Contents:

• Scoil Stag Trip to Scotland
• AFL2 and AFL7 League Playoffs
• Ladies Win Cup Final
• Girls Championship Wins
• Meet the Members: Finbarr Maher
• Other News
• Team News
• Fixtures

Lord Mayor Launches Scotland Trip

The final countdown is on as our juvenile section prepare to set off on their trip to Belfast and Scotland this coming bank holiday weekend.

It’s gearing up to be one of the most exciting weekends of the year as our young players get ready to fly the Scoil colours across the Irish sea.

The trip was officially launched by the Lord Mayor Dublin, Mícheál MacDonncha, this afternoon in the Mansion House.

FULL DETAILS:

The group will travel to Belfast where they will play a game against St Paul’s GAA, then take the ferry to Cairnryan and travel to Ayr in Scotland. After an overnight stay they will then travel to Glasgow to play Glasgow Gaels.

#scoilontour

Scoil Making Headlines

Check out Tuesday’s Herald where Scoil’s trip to Scotland is making headlines!

Men’s League Playoffs

An important weekend of football for our men’s sections as both the AFL2 and AFL7 prepare for their league playoffs. Get your Scoil colours on and come out to support the lads this Sunday. AFL2 take on Na Fianna in their playoff semi-final at 3pm in Scoil while the AFL7 come up against Thomas Davis in their playoff final at 11am in Kiltipper Road. #UpScoil

Ladies Win Cup Final

Congratulations to our Ladies team who won the Cup Final on Sunday afternoon after beating Foxrock Cabinteely in Clontarf Road. Scoil took the lead from the start in what was an exciting end to a great weekend of football for the club. Next up – the league final where the Ladies will take on Raheny in a bid to be crowned division 5 champions. Get out to support the girls this Thursday 26th October at 8pm in St Monicas, Edenmore. #UpScoil

Scoil Girls Win on the Double

An exciting weekend in girls football for the club saw Scoil take not just one but two championship titles . Not even the stormy conditions on Saturday morning could put a stop to our Under 15 girls as they took on Lucan Sarsfields in their Championship final finishing on top at the final whistle. The Under 14s continued the winning streak on Sunday afternoon beating Thomas Davis in what was a memorable weekend for girls football. Check out some of the action from the U15 final here. #UpScoil

Meet Finbarr Maher

How long have you been involved in Scoil Uí Chonaill?

Since I was six so go do the maths

Do you have any nicknames?

How do you like to be addressed? Nothing you could print for the nick names – Finbarr works for me

Where do you hail from? 

Drumcondra via the Home of Hurling Borris-ileigh in Tipperary, were you either a Maher, Ryan, Kennedy or a greyhound

How did you come to be involved in Scoil?

My father came to Dublin at 15 to work in the pub Mahers of Richmond road so being a St Vincent’s pub he played minor and then intermediate for them as a culchie, So the plan was for me and my brother to don the Blue and White. Thankfully my mother was waiting for revenge on my father for christening my elder brother Philip instead of Brendan and so she signed us up for Scoil the first chance she got, by the way she also won the battle of the Christening as my brother is called Brendan by everyone to this day.

Briefly describe your Scoil career.

Played Senior Hurling and Football from the late 80’s to the mid noughties and was fortunate to play with some of the very best Scoil has produced. The end of my career coincided with our fall down the ranks which is a regret, but is marvellous to see the current men’s and ladies teams rise up those ranks again,

What would you say you are most known for within Scoil?

Currently the Juvenile Section and for having a boot full of equipment and being able to source new kit from unknown sources

What has been your greatest Scoil moment / achievement?

Winning the clubs only Senior league Hurling title in 1992, jaysus 25 years ago – scary

What is your profession / field of study / passion?

I work in Financial Services with AIB

What are your favourite hobbies outside of GAA?

There are other hobbies? Well I never…

If you could make one addition to Scoil in any way, what would it be?

Full size all weather running parallel to the main pitch

What is your favourite Scoil ‘quirk’?

