Colaiste Mhuire, Johnstown, Co. Kilkenny

The Coláiste Mhuire Johnstown Junior Hurling Team contested the MASITA GAA All-Ireland Vocational Schools semi-final in Claughan GAA club, Limerick on Saturday.  Their opponents were Causeway Comprehensive from North Kerry, a school with a proud hurling tradition who recently won their fifth Munster title at this grade.

Coláiste Mhuire lead by the minimum on a 1.05:0.07 scoreline at the interval, with Shane Madden (Rathdowney-Errill) scoring the major.  However, a combination of excellent score taking and the awarding of a number of soft frees saw the Munster men progress to the final on a 0.18:1.13 scoreline.  See http://pp.gaa.ie/match-results for further Schools Results.

Copies of the match DVD are available from Ms Sheehan or Mr Dunne, with photos available to view on the Student Shared folder.

Full match report & photos to follow.

Coláiste Mhuire’s U14 girls were involved in a blitz competition in O’Loughlin Gael’s G.A.A. grounds, Kilkenny on Wednesday, 6^th March 2013.  The Johnstown girls took on city schools Loreto College and Presentation Convent, as well as Grennan College Thomastown, with the top team progressing into the next stage of the competition.

In their first game, the girls played Loreto College and it was clear from the off that the city side held the advantage. Despite the awful weather conditions which made life difficult for both sides, Coláiste Mhuire tried their best, with goalkeeper Jacqueline Boyd in particularly outstanding form.

Losing the first match meant the team needed a positive result against Presentation Convent in the second round. This game was a much tighter affair. Shona Connelly was strong at fullback, while Danielle Martin led the charge from midfield. Ciara Tobin also caused the Presentation defence a lot of problems. Nonetheless, the Johnstown girls suffered a second defeat.

In their final match Coláiste Mhuire tackled Grennan College. Laura O’Sullivan really impressed with her running, and Zoe Crosby (captain) tried hard to rally her troops for a final assault on the Thomastown goal. Despite their best efforts, however, a win wasn’t forthcoming.

While positive results eluded the Coláiste Mhuire girls on the day, it wasn’t for the lack of effort on their part. Of some consolation was the announcement that star goalkeeper Jacqueline Boyd was named player of the tournament, so well done Jacqueline!  A good day out was had by all and with training and dedication a win is surely around the corner, so keep it up girls!

Panel: Zoe Crosby, (captain), Jennifer Saunders, Rebecca Walsh, Alise Rozalinska, Shannon Cleere, Leah Burke, Ailbhe Maddock, Caitriona Henderson, Ciara Maloney, Danielle Martin, Nisieah Dalton, Tori Brophy, Billie-Mae Geoghegan, Juliet Garrett, Chloe Mullins, Edel Dowd, Sarah Jane McCormack, Mairead Kennedy, Laura O’Sullivan, Shona Connolly, Roisin Colclough, Aideen Dawson Neary, Jacqueline Boyd, Ciara Tobin, Emma McEvoy, Siobhan Burke, Faye Condon, Rebecca Beehan & Sinead Clear.

Congratualtions to the Boys U14 Football team who won the South Leinster U14 Football title on Thursday, 21st January 2013.  The Johnstown lads had topped their group with victories over Grennan College (Thomastown), Scoil Aireagal (Ballyhale) and Abbey (Ferrybank).  This set-up a semi-final meeting away to St. Mary’s Secondary School, Castledermot (Kildare).  A comprehensive victory was recorded to book a place in the South Leinster final against Avondale Community College, Rathdrum (Wicklow).

Coláiste Mhuire Johnstown U14 Football Team with Mr J. Dunne (Coach) & Mr J. O’Grady (Manager) South Leinster Champions 2012-13

The final was played in the plush surroundings of Dr. Cullen Park, Carlow on a perfect day for football.  Both sides displayed early nerves but Coláiste Mhuire settled the quiker with a neat point from Keane Hayes  (Gortnahoe-Glengoole) after five minutes.  Points were exchanged between Hayes and his Avondale counterpart before some good build up play by Brian Kavanagh (Lisdowney) set-up Hayes for the games first goal.  The Gortnahoe man showed no shortage of confidence when one-on-one, coolly slotting it passed the Avondale keeper.

