Monaghan (2), Donegal & Inishowen (2) Capture Ulster Crowns
Cootehill Harps FC in Cavan was the setting for the Ulster Finals of the FAI Schools 5-a-side Primary Schools Competition yesterday (Thursday, May 19)
The event saw over 16,000 children participate last year: The competition has been running since the mid 1990’s, the event is more popular than ever with 1,005 schools involved in 2010
The FAI Schools 5-a-side is the biggest and best competition in the 2011 Primary Schools Soccer Calendar: There are 5 divisions to suit all school sizes: While FAI Schools and Xtra/vision encourage boys and girls to play on the same team, there is also a separate competition for girls’ schools: A number of teams can represent one school depending on the size of their student body, giving more children the chance to develop their skills in a safe, child centered and exciting environment:
Twenty Schools from Monaghan, Cavan, Donegal and Inishowen competed for Provincial honours in an enjoyable outing for all the participating Schools: There was a mix of fortunes for some of the Counties as Inishowen and Donegal picked up two Provincial honours each while Cavan captured the remaining fifth place:
St: Mary’s NS, Virginia, Cavan, Scoil Iosagain, Buncrana, Inishowen and St: Mary’s NS, Glaslough, Monaghan had the added advantage of featuring both a boy’s and a girl’s team in the big event thus increasing the Schools chances of appearing in an All Ireland Final: Would one, two or even a trio of schools make it double celebrations in Cootehill?
The Carndonagh boys, namely St: Patrick’s NS were defending their Ulster crown in the “B” Schools Section for medium Schools against neighbours St: Baithins, NS, St: Johnston, Donegal, St: Mary’s NS, Virginia, Cavan and Scoil Mhuire BNS, Castleblaney, Monaghan
Another School defending their title this year was the experienced St: Mary’s NS from Virginia, Cavan contesting the Girls “B” Section: The Cavan qualifiers have won eight County titles in nine years: An excellent achievement for Claire Galligan’s charges
The games kicked off with the medium and larger Schools divisions and the first to book their place in the All Ireland Finals was Maria Doherty’s Scoil Iosagain, Buncrana representing Inishowen in the Section “C” Schools:
This section was closely contested with Scoil Iosagain, Buncrana winning their first two games while getting a point in the final game to win the group out: The Champions won 3/1 against Cavan boys St: Felims: Luke Molloy (making a welcome return from last season) got the only goal for Cavan as they tried in vain to make a comeback: Cavan’s Bernard Murray was other experienced player for John McHugh to use but unfortunately luck wasn’t on their side as the Cavan side couldn’t convert many of the great chances created:
Scoil Iosagain followed this up with a comprehensive 4/0 against rivals Gaelscoil Adhamhnain and a 2/2 draw in their final game with St: Mary’s NS, Monaghan :
The Donegal qualifiers Gaelscoil Adhamhnain under the leadership of Pól Mac Giolla Bríde made a promising start to the day with a win against Scoil Mhuire, Muineachain while they lost the following fixtures 4/0 to Buncrana and again enjoyed a 3/6 victory over St: Felim’s of Cavan Town to pick up second spot and it proved to be an enjoyable day of football for the Letterkenny School who did their School very proud:
The second winners to be announced in mid afternoon was the Boys “B” Section as St: Patrick’s NS, Carndonagh were delighted to retain their title and continue their All Ireland title ambitions as last season the School claimed fourth position in the All Ireland series: Teacher John Feely is quietly confident that his side can only improve on last year’s All Ireland appearance:
Sam Todd and Evan Tweed were the two players to lend their experience to the Ulster qualifiers campaign and their ability on the ball produced a memorable day for the School:
Virginia and St: Johnston shared the points in the opening game of the group as Carndonagh got all the points on offer with a 4/2 win over Scoil Mhuire BNS, Castleblaney: James Wilson was the Monaghan player on the score sheet, his first coming from a penalty while his second was a beauty from 10 yards out: Sam Todd was the hero in this match netting himself a hat/trick while Evan Tweed also registered for Carndonagh in a skilful game that produced a six goal spree:
St: Johnston enjoyed a 3/2 win over Castleblaney in the third game of the group stages: Tommy Meehan and James Wilson were the scorers for McEleaney’s side:
Carndonagh came into their own in their second competitive fixture and fourth of the group campaign: A 5/1 win over Virginia was a team winning performance from all eight players involved:
Virginia and Castleblaney shared the point in the penultimate game of the series as a 3/3 draw was a great sight to behold: James Wilson, Ben McNee and Colin Merrick were all hitting the net for the Monaghan outfit:
John McFeely’s Carndonagh sealed the deal with a 4/2 win over local rivals St: Johnston in a thoroughly enjoyable display of football:
Gaelscoil Ultain, Muineachain got one over on local rivals St: Mary’s NS, Virginia by claiming the Section “B” Girls title which will see them advance to the All Ireland Finals next week: Joe O Gallchoir will be waiting eagerly to see how his team will fare as they set their sights on stardom in Tullamore:
Emma Ní Chleirchín was superb as she netted a hat/trick while Morgan Nic Cionna got one in their 4/0 win over Illistrin in the opening game of the group:
Claire Galligan’s girls were not strong enough to replicate last year’s success as Captain Clara Lynch was the only survivor on the squad to lead her team: They can take great heart in the fact that they came second in a very skilful setting for all four competing teams:
The Monaghan School clocked up four goals in each group game amounting to a tally of 12 as runners up Virginia were the only team to get one by their solid defensive system:
Scoil Naomh Fiachra, Illistrin, Letterkenny did well in the same group with Aisling Nee, Monica Akinyemi, Megan Malone and Emer McHugh registering in their encounter with Scoil Iosagain, Buncrana:
Aisling Nee also got on the score sheet for the Letterkenny ladies in their 4/1 defeat to runners up St: Mary’s Virginia:
Late afternoon saw the small Schools compete in the Ulster Finale as the Section “A” Girls Schools and the Section “A” Schools commenced:
Scoil Mhuire, Glenties, Donegal captured the elusive Girls Section “A” Schools title in superb style netting 17 goals in three games: Their impressive goal scoring ability will be one to watch out for next week and with an extraordinary defensive record of only conceding once:
Amy Boyle Carr netted twice for Glenties in their first fixture against the Lavey ladies: Strike partner Danielle McDermott also picked up a goal in their 3/0 victory over Aughadreena NS (3/0):
The youngster Amy Boyle Carr picked up four, while Danielle McDermott secured a hat/trick and Gemma Byrne got her name on the score sheet with their second fixture against St: Mary’s NS, Glaslough (8/0):
The final game against Illies was a 6/1 win with Amy Boyle Carr netting a hat/trick, Danielle McDermott (2) and Gemma McDermott (1) in an impressive team performance: The Illies scorer on the day was Jemma McLaughlin who can claim to be the only player on the day to get one by the Champions!
The second of the two Ulster titles for Monaghan went to winners St: Mary’s NS, Glaslough who snatched the Section “A”Schools title with Cashel NS, Donegal coming a respectable second: The Monaghan boys did the business for Mark Macklin’s side as their girls were also starring on the day: The latter produced a draw and 2 defeats in their group stages:
Mark Macklin’s school tasted All Ireland success 19 years ago so it will be a welcome return for the Ulster side to make the journey to Tullamore in less than two weeks time:
The Monaghan School enjoyed two wins in the group with some nail biting finishes: The Glaslough stars, St: Mary’s drew their first of the afternoon against Rasheney (2/2) after enjoying a comfortable 2/0 lead in the early exchanges: The exciting encounter produced some fine goals and veracious pace ensured plenty of chances were created at either end as Scoil Padraig equalized with minutes left: Scoil Padraig went all out for the points but St: Mary’s held their nerve to secure equal spoils:
St: Mary’s of Glaslough’s second game was too close to call: A penalty was to secure their faith as Monaghan converted: Cashel nicked the post in the dying seconds as Mark Macklin’s men got a lucky escape:
The final game was the ultimate decider with St: Patrick’s of Kilnaleck equal to the challenge of St: Mary’s Glaslough: The Cavan school enjoyed superior goal difference if the game was to stay at stalemate with Cashel looking in contention also with their final game against Rasheney playing a major part in proceedings:
The nerves were tingling as the match unfolded in an eventful encounter with many talking points:
Eventually it was Monaghan’s Robert McAlister that broke the deadlock only for Kilnaleck to equalize: Star of the show Michael McAlister was the savior as his goal secured the riches for the school (2/1) late on:
In the other game, Cashel scored an amazing five goals for them to snatch the second podium spot from Kilnaleck, only on goal difference as the Cashel v Kilnaleck head to head was a 0/0 result: The group couldn’t have been anymore closer: Cashel’s Eoin Carr got one while Tiernan and Alan had a duo of goals for the Cashel side to claim the silverware
Host County, Cavan had some consolation with Aughadreena NS, Lavey picking up the runners up place in the Girls “A” competition while neighbouring St: Mary’s, Virginia snatched a second place finish in the Girls “B” competition in a very skillful grouping for all four regions to be very happy with the day’s events:
Bragging rights may go to Monaghan and Inishowen this time around with two schools in each region qualifying for the All Ireland Finals: While Donegal has the other most important, fifth place qualifier
Many thanks to all the participating teams today who did extremely well in reaching this Provincial stage, unfortunately only one school from each section can progress to the next level
The five Provincial Finalists will now travel to the National Finals which will be held in Leah Victoria Park, Tullamore on Wednesday, June 1
OVERVIEW - WINNERS:
Section “A” Schools: St: Mary’s NS, Glaslough, Monaghan
Section “A” Girls Schools: Scoil Mhuire, Glenties, Donegal
Section “B” Schools: St: Patrick’s NS, Carndonagh, Inishowen
Section “B” Girls Schools: Gaelscoil Ultain, Muineachain
Section “C” Schools: Scoil Iosagain, Buncrana, Inishowen
OVERVIEW – RUNNER UP:
Section “A” Schools: Cashel NS, Donegal
Section “A” Girls Schools: Aughadreena NS, Lavey, Cavan
Section “B” Schools: St: Baithin’s NS, St: Johnston, Donegal
Section “B” Girls Schools: St: Mary’s NS, Virginia, Cavan
Section “C” Schools: Gaelscoil Adhamhnain, Donegal
ULSTER PROVINCIAL FINALS (Teams & Results):
“A” Schools:
TEAMS
St: Patrick’s NS, Kilnaleck, Cavan
Cashel NS, Donegal
St: Mary’s NS, Glaslough
Scoil Padraig, Rasheney, Clonmany, Inishowen
RESULTS
St: Patrick’s 0/0 Cashel
St: Mary’s 2/2 Scoil Padraig
Cashel 0/1 St: Mary’s
Scoil Padraig 1/4 St: Patrick’s
St: Patrick’s 2/1 St: Mary’s
Cashel 5/1 Scoil Padraig
Winners: St: Mary’s NS, Glaslough, Monaghan
PANEL: Karl McKenna, Michael McAlister, Oisin Campbell, James Boyle, Jake Duffy, Ryan O’Neill, Robert McAlister, Kyle Tracey
Teacher: Mark Macklin
Runner Up: Cashel NS, Donegal
Other schools participating:
Scoil Padraig, Rasheney, Inishowen: Alan Doherty, Tiernan Divine, Matthew Duffy, Matthew McLaughlin, DJ McGeoghan, Corey McBride, Tyler McBride, Ryan McLaughlin, Jack McLaughlin
St: Patrick’s NS, Kilnaleck, Cavan: Patrick O’Reilly, James Smith, Anthony Smith, Peter Smith, Oladapo Olawareju, Edward Deveraux, Emmet Boylan, Eric Hoare
Girls “A” Schools:
TEAMS
Illies NS, Inishowen
Scoil Mhuire, Glenties, Donegal
Aughadreena NS, Lavey, Cavan
St: Mary’s NS, Glaslough, Monaghan
RESULTS
Aughadreena 0/3 Glenties
Glaslough 0/0 Illies
Glenties 8/0 Glaslough