Dick Murphy, Mossey Carroll and Gerry Rowley in the OCS yard handing out the reminder cards with the time of the match with the heading of “BE THERE RAIN, HAIL or SNOW”. You notice there was no SHINE. Well it was the late 70’s / early 80’s so the sun didn’t appear until the 1990’s.

The other quirk these magicians had was the ability to fit as many kids as possible into a car. Health and safety how are you! I am sure we arrived to some juvenile matches and the opposition thought that Duffys Circus had arrived with the amount of clowns that got out of the car. Honourable mention also to TJ for his 8 in a mini for one of our Minor matches.

If you close your eyes and envisage Scoil in 10 years, what do you see? 

Hopefully the same club spirit and ethos with a welcome for all that exists today, who have climbed our way back to the top table of Dublin GAA (we’re nearly there), have started to populate county teams at both men’s and woman’s and that when All Irelands are won by Dublin teams in the future we don’t have to struggle to get a player to bring the cup to Scoil, because it will one or more of our own carrying it in.

Finally, if you had to describe yourself as an animal, what would it be and why?

A big old dog, quite, friendly, and easy going, just keep him fed and let him sleep,  but step on his tail oh dear!!!

Other News

Scoil Gets Spooky

Get your spookiest costume on and join us in the clubhouse on Saturday 28th October between 3pm and 4:30pm for an afternoon of Halloween fun. This event is open to our Nursery, Under 8 and Under 9 teams. Tickets will be on sale at the Nursery on the 28th October (€3 per child or €6 per family). Please note this is not a supervised event. Parents MUST be in attendance.

Juvenile registrations are now due and can be paid online by following this link.

Save the Date

The Scoil Uí Chonaill AGM will be held on Thursday 30th November in the clubhouse. All adult members are encouraged to attend and have their say in how our club is run.

• Under 12 girls pictured after finishing top of their league on a stormy Saturday morning in Scoil.
• Our three winning Ladies teams celebrating a successful weekend for the Scoil girls
• Best of luck to our boys who are representing Scoil Neasáin in their Cumann na mBunscol Final in Croke Park this Thursday.
• Our Under 8 boys are taking a break from their usual football and hurling matches on Saturdaymorning to test their skills with a game of Footgolf in Deer Park in Howth.

Team News

IN SUMMARY:

• AHL3 lose out to Round Towers on Sunday morning
• U12 boys, Lightenings secure league title on Saturday with just one defeat all year
• U12 girls finish out their 2017 season unbeaten after an exciting final match against Round Towers Lusk
• U10 hurlers continue their winning streak against Na Fianna to finish their league unbeaten
• U9 brave the wet and windy weather on the Hill of Howth for their final match against Beann Eadair
• U8’s far from damp squibs despite downpour
• Nursery continues, and welcomes newcomers as always

AHL3

v Round Towers Clondalkin 22/10/17

On a blustery morning our Inters played the second last league match of the season at home v Towers Clondalkin. we did not start well and found ourselves trailing by 7 points after 15 minutes where we hardly got the ball, there was a major turn around and topped off by a penalty scored by barry we led at the interval by 1 point. Towers started the second half with a bang within 7 minutes we  trailed by 5 points. Once again we rallied and retook the lead with 10 to go. Towers responded within a minute by scoring a goal followed 2 minutes later by a second goal. We finally lost by a scoreline of 2:13 to 5:9. We have one final league game v Boden at home probably on Sunday week 5th to guarantee our home semi final.

Scorers on the day Barry 1:8, Robert 1:0, Joe 0:2, Michael, Alastair & Eoin O Carroll 0:1 each

#UpScoil

LADIES

Cup Final v Foxrock Cabinteely 22/10/17

Scoil 3-12 Foxrock Cabinteely 1-4

A great Cup Final win sealed a marvelous weekend for the Scoil ladies teams. On a fine autumnal afternoon, two good footballing teams treated the large crowd to an entertaining game which was closer than the scoreline suggested.

