A real chance for Coláiste Mhuire to win a second Leinster senior ‘A’ title
By Gerry Buckley
A first round assessment of a school team can often be misleading, but yours truly was instantly impressed when witnessing Coláiste Mhuire’s opening encounter in the race for the Bro Bosco Cup on October 17 last on the resplendent home pitch of 1979 Hogan Cup winners, Ard Scoil Rís from Dublin.
Fast forward almost four months to February 8, 2025, and the handful of diehard supporters who cheered on the young men in green and black at the Griffith Avenue venue that afternoon will be swelled by throngs of fans in O’Connor Park next Saturday (throw-in 1pm). With a large pick of clubs from the town of Mullingar and its outskirts, there will be no shortage of vocal support for Matthew Thornton and his merry men as they bid to win just a second crown in the grade.
While all non-Dubs continue to bemoan the Metropolitans’ utter dominance of the Delaney Cup, a similar fate has thankfully not befallen the Bro Bosco Cup. Indeed, with the wonderful exception of Luke Dempsey’s outstanding St Joseph’s, Rochfortbridge side in the Covid-delayed 2020 championship (when the winning XV included 13 Westmeath players), Naas CBS have won every title since 2018 (the aforementioned Covid meant that there was no competition in 2021). Ironically, prior to that, no Kildare school had won since St Thomas’s, Newbridge in 1923.
Of course, it is another ‘Lilywhite’ school which stands in the way of Coláiste Mhuire next Saturday in Tullamore, with first-time finalists Ardscoil na Tríonóide from Athy certain to provide a severe test for the young men from the Hevey Institute. Many observers feel that the Mullingar school has underachieved at senior level for many years now, albeit a superb All-Ireland winning junior side from seven years ago never got to fulfil its potential as a senior unit because of Covid.
That superb team defeated the famed St Brendan’s, Killarney in a memorable decider in Bansha in 2018, and included current Westmeath senior squad members in Charlie Drumm, Enda Gaffney, Fionn O’Hara and Kevin O’Sullivan (as well as hurling panellists Dean Ennis and Shane Williams). A managerial link with that side is retained via Brian Murtagh, while Dean McNicholas and Matthew Gaffney will be the Roscommon man’s trusted lieutenants on the line next weekend.
Despite the unfortunate absence of two potentially key players through injury, there is no shortage of class in the Coláiste Mhuire ranks. Mikey Weir, Michael Moloney and Darragh Smith are among those who have consistently excelled in defence. Eoin Conlon has been outstanding throughout at midfield, while it would be hard to pick more talented forwards at this level than Will Scahill and skipper Thornton.
Nowadays, an impressive bench is crucial to a team’s success and the management have been able to call on their subs to good effect throughout what has been a hugely impressive campaign.
The word on the colleges’ scene from as far back as last September was that Ardscoil na Trionóide would take a lot of beating in 2024/25, and the Athy boys will not lack confidence approaching this eagerly-awaited decider. They were very decisive victors over Moate Community School in the semi-final, thereby preventing just a third ever all-Westmeath showdown (see 1981 and 1983 below). James Donnelly is a quality central pivot, with Calum Keaveny and Mark Grufferty other defenders to watch out for. Their midfield partnership of Eoin Johnson and Robbie Murphy is one of the best around, while Ronan Kelly at wing forward is a real handful. Powerful full forward Darragh Farrell will also take some marking.
However, from what this scribe has seen, if the Coláiste Mhuire lads perform to their best individually and collectively on the day, they have every chance of bridging that yawning 42-year gap.
Coláiste Mhuire’s previous Leinster SFC final appearances
Senior football teams representing Coláiste Mhuire, Mullingar (when known as St Mary’s CBS) have appeared in four previous Leinster colleges finals, all in the 1980s, winning the title just once all in 1983. Many young men who went on to represent their clubs and Westmeath with distinction over the years crop up in the lists hereunder. Indeed, a number of fathers and uncles of the stars of 2025 are also in evidence.
March 22, 1981, Cusack Park, Carmelite College, Moate 1-6 St Mary’s CBS 0-5
St Mary’s CBS, team and scorers: Martin Duffy; Paul Rowan, Anthony Heery, Andy McKeon; John McKay, Jim Keena, Anthony Rowan (captain); Sean Murphy (0-4), Peter Smith; Paddy Walsh, Paul Colgan (0-1), Francis Wright; Michael Dunne, Declan Gillen, Sean Hynes. Sub: Peter Fagan for Dunne.
March 27, 1983, Kinnegad, St Mary’s CBS 1-5 Marist College, Athlone 0-5
St Mary’s CBS, team and scorers: Stephen Fagan; Richard McKenna, Michael Conlon, John Scally; Padraig McCarthy, Paul Rowan, Niall Devine; Tom Ormsby, Brendan Conlon (0-3); Paul Newman, Mark Kelly, Paddy Walsh; Michael O’Reilly, Sean Hynes (1-1) (captain), Patrick Doherty (0-1).
April 12, 1987, Tullamore, St Mel’s, Longford 2-13 St Mary’s CBS 1-4
St Mary’s CBS, team and scorers: John Doran; Ray Flynn, Frank Conway (captain), Noel Nugent; John Conlon, John Flynn, Paul Aherne; Paul Bruton, Glen McMahon; John Jordan, Eddie Gallagher (0-1), Larry Woods; Paddy Hassett (0-1), John Cooney (0-1), Kevin Kiernan (0-1). Sub: Derek Farrell (1-0) for Woods.
March 27, 1988, Croke Park, St Mel’s, Longford 2-8 St Mary’s CBS 1-4
St Mary’s CBS, team and scorers: Dermot Ryan; Ray Flynn, John Conlon (captain), David Molloy; Noel Nugent, Eddie Gallagher (0-1), Ivan O’Connor; Glen McMahon, Kevin Kiernan; Paddy Hassett (0-1), John Cooney (1-0), Larry Woods; Paddy Boyce, Eddie Casey (0-1), Derek Farrell (0-1). Subs: Michael Devine for Woods, Dermot Monaghan for O’Connor.