St Mary’s Newport chase first All-Ireland Schools title

GAA: Masita All-Ireland Post Primary Schools Senior ‘D’ Hurling Final Preview

By Liam Hogan

ST. MARY’S SS, NEWPORT

V

COLAISTE EINDE, SALTHILL

Dr Daly Park, Tulla

Saturday, 16th March

Throw-in @ 12.00pm

It is another Tipperary versus Galway All-Ireland final but this time in the guise of All-Ireland Post Primary Schools Senior ‘D’ Hurling Final as Munster champions St. Mary’s Secondary School Newport take on Connacht champions Colaiste Einde, from Salthill, with the Niall McInerney Cup, named after the late great Galway defender up for grabs.

St Mary’s take their place in the final on the back of a hard fought campaign over the last six months. Nenagh Eire Og clubman David Minogue is the manager with Ballinahinch native Paddy Kelly as coach.

“We started with a two point win over Killenaule last October,” Kelly began of their run to the final.

“In November, we had a close contest with St. Anne’s from Killaloe in the Munster quarter final at UL (pulling away in the end to win by four). Our Munster semi-final opponents were Scoil Mhuire of Blarney and we made the long journey to Bishopstown before coming away with a good win. The final Munster final against Mungret was very close but we won by one or two points.”

After an All-Ireland semi-final win over Presentation Killina, St. Mary’s have not seen too much silverware of late, but this team had a final as their target as the school did well in the under 17 ‘D’ competition last year. Kelly agreed that his team have a lot of experience with county and development squads coming from both Tipp and Limerick while Newport is supplying eighteen of the panel of thirty.

“We have two players on the (Tipp) Celtic Challenge team, Cathal Hannon our full back and Cillian Collins at full forward,” Kelly added.

“Our centre back Colm Kennedy of Sean Treacys would have been on the Tipperary minor team last year playing at wing forward. Shane Flanagan, who is joint captain was on the Tipperary minor footballers last year and enjoyed success with the Celtic challenge team as well.”

Limerick clubs supply eight to the squad with the local Murroe-Boher club supplying the majority including Darren Collopy who was the Limerick minor hurling captain last year. Cathal Sheridan (is carrying an injury and has been in and out of the first fifteen was) with the Limerick minor team in 2023 while Tommy Cusack is currently on the Limerick minor hurling squad.

It’s the school’s first time in an All-Ireland final and there is great hunger for success which has been slow in coming according to the Newport coach.

“We haven’t won much over the years,” Kelly continued.

“We won a Munster ‘C’ in 2013 and reached a Munster ‘B’ semi-final in 2015, David Gleeson, Conor Floyd and Pa Ryan were on the team. This (2024) team made the semi-final of the Junior ‘D’ last year.

“There is great excitement. We don’t know too much about Colaiste Einde except to say they are a multi-sport school where hurling is not their number one sport.”

Colaiste Einde are coached by former Galway midfielder David Tierney, joined by Tom Fox, Paul Glynn and Cillian Folan on the management team.

“It’s nice to see the players taking the hurl with them and I see a few of them out in the field each morning,” Tierney said of hurling on the western side of Galway city where football is king in terms of GAA.

“The hurling comes in waves,” he continued.

“We compete in a lot of sports like last year it could be rugby, soccer, or Gaelic football the year before.

“In the early stages this season we didn’t know our full team with players involved in other sports and then there are mock exams. Both Bryan Walsh and Lorcan Sampietro are playing rugby with Connacht and the school teams. Sean Walsh plays rugby with Ireland and was a Galway minor last year. He is currently injured and won’t be playing on Saturday.”

Colaiste Einde topped their group with victories over Woodford and An Spideal, and received a walkover against St. Jarlath’s of Tuam. The knockout games provided a mixture of ups and downs with Colaiste Einde sometimes lucky to get over the line.

“The first round win over Woodford was great,” Tierney added.

“They were champions last year. We were lucky against An Spideal. Ballyhaunis could have beaten us in the quarter final. You see, I didn’t know if we would have a team for the quarter final game as there were injuries and mock exams taking place.

“In the Connacht semi-final we looked winners a long way out against St. Gerard’s of Castlebar but were lucky to get over the line in the finish as they produced a big comeback. The game was played on astro and we would not be too happy with the way we conceded the goals. The other side is that we found a way to get over the line.”

Colaiste Einde had a long wait for the final with the other semi-final between Colaiste Chroi Mhuire, An Spideal and Roscommon Community School played three days before the final, so Colaiste Einde hadn’t much time to take stock of the opposition but had enough to beat An Spideal. In the All-Ireland semi-final, they edged a high scoring affair with Dean MacGuirc from Carrickmore, 6-13 to 7-8.