Scoil made their usual quick start with an individual goal from Lucy Murphy, spotting a gap in the Foxrock defence and rifled the ball passed the keeper. Foxrock replied with two quick points, but proceeded to miss a number of scoreable chances, and a number of point blank saves from Hannah Costello in goal were crucial. Another fine goal from Lucy Murphy and a spread of points from Hannah Leahy, Sinead De Burca and Ciara McComish were followed by a slightly fortuitous goal from Aoife De Burca which gave Scoil a 10 point lead at halftime.

While Foxrock scored a goal early in the second half, Scoil maintained dominance, mainly through tireless running, and tackles from Naoise Ni Bhroin, Grainne Egan and Ciara McComish once again. Any late comeback was squashed with the rock at the back Laura O’Reilly, making vital interceptions and bringing calm to the backline to see out the victory. Added to this late scores from Sophie Gibney and Anna Power, saw the Scoil ladies get their hands on their first piece of silverware in 5 years.

On the final whistle, there were great celebrations, as captain Laura O’Reilly lifted the cup in front of her teammates and the excellent Scoil support. A great reception was held back in the clubhouse after the game, put on by the teams number one fans, the Scoil Sirens, and was greatly appreciated by all in attendance. It was a great way to mark a great achievement by the team, but also that of the U14 and U15 girls who claimed Championships that same weekend, and were all there to celebrate too.

Next up is a League title Play Off on Thursday 26th October in St.Monicas GAA, Edenmore at 8pm. The team has been spurred on by all of the support over the last number of weeks and are asking for one final push in their last game against Raheny.

#UpScoil

UNDER 15 GIRLS

Championship Final v Lucan Sarsfield 21/10/17

The Heavens cried and Brian, understandably did his warm up in the dressing room. Our girls faced this match with trepidation as Lucan had beaten them but that was before the under 14’s and under 15’s jelled together as a fighting force! This time they intended to win the championship. Despite a wide in the first minute of the game they were soon on the scoreboard and they didn’t yield an inch despite constant attacks from the Lucan forwards. By half time the score was 1.2 to Scoil to 3 points to Lucan so there was no room for complacency. However the girls dug deep cheered on by very vocal and very wet supporters and at full time they were delighted winners although the Co.Board official actually presented them with a Shield instead of the real cup. The atmosphere was absolute electric as Captain Isabelle gave a gracious speech and hugs and smiles were the order of the day.

As usual Isabelle was wonderful in the goalmouth ably supported by a very determined Jody. Siobhan kept appearing from nowhere to grab the ball and Kellyann has gone from strength to strength. Rachel covered every blade of grass and Sadhbh used her sense of anticipation to great effect. Meadhbh O Flaherty showed tenacity despite the wet conditions while Holly and Ella were masterful in mid field and Holly got a very important point near the end..Roisin was very much in evidence in attack and Abby darting in and out worried the opposition . Siofra M was, as usual, always where she was needed. Blathnaid was always a visible presence and of course we relied on Caoimhe for scores

Catherine made her dad proud with her performance.. Eve played a cracker despite having been ill all week and Reailtin bounced on and played in her usual energetic fashion. Meadhbh Kavanagh showed why she is such an Important asset to both teams. A special word of thanks to the subs who were part of the reason we got this far. Theirs is real team spirit