The Coláiste Mhuire lads seized the initiative by winning the resulting kick-out and Ciarán Dawson (Emeralds) reacted quickest to a through ball, which he blasted to the net.  This saw the Johnstown school lead 2.02 : 0.01 mid-way through the half.  However, they failed to raise another flag before the break as the Avondale players rallied and narrowed the gap to a major with four unanswered points.  This left the half-time score at 2.02 : 0.05.

The second half was a much more even affair than the first, with Avondale having much the better of the early exchanges.  In fact, they drew level at 2.02 : 0.08 before the introduction Stephen Delaney (Lisdowney) at wing back and the switching of Brian Kavanagh to midfield helped the Johnstown lads regain composure.  From here they went to kick six unanswered points, including a superb individual score from man-of-the-match Kavanagh and an insurance point from the industrious Niall Grehan-Carroll (Fenians).  Final Score Coláiste Mhuire Johnstown 2.08  : 0.08 Avondale C.C.

Coláiste Mhuire captain Brian Kavanagh receiving Sth Leinster Shield from Pat Henderson (GAA) with Mr J. O’Grady (Manager)

Coláiste Mhuire Johnstown now progress to play the Dublin champions, Chanel College (Crumlin) on Friday, 1st February in the All-Leinster Semi-Final.  Ballymahon Secondary School (Longford) await the winners in the U14 Leinster Final.  Best of Luck to the players and the team management, Mr Jim O’Grady and Mr John Dunne.

Coláiste Mhuire’s girls’ U16 Gaelic football panel lost out to St. Leo’s of Carlow in the League Final held in Carlow on Tuesday, 8th January 2013. The Johnstown girls were unbeaten all season, winning two and drawing one of their league games. Unfortunately, their good form deserted them, and Leo’s ran out convincing winners on this occasion.
Coláiste Mhuire started brightly, Niamh Dunne bagging a goal and a point, the latter set up by Sarah O’Connor. The home side found their way into the game, however, and overturned the deficit midway through the half. Despite a fantastic goal by Sarah O’Connor, the Carlow girls took a commanding lead into the break.
St. Leo’s bagged some early scores in the second half, stretching their lead. Despite being under tremendous pressure, the Johnstown girls fought valiantly to defend their line, and a goal by Niamh Dunne brought them back into the match. Unfortunately, they couldn’t continue the comeback, and St. Leo’s held on for a deserved victory.
Colaiste Mhuire’s cause was not helped by some dubious refereeing decisions, an early injury to centre-back Fionnuala O’Connell, Michelle Hickey’s back strain, and the absence of influential midfielder Kaylyn Burke. Nonetheless, the girls put up a brave fight and never gave up from start to finish. Goalkeeper Lauren Stanley made some marvellous saves. The defence of Siobháin Colclough, Danielle Phelan, Fionnuala O’ Connell and Rebecca Pembroke tried hard throughout, despite being under almost constant pressure. Bríd Moore and Natasha Phelan were strong at midfield and put some good balls into the forward line, where Michelle Hickey and Zoe Crosby covered enormous ground and played well. The inside forward line of Niamh Dunne, (captain), and Sarah O’Connor scored 3-1 between them, and should be happy with their efforts on the day. Stacey Dunne, Jacqueline Tobin and Ciara Tobin also did well when introduced. Also on the panel: Aimee Grace, Chelsea Boyd, Lauren Purcell, Ciara Flynn, and Shóna Connolly. Well done also to team management Ms A-M Fogarty and Mr C Madden.

Coláiste Mhuire Johnstown U16 Footballers recorded a hard fought victory over neighbours St Fergal’s Rathdowney in the South Leinster Junior Football Championship at the School Field in Johnstown, Monday 26^th November 2012.  Captain Paul Coss elected to play with the wind and this reaped early dividends as full forward Shane Curran kicked a fine opening point.  Paul Coss led by example when the influential midfielder scored an excellent individual point to double the advantage.  Coláiste Mhuire were the dominant side in the opening quarter, playing the more attractive and cohesive football.  This was epitomised by great build up play to corner forward Liam Dunphy’s well taken point.  This left the scoreline at 0.03:0.00 after 15 minutes.