Illies 0/1 Aughadreena
Aughadreena 4/0 Glaslough
Glenties 6/1 Illies
Winners: Scoil Mhuire,Glenties, Donegal
PANEL: Dearbhla Ward, Shauna Quinn, Amy Boyle Carr, Gemma Byrne, Danielle McDermott, Niamh O’Donnell, Kristy Gallagher, Mary Mannering
Teacher: John G McCann
Runners Up: Aughadreena NS, Lavey, Cavan
PANEL: Hannah O’Toole, Suzanne Cusack, Amy Cusack, Nheaca Smyth, Cliona Smith, Michael O’Sullivan, Celine Donohoe
Teacher: Eilish Smith
Other participating schools:
Illies NS, Inishowen: Amy Grant, Claire Doherty, Patricia Grant, Karia Arbucklr, Lrana Devlin, Jemma McLaughlin, Andrea Kelly
Manager: John Doherty
St: Mary’s NS, Glaslough, Monaghan: Stephenie Lynch (Capt), Verity O’Connor, Ellen Mulligan, Ellen Molloy, Shannon Couglan, Sarah Chifor, Cara McKenna, Dearbhla Trainor
Teacher: Mark Macklin
“B” Schools:
TEAMS
St: Patrick’s NS, Carndonagh, Inishowen
St: Baithins, NS, St: Johnston, Donegal
St: Mary’s NS, Virginia, Cavan
Scoil Mhuire BNS, Castleblaney, Monaghan
RESULTS
Virginia 0/0 St: Johnston
Castleblaney 2/4 Carndonagh
St: Johnston 3/2 Castleblaney
Carndonagh 5/1 Virginia
Virginia 3/3 Castleblaney
St: Johnston 2/4 Carndonagh
Winners: 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
Runners Up: St: Baithin’s NS, St: Johnston, Donegal
PANEL: Ethan Coll, Brett McGinty (Capt), Michael Devine, Jason Fitzpatrick, Conor Doherty, Dylan McElhinney, Damien Keys, Oran Higgins
Teacher: Ann Marie Meehan
Other participating schools:
St: Mary’s NS, Virginia, Cavan: Brian Quigley, Scott O’Rourke, Brendan Kenny, Gary Sheridan, Conor Farrelly, Michael Smollen, Liam Maguire, Ronan Patterson, Matthew Magee, Alan O’Reilly
Teacher: Peadar Quigley
Scoil Mhuire BNS, Castleblaney, Monaghan: James Wilson, Tommy Meehan, Ben McNee, Alan Duffy, Colin Merrick, Tarris Kotolous, Tantydas Samelevicias, Gavin Kelly
Girls “B” Schools:
TEAMS
Scoil Iosagain, Buncrana, Inishowen
Scoil Naomh Fiachra, Illistrin, Donegal
St: Mary’s NS, Virginia, Cavan
Gaelscoil Ultain, Monaghan Town
RESULTS
Virginia 6/0 Buncrana
Illistrin 0/4 Gaelscoil Ultain
Buncrana 1/4 Illistrin
Gaelscoil Ultain 4/1 Virginia
Virginia 4/1 Illistrin
Buncrana 0/4 Gaelscoil Ultain
Winners: Gaelscoil Ultain, Muineachan
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, (Alison Nic Giolla Bhríde)
Múinteoir: Joe Ó Gallchoir
Runner Up: St: Mary’s NS, Virginia, Cavan
PANEL: Clara Lynch (Capt), Ellie Smith, Aisling Kearney, Raminta Ivaskeviciute, Tara Fitzpatrick, Elyce Brady, Stephenie Noelle Lynch, Ceallsaí O’Brien
Teacher: Claire Galligan
Other participating schools:
Scoil Naomh Fiachra, Illistrin, Letterkenny, Donegal: Kayleigh Barry, Aisling Nee, Monica Alinyemi, Alannah Gallagher, Hannah Maguire, Chloe Friel, Megan Malone, Emer McHugh
Scoil Iosagain, Buncrana, Inishowen: Caithlin Crossan, Ellen Connolly, Ciara O’Neill, Bernie Bevlin, Catherin Loughrey, Gemma Birmingham, Lucy McDermott, Gillian O’Loughlin
Teacher: Conor Delap
“C” Schools:
TEAMS
Scoil Iosagain, Buncrana, Inishowen
Gaelscoil Adhamhnain, Donegal
St: Felim’s NS, Cavan Town
Scoil Mhuire, Muineachain
RESULTS
St: Felims 1/3 Buncrana
Gaelscoil v Scoil Mhuire
Buncrana 4/0 Gaelscoil
Scoil Mhuire 1/2 St: Felims
St Felims 3/6 Gaelscoil
Buncrana 2/2 Scoil Mhuire
Winners: Scoil Iosagain, Buncrana, Inishowen
PANEL: Toby Doherty, John Doherty, Ryan McElhinney, Eoin Murphy, James Adair, Shane Dillon, Ronan Hegarty, Jack McDaid
Teacher: Maria Doherty, Josephine Doherty, Jonathon Adair
Runners Up: Gaelscoil Adhamhnain, Donegal
PANEL: Alan Mac Stiofain, Eouis Mac Gaoithin, Niall O hAnnagáin, Jeaic Mac Ceallabhuí, Briain Mac a tSaor, Cathair O Dochartaigh, Collum Tulloch, Marc O hUiginn
Teacher: Pól Mac Giolla Bhríde
Other participating schools:
Scoil Mhuire, Muineachain: Daire Martin, Aaron McNally, Boazi Asumani, Dylan Kelly, Ethan Murphy, Soky John, Ben Kierans Flynn, Thomas Croarkin
Teachers:Colm Mac Cinna, Declan McKenna
St: Felim’s NS, Cavan Town: Luke Molloy, Bernard Murray, Gary O’Rourke (1), Gary O’Rourke (2), Tristan Lynch, Steven McDonald, Victor Babatunde, Killian Crowe Brady
Teacher:John Mc Hugh, Principal: Barry Tierney