#UpScoil

UNDER 14 GIRLS

Championship Final v Thomas Davis 22/10/17

21 excited girls and their many supporters arrived early at Ballyboden on Sunday not knowing if they would have to move venue because of the weather the day before.  A quick change and Brian had them out on the pitch doing a very professional looking warm-up. They took the lead early on with a quick goal by Caoimhe but Thomas Davis were not going to make it easy for them. In fact this turned out to be a very dogged game. Every time we scored the opposition soared down the pitch with some excellent kickouts by their goalie.  By half time we were up five points. We knew, though the opposition didn’t, that many of our team had played in a pulsating final the day before. The question was would they be able to keep going?  Paul started using his subs but a bad fall by Sara was distracting to say the least as we waited for an ambulance to collect her.  Our wonderful parent swung into action to look after her with Jenny doing a Sir Walter Raleigh and taking off her coat for Sara’s use. On the pitch Davis started to catch up on us and we could hardly breathe with the tension of it all. We cannot say the same for a Davis supporter who kept blowing a whistle every time our girls took a free, very distracting and unsporting to say the least.  There was only a goal in it coming up to full time but we weren’t sure if the ref was going to play extra time and we could see our girls were almost on their knees but valiantly keeping going. The second half seemed to go on for about two hours but at last he blew the whistle and it was Scoil 3.5. to Davis 2.5. The girls had done the double TWO championship wins in two days. It was probably a first for Scoil and maybe for any other club. It was certainly a first for a team that consists of half under fourteens and the other half still under thirteen. The girls were wild with excitement and who could blame them?  The rest of us could have done with stiff brandies. A quick trip to the hospital to check up on Sara, she’s fine thank God, and it was back to the club to celebrate two wonderful wins. There we heard the ladies had won their cup too so it was definitely a case of girls rule ok. As usual our parents came up trumps with a great spread for the girls and all you could hear all night was “I just cannot believe it!”

It would be unfair to choose stars on the day. All the girls were stars because, whether playing today or not, at some stage during the championship they all played their own particular role on the different outings leading to the final.  Our backs were superb playing with grit and determination. Our half backs were mobile and ever present. It has to be said that our mid field pair were superb. Our half forwards did what they do best they kept attacking and our forwards bravely faced one particular Davis back who played like a tank trying to cut through them with sheer brute force.  It has to be said that over the whole weekend what was most evident was the Scoil spirit. Our under 14’s combined with our under 15’s has been a great success and it was marvellous to see both teams mixing and chatting together in the club that night. Of our mentors Brian was elated, Paul chuffed, Corey delighted and Larry almost speechless. A special word of thanks must go to Mark Candon for bringing two under twelves out to support us too. We may not be a big club but we certainly are a close one. Up Scoil.

#UpScoil

UNDER 10 BOYS HURLING

V Na Fianna 21/10/17

How it played out;
Not even the battering winds/rain of “Storm Brian” could stop Scoil Ui Chonaill’s U10s this morning.

Team Liam Ryan;
Great defensive performances from Charlie and Fionn at the back. Conall and Niall were dogged as usual in midfield and fought for every ball. Adam and Luke were excellent in the forwards!

Team Jp Courtney;
As Na Fianna were short players this morning, Tadhg & Aurelien agreed to play under Na Fianna banner and as expected they gave it 100% – so much so the little turncoats put Na Fianna x2 goals up!!
Thankfully the lads got to grips and came away worthy winners with Addi pulling the strings for the team today.

Who were the star performers / scorers
ENTIRE U10 PANEL.
This was our last Hurling Match of the season & it must be noted that both Scoil U10 Hurling Teams have gone another season Unbeaten – Maith SIBH Lads!!

What’s up next
SCOTTISH TRIP HERE WE COME!!

#UpScoil

UNDER 9 BOYS HURLING

v Binn Eadair 21/10/17

Wet weather and strong winds on the Hill of Howth against Binn Eadair was the background to the last hurling games of the season.  It did nothing to deter the Scoil lads getting stuck in for both games.

Team Cormac – some excellent displays of ground hurling from the boys in the first ten minutes  – Issac started in goals and did very well on a number of occasions to defend a crowded goal mouth. David and Conor Kelly helped in defence and the tireless duo of Jake and Killian chased and shouldered and  swept balls down field whenever they had the chance. Joe and Blaine got stuck in up front and didn’t let some of the bigger lads from Howth have it all their own way , the two of them worked well to combine to get the ball into the Howth teams goal mouth, with Blaine scoring a very nice goal. When the air hurling started we saw serious intent and effort from all the lads to pick up and shoot from hand although more practice is needed here from all to become more and more confident – there were great pickups and long shots from Blaine and Conor Kelly and Joe shot a super ball into the goal mouth from out wide which unfortunately got cleared. In the second half David was swapped for Senan and he made an immediate impact. Killian as industrious as ever was chasing and getting some fabulous hooks in to disrupt some of the more skilled Howth boys while Jake frustrated them no end with his excellently timed hip checks, hooks and blocks. Issac and Senan had some excellent pickups and passes and Senan made great headway with Conor to clear the balls from midfield down the park to the forwards – with Senan coming very close to a very sweet goal which just went wide. All in all a very good morning of hurling from the Scoil side in not very pleasant conditions.