St. Fergal’s brought out a third midfielder to regain some vital primary possession and they signalled their intent with a piercing run through the Johnstown rear guard and flashed a point over the bar.  Failure to win our own kick-outs and the resulting breaking ball, combined with poor use of the football and misplaced passes was an unwelcome feature of the second quarter.  The Rathdowney lads capitalised on this sloppy play by breaching the Johnstown defence for the game’s first goal.  Credit must go to Coláiste Mhuire goal-keeper Darren Brennan for having a very solid afternoon but he was left isolated on this occasion and had little chance from point blank range.  This saw St Fergal’s take the lead for the first & only time in the game 1.01:0.03.  However, the introduction of Shane Madden to the middle third rallied the Coláiste Mhuire lads and they equalised through a second neat point from Liam Dunphy (Lisdowney) after some good build up play.  The talented Karl Collins began to exert more influence at centre forward, helped by some tireless work from Jamie Moriarty, David Doheny and Willie Kenny in the forwards.  This saw the Johnstown lads draw a number of fouls from the tiring Rathdowney backs, with Collins converting the resulting frees.  St Fergal’s managed another point from play before the break, leaving the half-time score at 0.06:1.02 in favour of Coláiste Mhuire.

The second half started in similar fashion to the first with the Johnstown lads breaching the Rathdowney defence.  This resulted in the awarding of a penalty, which Karl Collins expertly dispatched to the net.  Unfortunately, the Coláiste Mhuire lads never capitalised on this early momentum and allowed the St Fergal’s boys back into the game.  Indeed, St Fergal’s had a number of good goal chances mid way through the half, two of which struck the woodwork.  The introduction of substitutes Darragh Quinn and Seán Power gave much needed cover to a jaded defence, where Aaron O’Neill, Niall O’Gorman & Dean McCann were working tirelessly.  So too did defenders Jack Delaney, Shane Fitzpatrick & Padraig Sweeney before their withdrawal.  Quinn’s impact was immediate as he made an impressive tackle to deny his man a goal scoring opportunity.  Midfield was bolstered by drafting Shane Curran out from full-forward to aid the hard-working Jack Dunphy, with the top scorer from the U14 championship two years ago Darragh Carroll keeping his Rathdowney clubmates on the back foot up front.

Overall, the second half was a low scoring affair but the effort & commitment levels from both sides were a joy to watch.  The fact that neither side wanted to lose was clearly evident.  Coláiste Mhuire were a little more balanced in their play and could work the ball well on both sides of the field, while St Fergal’s were over-dependent at times on their powerful central players.  However, the Johnstown lads can count themselves lucky to have survived a strong battle throughout, especially considering the woodwork came to their rescue on more than one occasion.  Final Score: Coláiste Mhuire Johnstown 1.06 – St Fergal’s Rathdowney 1.04.  The low score belies the standard of football & the manner in which both teams competed.  They were a credit to their managements (Mr J. Dunne & Mr J. O’Grady – CMJ and Mr P. Roe – St Fergal’s) and made life very easy for match referee Seán Everard (Tipperary).  Both teams now go on to complete the Round Robin Phase of the competition.  On the evidence of this display one wouldn’t rule out the possibility of meeting again in a South Leinster Final, which would be a joy if treated to a similar contest.  For now it’s back to the training field for the Coláiste Mhuire lads in order to improve skills necessary to win an elusive Leinster title.

Team & Scorers: D. Brennan, P. Sweeney, S. Fitzpatrick, J. Delaney, D. McCann, N. O’Gorman, A. O’Neill, P. Coss(c) (0.1), J. Dunphy, D. Doheny, K. Collins (1.2), J. Moriarty, W. Kenny, S. Curran (0.1), L. Dunphy (L) (0.2). Subs used: S. Madden, D. Quinn, D. Carroll & S. Power.

