All Ireland Hurling Finals 2024
March 14, 2024๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ก๐ ๐ก๐๐ข๐ซ๐๐๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐
Paddy Buggy Cup Winners ๐ฆโฌ๏ธ St Killian’s College
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
All-Ireland Post Primary GAA Paddy Buggy Cup ๐ Final
โฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธBlackwater CS Lismore 0-13 V ๐ฆโฌ๏ธ St Killian’s College 4-13
FIXTURE:
REPORT ๐
Excitement building as St Killian’s prepare for All-Ireland final shot
The Garron Tower boys face Blackwater Community School in Saturdayโs Paddy Buggy Cup final
ALL-IRELAND final fever has really caught on in St Killianโs, Garron Tower since they beat Portumna Community School in the Paddy Buggy Cup semi-final on March 2 according to vice-principal Pรกdraig McIlwaine, who forms the hurling management team alongside Michael McAllister, Paul McDonnell and Declan McKernan.
โThere were flags up before Christmas for the Mageean final and they havenโt really come down,โโ says McIlwaine ahead of tomorrowโs final clash against Blackwater Community School, Lismore at Abbottstown.
โโBut you canโt miss the school colours these days. There are flagโs, bunting everywhere. The atmosphere is building and there is just a great buzz around the place, something we havenโt really experienced in the school before.
โMark Sidebottom is a past pupil and he had the BBC Sports cameraman in during the week doing a few interviews and that also adds to the occasion.โ
Itโs fully 60 years since the Mageean Cup was taken to Garron Tower. Back then the school name was St MacNissiโs and they lost an All-Ireland semi-final to St Peterโs Wexford.
โI would know a lot of the men who played in that team and they tell great stories about playing in Croke Park that day. This team mightnโt have got the chance to play in Croke Park, but they have really put hurling back on the map in the school.โ
McIlwaine appreciates the achievements of the present team more than most as he and Michael McAllister played for the school back in the mid-90s when they lost three Mageean finals in a row.
โYeah, we lost to St Maryโs and then twice to (St Patrickโs) Maghera. Maghera decided to go for the Croke Cup and, as runners up, we got a chance at an All-Ireland semi-final. But we couldnโt make it count.โ
The Oisinโs clubman returned to his alma mater as a teacher in 2001 and he has been involved in preparing hurling teams since.
โA helluva lot of work goes into getting this far in a competition, both on the training pitch and behind the scenes โ and the work increases the further you go on โ fund-raisers, coffee mornings, quizzes โ but it really pulls the school community together.โ
The real business is preparing the team to produce the goods on the day, which happened in the Mageean final and again in the recent semi-final. Both were high-scoring games, 0-17 to 0-13 and 4-16 to 2-16 respectively.
โIt was the right decision to postpone the Mageean final before Christmas because of the heavy rain. The re-fixture was played on a crisp and cold evening and it allowed for a great game.
โThe semi-final a fortnight ago was moved to the 4G pitch in Darver and that made for a fast game too and there was a lot of scores.
โIf you look at our scoreline and then the Blackwater v Banagher match in the other semi-final on the same day, the first thing you notice is the difference in scoring (0-11 to 1-4). By all accounts the conditions were terrible for their game.
โBut their Munster final against Scariff was a high-scoring affair. You can watch that game on clubber and see that they are a very skilful team and if we get the right weather conditions it should be a very good game of hurling on Saturday.โ
The cutting edge of the St Killianโs forward line is captain Joseph McLaughlin and the manager has nothing but praise for the Ruairรญ รg teenager.
โWhat a year he had with the club! He is a very talented hurler, but he really works at his game. He is a great leader in the changing room and out on the training pitch. He is just so mature for a young fellow who is still at school.
โIn fairness there are quite a few leaders in the group and they drive training sessions. The standards are very much player-led. There are a few niggling injuries since the semi-final, but we are confident they will all have cleared up for the final.โ
McIlwaineโs son Callum is one of the midfielders and the father admits it will add another layer of pride to the achievement if they beat their Waterford opponents on Saturday.
โLook, donโt tell anyone this, but heโs a far better hurler than I ever was and heโs part of a great team. Hopefully they top off a great season by getting their hands on the Cup.โ
By Seamas McAleenan published in The Irish News March 14, 2024
All-Ireland Post Primary GAA ๐๐๐๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ ๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ฉ ๐ Semi-Final FIXTURE UPDATE
Buggy Cup semi-finals (All-Ireland PPS hurling): St Killianโs Garron Tower 4-16 Portumna CS 3-16; Blackwater CS Lismore 0-11 Banagher College 1-5
THREE goals and 10 points from Joseph McLaughlin saw St Killianโs, Garron Tower overcome……..
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All-Ireland Post Primary GAA ๐๐ข๐๐ก๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐๐๐ค ๐๐ฎ๐ฉ ๐ Semi-Final
All-Ireland Post Primary GAA ๐๐ข๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐ง๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ฉ ๐ Semi-Final