New Season Planned As Celebrations Continue

Sun, 13th August 2023

Primary and secondary school teachers, school GPOs and club mentors are currently enjoying the great satisfaction of seeing their efforts over many years contribute to another historic double All-Ireland success for Dublin.

Cumann na mBunscol teachers are disappointed to have missed out on all the pre-finals promotion as a result of the new championship format but they fully intend to compensate when star players visit the schools with Sam and Brendan in the coming months. A very warm welcome awaits the heroes.

Before schools open, however, the 350 teams entered for the autumn football leagues are currently being organised into divisions for boys, girls and go-games. A bumper season is in prospect again with a whole new generation dreaming of playing in Croke Park in October. There are always future stars on display at these great, eagerly- awaited games at GAA headquarters.

Current Corn Kitterick - formerly Corn Sweet Afton - champions are St. Mary’s, Rathfarnham. They will be hard to stop winning back-to-back finals for the school of former Cumann na mBunscol chairman Edward O’Riordan. Last season they had a single point victory over famed Scoil Mhuire, Marino,in a superb encounter. Scoil Mhuire have won this cup more times than any other schools having first won it in 1938. Niall Scully in the Evening Herald described last season’s contest as ‘the game of the year, with enough action to fill all the pages of A Season Of Sundays.’

St. Mary’s, Rathfarnham, Corn Kitterick champions.

Barney Rock, a winner in 1971, presented the cup to St. Mary’s captain Finn McEntee.

Corn Austin Finn, named in honour of legendary photographer Austin Finn, is the cup for Division 1 girls’ football. Belgrove GNS, Clontarf, took the title last autumn after a great struggle with St. Brigid’s, Castleknock for whom Ruth Feeney was one of the outstanding players. She contributes 1-3 and is one to watch for the future.

There will be many great games over the two days of finals with awards for the best players, for top-scorers and best ‘Cool Báire’. School will bring bus-loads of colourful and vociferous fans who will make their presence felt in Croker. Once Sam has settled in the capital, the battles will begin at over 50 venues across city and county.

Ladies Doing Us Proud

Most of the victorious Dublin Ladies team, like their male counterparts, played in the Cumann mBunscol leagues and finals. The first Cumann na mBunscol girls’ blitz was held in Fairview Park in 1986 with only a handful of schools participating.

By 1988, enough schools were involved to form a two-division league. The growth since then has been phenomenal and girls are now competing at a really high level. Dublin’s success has been build on Cumann na mBunscol stars who have gone on to achieve with their clubs and bring great honour to the capital city.

Lauren McGee in Croke Park with her father Johnny and uncle Darren.

Superstars such as Sinéad Aherne, Nicole Owens and Niamh McEvoy, St. Oliver Plunkett, Malahide, Rachel Ruddy, Scoil Cholmcille, Knocklyon, Sarah McCaffrey agus Eimear Ní Eafa, Scoil Neasáin are all former Cumann na mBunscol winners.

Olwyn Carey, Scoil Maelruáin, Old Bawn, was another who won in Croke Park along with current players such as Leah Caffrey, St. Brigid’s, Blanchardstown and Lauryn McGee - a two-time winner with Gaelscoil Thaobh Na Coille in Stepaside.