Well done to all our 1^st year boys who took part in the FUTSAL indoor soccer competition held in the Watershed, Kilkenny on Friday 16^th November.  Coláiste Mhuire entered two teams and both panels performed very well on the day.

Coláiste Mhuire Johnstown 1st Yr FUTSAL panel 2012 with manager Mr Phelan

As there was only one league for the boys’ teams, both Coláiste Mhuire teams had to face each other, and this turned out to be our first game of the day. In a tight affair, out ‘B’ team scored a second half winner and ran out 2-1 winners. This proved a sign of things to come, as the ‘A’ panel struggled to find form from then on, while the ‘B’ team used the win as a springboard to success.

The ‘A’ team lost a high-scoring second game 9-6 against a physically stronger Kilkenny City Vocational team.  Despite these opening two defeats, the boys regrouped and performed magnificently to beat Grennan College ‘B’ 11-0 in their next game.  Unfortunately our ‘A’ panel couldn’t maintain that standard, and lost their final two games in closely fought encounters.

In the meantime, our ‘B’ panel were going from strength to strength, winning two of their next three games, and drawing 4-4 against the Kilkenny City Vocational School. They won their penultimate game, which meant that a draw against Grennan College ‘A’ in their last match would see them through to the final.  Alas, although leading late on, the lads conceded two goals, meaning that the Thomastown outfit went through instead of our ‘B’ panel, where they defeated Kilkenny City Vocational School to win the tournament.

Coláiste Mhuire Johnstown 1st Yr FUTSAL panel 2012 with manager Mr Madden

A great day out was had by all, and all members of both panels conducted themselves extremely well on and off the pitches.  Mr Madden and Mr Phelan were very proud of their troops.  Many thanks also to Mr. Berry for his work with the 1^st years during the year so far.  They are a talented bunch and deserve great credit for their efforts on the day.

Panels (picture below): Darren Quinlan, Gary O’Sullivan, Ollie Kenny, Liam Grant, Conor Madden, Niall Brennan, Padraig Delaney, David Nolan, Mark FitzPatrick, Conor Houlihan, Dominik Frazcek, Nathan Ryan, Ben Tallis, Richie Dunne, Conor Tallis, Ryan Murphy, Carl Campion, Ger Kavanagh and Ciarán Colclough.

Coláiste Mhuire Johnstown 1st Year FAI FUTSAL Panels 2012

Junior Ladies Gaelic Football v Duiske College, Graignamanagh on Friday 9th November 2012.

Congratulations to the Colaiste Mhuire Junior Ladies Gaelic Football panel who easily defeated Duiske College, Graignamanagh in the second round of their league competition.

The Colaiste Mhuire ladies got off to a great start when Michelle Hickey, who was outstanding on the day, and Niamh Dunne bagged early scores. Coupled with some fine forward play by Sarah O’Connor and Zoe Crosby, this saw the home team into an early lead. They refused to ease up, and an excellent goal by Kaylyn Burke helped make the halftime score a comfortable one of 4-06 to 0-01.

The second half saw Colaiste Mhuire continue where they left off. Despite missing the absent Brid Moore, the strong combination of Kaylyn Burke and Natasha Phelan at midfield meant that the forwards received numerous scoring chances, most of which they duly converted. At the other end, the home side’s defence was in no mood to give away any easy scores. Fullback Siobhain Colclough was immense as usual, as were the halfback line of Rebecca Pembroke, Fionnuala O’Connell and Danielle Phelan.

Lauren Stanley did not have much to do but she still made some good saves and her kick-outs were accurate throughout. Sarah O’Sullivan provided some telling passes when introduced, while Stacey Dunne and Aimee Grace defended very well when they joined the action. Ciara Tobin also impressed when she entered the fray, scoring three goals and equalling the goal tally of star full forward and captain, Niamh Dunne.

In the end Colaiste Mhuire ran out convincing winners. The result means that the ladies are undefeated in their opening two league fixtures, with their final group game coming up shortly. The last match will probably decide who tops the group, so it’s a winner takes all contest! Well done to the panel and best of luck in the next game.

