Well done to the girls and boys of Upper Glanmire NS who did themselves and everyone associated with them, proud in their recent Sciath na Scol Finals. Indeed it was a great achievement for both sides to come through their group stages and qualify for their respective finals, setting up this double bill at Páirc Uí Chaoimh. The games were initially scheduled for Thursday, November 13th but were postponed until the following Monday due to torrential rain on the eve of these deciders.
While the girls came up short in their final against a very strong Dunderrow NS side, the boys had a convincing victory over Rathduff NS. Captain Fionn Hickey and his vice-captain Conor Docherty have written themselves into the history books as being perhaps the last to hold aloft winning trophies in the iconic stadium that is Pairc Uí Chaoimh, as it is subject to its upcoming redevelopment. For Fionn, Conor and many of their team-mates this represents their fourth final win in 2014, having been involved with winning White’s Cross teams in under 12 (football) and under 13 (hurling and football) in recent months. Indeed their opponents Rathduff NS will be sick of the sight of these boys because most of them would have been involved with club side Grenagh who were our opponents in the Under 13 football final triumph!
White’s Cross GAA applauds the work being done at Upper Glanmire NS in the coaching of various sports, including GAA – mol an óige agus tiocfaidh sí. In this regard we give special praise to Mr. Scanlon, Mr. O’Sullivan, Ms. Healy and Ms. O’Halloran who coached the teams to these finals. Indeed Mr. Scanlon plays his club football with White’s Cross and we also claim a piece of Mr. O Sullivan, as his father-in-law Noel Murphy was instrumental in helping White’s Cross to their first major scalp fifty years ago (November 1964) – an East Cork Junior A Hurling League win.
White’s Cross GAA also congratulate and thank Finbarr Kiely who assisted with the coaching of these two teams but who has also been coaching other class groups at Upper Glanmire National School. For the past twelve years White’s Cross has been sponsoring a project that sees a qualified GAA coach spending a day each week at Upper Glanmire NS coaching GAA to the pupils from a variety of classes. When Finbarr became involved as a coach to our Junior footballers back in 2004 this role at the school was also offered to him some time later and he has been completing it each year since. In the intervening 10 years, along with coaching the boys and girls, Finbarr guided our Junior A Footballers to 4 Junior A divisional championships, 3 Junior A league titles and 8 Junior A Cup titles. Míle buíochas Finbarr!
A final word to the cailíní – girls keep the heads up – this recent disappointment will make victory all the sweeter when it does come – and with the camogie to look forward to in the Spring this might not be that far off at all…