Team Alan and Brendan – the first half got off to a familiar slow start and Scoil conceded a couple of goals in the opening minutes mainly through lack of organisation. Getting the players into positon and concentrating from the start of the game has been a problem all season but once we get going things usually improve. Much of the start of each half was spent defending and there was some great ground hurling from Ruairi Og and Calum and in clearing the ball. Some great puck outs from Conor Meehan helped get some quick long ball into midfield and forwards. Eoghan Og, Temi and David found it tough going in midfield against strong opposition but got forward on a couple of occasions once air hurling started, supplying ball to Senan who scored a nice goal and had a couple of frees. Lee supported Senan well up front. Given the weather the end couldn’t come soon enough.

Areas to work on would be clearing out and making space and then pickups and most of all hitting balls from hand, but all skills coming on nicely and the boys have come a long way since the start of the year where we could not even enter a team

#UpScoil

U8 Hurling

The U8s were far from damp squibs despite the downpour

Our U8s saved their best performance of the season for our final hurling league match against St Finians’ on Saturday.

How it all played out

Despite the biting wind and driving rain, our players gave their best and were super in all games.

The full range of skills that we have practised hard in training were evident including jab lifting, striking from the hand, hooking, blocking and even hand passing.

The team has made impressive progress and developed their skills over the past few months. We have more than held our own against the Dublin hurling powerhouses. A huge thank you is due to the players for the hard work and commitment that was required to get to this level.

The next challenge is to be ready to repeat these performances in the U9 league …..

Who were the star performers / scorers

So many players were excellent on the day that it is difficult to single out anyone. However, some of the highlights included:

Aoife Curtin scored 3 goals including one brilliant effort when she pulled on a moving ball.

Danny Kelly showed that he has been listening closely to the coaches and did a perfect hook to prevent an opponent from striking the ball.

Orlaigh made some wonderful tackles and was striking the ball crisply on the ground and in the air.

Our dedicated supporters who braved the elements to cheer on our little heroes must be acknowledged. Your support is greatly appreciated and makes a huge difference.

What’s up next

There is no match this weekend (28 Nov), due to Halloween bank holiday. The next football league match will be on Sat 4th Nov.

In the meantime, parents and guardians are advised to check the WhatsApp group as the coaches are trying to organise something special for this weekend.

#UpScoil

Nursery

Scoil Academy (kids born in 2010 and 2011) travelled the short distance to St. Anne’s Park to play Beann Eadair and Naomh Barróg in both football and hurling last Saturday. This was the third time we played these teams this year and with our new coaches in place for these games, our players did not disappoint.

We divided in 2 teams and played all our games against Naomh Barróg. In a change from our usual slow start we were very quickly out of the blocks and with our strong hurling skills we were quickly on top.  We got some great scores with excellent passing and strong striking making a big difference. In fact these skills were commented on by mentors from other teams. The excellent displays continued when we switched to football and it was great to see our players going for points in difficult conditions.

On a very wet morning (just before Storm Brian!!)  all the support provided by parents and family was much appreciated by the players and coaches. Thanks to all in Beann Eadair and Naomh Barrog for a well organised a series of matches.

We will have our final Wednesday night training for kids born in 2010 and 2011 on the 25th of October. The Saturday morning training will continue at 10am for another few weeks as long as the weather holds.

There was also a great turnout to Scoil Nursery last Saturday.  It was great to see parents joining in with training last Saturday and everyone is free to help out anytime. Congrats to our players of the week. As always new players are welcome to join in and have fun. Nursery continues as usual for everyone this Saturday morning at 10am.

Don’t forget the Halloween Party this Saturday afternoon from 3pm till 4.30pm in the clubhouse. Hope to see everyone there

#UpScoil

Fixtures