jack Murray, Mark O'Connell, Finn Carey
Teacher:Kevin O’Sullivan and Paddy Murphy
Bishop Foley NS, Carlow
Brian Coady, Harry Hynes, Dane O'Neill, Ross Dunphy, Luke Fitzpatrick, Jordan Morriseey, Cathal Myers & Michael Meaney
Teacher: Tony Crowe
Scoil Iosagain, Buncrana, Inishowen
PANEL: Toby Doherty, John Doherty, Ryan McElhinney, Eoin Murphy, James Adair, Shane Dillon, Ronan Hegarty, Jack McDaid
Teachers:Maria Doherty, Josephine Doherty, Jonathon Adair
Images of participating schools available upon request