Second year students at Coláiste Mhuire Johnstown were rewarded for their effort in class and overall good behaviour with a trip to the Aviva Stadium.  The occasion was a World Cup Qualifier match for our national soccer team versus group favourites Germany.

The trip began at 2.15pm on Friday, 12th October 2012 when our drivers PJ & Matt pointed us in the direction of Dublin.  The buses were a Sea of Green with students embracing the opportunity to wear their country’s colours and join the Green Army.  The sense of occasion built as we joined our place in the convoy of traffic along the Grand Canal and the atmosphere began to build as we got off the buses outside The Mespel Hotel.  After a quick bite in Subway / Burger King on Baggot Street Upper we made the short trek to Landsdowne Road.  While en route we came across the RTE cameras and were fortunate enough to be featured on the RTE Six-One News! (To view the news footage go to the RTE Player for SixOne on Friday 12^th October or click on the following link www.rte.ie/player/ie/show/10064635/ )

The group were seated in the South Stand, behind the goal Ireland defended in the first half.   Germany lived up to their billing as favourites by scoring 3 first half goals.  To their credit, Ireland kept trying as the Green Army roared them on.  However, the half-time score remained 3:0.

Local hero Shane Long (Tipperary & West Brom) was introduced within minutes of the restart, much to the delight of the Coláiste Mhuire supporters.  Indeed, Long’s introduction coincided with Ireland’s best spell of the game so far.  Unfortunately, the German’s demonstrated why they are ranked second in the world by picking off 3 more goals through swift counter attacks.  However, the home supporters were rewarded for their faith when substitute Andy Keogh (Millwall) scored a diving header from a Robbie Brady (Man Utd) corner into our end.  This was met with glorious scenes from the Coláiste Mhuire contingent

Although there was a magnificent seven goals with Ireland only registering one, the Coláiste Mhuire crew thoroughly enjoyed the occasion despite the result.  The 72 second year students were extremely well behaved and were ably mentored by the 8 TY students who deserve a special mention.  This made for an enjoyable day for all, thanks in no small way to the organisation skills of Mr Madden, Mr Phelan and Mr Dunne as well as Mr Maher and Mr Comerford.

Coláiste Mhuire Johnstown students supporting Ireland v Germany @ the Aviva Stadium in Dublin (Friday, 12th October 2012)

Coláiste Mhuire Johnstown students supporting Ireland v Germany @ the Aviva Stadium in Dublin (Friday, 12th October 2012)

Coláiste Mhuire Johnstown students supporting Ireland v Germany @ the Aviva Stadium in Dublin (Friday, 12th October 2012)

Coláiste Mhuire Johnstown students supporting Ireland v Germany @ the Aviva Stadium in Dublin (Friday, 12th October 2012)

Coláiste Mhuire Johnstown students supporting Ireland v Germany @ the Aviva Stadium in Dublin (Friday, 12th October 2012)

Coláiste Mhuire Johnstown students supporting Ireland v Germany @ the Aviva Stadium in Dublin (Friday, 12th October 2012)

Congratulations to the Coláiste Mhuire Junior Ladies Gaelic Football panel who drew 2-6 to 2-6 with St. Leo’s (Carlow) in the first round of their league competition today (Tuesday, 2nd October 2012).

The Coláiste Mhuire Ladies got off to a great start when Niamh Dunne bagged an early goal and, along with some fine points by Brid Moore, saw the home team into an early lead. However, the Carlow side fought back late in the half, scoring 1-2 without reply, to leave the half-time score at Coláiste Mhuire 1-5, St. Leo’s 1-3.

The second half saw St. Leo’s continue where they left off in the first.  They managed to overcome the deficit, and coming close to the end they held a slender one point advantage. Nonetheless, when it was most required, top-scorer Niamh Dunne pointed with the last kick of the game to earn Coláiste Mhuire a well-deserved draw.

Lauren Stanley made some vital saves throughout the game. Defenders Siobhain Colclough, Fionnuala O’Connell, Danielle Phelan, and Kaylyn Burke fought hard against quality opposition forwards, while midfielders Brid Moore and Rebecca Pembroke improved as the game went on. In the forwards Michelle Hickey, Natasha Phelan, Zoe Crosby and Niamh Dunne (captain) did their best to grab the scores. Sarah O’Connor and Jacqueline Boyd also did well when introduced.

Best of luck to the panel and team management Ms D. Lyons, Ms G. Dunphy, Ms A-M Fogarty & Mr C. Madden, in their next game when they take on Duiske College (Graignamanagh).

A group of second year students at Coláiste Mhuire Johnstown were rewarded for their effort in class and overall good behaviour with a trip to the Aviva Stadium.  The occasion was an international soccer friendly versus the Czech Republic in preparation for Ireland’s European Championship campaign in June.  The group of students primarily consisted of Mr Madden’s class but additional places were rewarded to other second years. 

Mr Madden & Students (Seán Tobin, Brandon Phelan, Mary Corcoran & Lily Kenny) with a Scarf from the International Friendly @ Aviva

The trip began at 4.15pm on Wednesday, 29th February 2012 when our driver PJ pointed us in the direction of Dublin.  The bus was a Sea of Green with students embracing the opportunity to wear their country’s colours and join the Green Army.  The sense of occasion built as we joined our place in the convoy of traffic along the Grand Canal and the atmosphere began to build as we got off the bus outside The Mespel Hotel.  After a quick bite in Burger King and we made the short trek to Landsdowne Road.  We were slightly delayed by crowd congestion and found ourselves standing at the turnstiles for the national anthem!  However, we were just taking our seats at kick off and were able to enjoy Ireland’s first goal chance when local hero Shane Long (West Brom) came close to opening the scoring at the opposite end.  In front of us, Shay Given (Aston Villa) was quiet but effective on the times he was called upon.

Unfortunately, Long’s goal chance was as close as Ireland were to come in the opening half.  Both sides were content to retain possession and play with caution rather than moving forward and risk being exposed.  Although this was the first time many of the students had gone to see Ireland play soccer, the step up in class was obvious for all with the players all so comfortable on the ball.  There were many Premiership stars on both teams and their pace, skill and decision making were a treat to watch.  One of the main highlights of the first half came as the crowd around us began a “Mexican Wave” to show their support for the sides as well as hinting  at the lack of excitement on show!

The second half began with a noticeable increase in pace and penetration from both sides.  However, the Czech’s were to strike first when former Liverpool player Milan Baros scored.  This lit a spark in both the Irish players and supporters as Ireland pressed for an equaliser.  Substitutions were made on both sides with Simon Cox replacing his West Brom colleague Long and the much hyped James McClean (Sunderland) making his debut by coming on for Damien Duff (Fulham).  Both had immediate impacts and gave the side some much needed urgency.  Thankfully, Cox picked up a cross from Foley (Wolves) on the left, rounded the defender and coolly slotted the ball through Petr Cech’s (Chelsea) legs!  The stadium erupted and the Coláiste Mhuire contingent were as vocal as any.  If either side looked like winning at this stage it would have been Ireland but, alas, it was not to be as it finished a respectable 1:1.

On the final whistle we filed our way out of the stadium and back onto the bus.  However, the buzz of excitement among the students was still obvious with many of the chants learned being sung along Donnybrook and up the M50.  “Oh Trappatoni! He used to Italian but he’s Irish now!“  The journey down the M8 was a lot quieter as tiredness set in.  We arrived back in Johnstown shortly after midnight.  A very enjoyable night was had by all.  Mr Madden deserves full credit for organizing the tickets and bus for the occasion at a very reasonable €20.  He was ably assisted on the trip my Mr Dermody & Mr Dunne.  Thanks also to our bus driver PJ.  We would like to wish the Irish team the Best of Luck in the European Championships in June.  Go n-eirí an bóthair libh!

Lauren Stanley, Laura Whelan, Sarah O'Sullivan, Luke Woodward, Padraig Sweeney, Jack Delaney & Katelynn Burke Enjoying Match @ Aviva

Chris McGrath, Ciaráin Dawson, Chelsea Boyd & Shane Laffen Enjoying Match @ AvivaHarry Bourke, Katelynn Ivory & Michael Spellacy Enjoying Match @ Aviva