An historic and hugely successful football season came to a memorable close in Fethard Town Park on Thursday morning last, as our U11 Girls claimed the Roinn B County Title for only the second time in the school’s history. The 2025 season will also be remembered as the year our first ever boys’ football team competed in Cumann na mBunscol — the beginning of an exciting new chapter for the school.
Thursday’s triumph, played in the superb surroundings of Fethard Town Park, was no more than the ten girls deserved. In front of a large and vocal home crowd, the girls in wine settled quickly. A powerful penalty from Poppy Shanahan opened the scoring, the Fethard goalkeeper getting a strong hand to the shot but unable to prevent it crossing the line.
Fethard responded well with two excellent points from their talented full forward. Quinn Corbett and Aoife Gleeson had plenty to contend with in the early stages but steadily grew into the game, ultimately shutting down the Fethard attack. Remarkably, Fethard would not score from play for the remainder of the match — a testament to the defensive dominance of Quinn, Aoife, and the entire back line. Their display echoed the now-famous blitz in Dúrlas Óg last October, when the team went four games without conceding a single score.
At midfield, Sinéad Brophy and Poppy Shanahan covered every blade of the all-weather surface, driving the team forward. A clever one-two between Sinéad and Meadhbh Larkin carved open the Fethard defence, setting up Poppy to clinically finish her second goal. A pointed free for Fethard left a goal between the teams at half time as the players regrouped in the shade of the lively stand.
Lainey Ryan and Allie McLoughlin entered the action around the break and instantly made their presence felt. Both came close to finding the net — Lainey denied by a brave stop from the Fethard keeper and Allie’s effort agonisingly rebounding off the upright.
A booming kick-out from the ever-reliable Olivia Wade midway through the second half picked out Fiadh Ryan, who used her lightning footwork to glide past her marker before releasing Sinéad Brophy to fire home a crucial goal. Fiadh’s influence grew as the game opened up, and moments later she combined again with Poppy, whose finish completed a superb hat-trick and put Presentation firmly in command heading into the closing stages.
Poppy Gahan and Meadhbh Larkin re-entered the fray late on, immediately contributing with determined tackling and vital support play during a period of sustained pressure.
As the final whistle blew, parents and grandparents poured onto the pitch to embrace the ten outstanding players who had just secured a coveted county title. The trophy was presented by Dónal McCarthy, who praised both teams for the high standard of football and exemplary sportsmanship on display. A delighted Meadhbh Larkin accepted the cup on behalf of her jubilant teammates.
This victory concludes a remarkable football season for the school — a season filled with dedication, progress, and unforgettable memories for the 43 children who trained since September. Our U13s reached a County Semi-Final, narrowly losing out to Mullinahone; our U11 boys represented the school for the first time in Cumann na mBunscol; and our U11B Girls enjoyed a great outing in Holycross, showing strong promise for next year.
And now, our U11 Girls are Tipperary County Champions 2025.
We extend our sincere gratitude to coaches Karen Bohan, Dónal O’Gorman, Donnacha Dunne, and Kieran Healy for their dedication, time, and encouragement throughout the season. We also thank our local clubs for the use of their facilities and for the expert coaching provided by Dinny and Morgan. Finally, thank you to the many parents and grandparents whose support and enthusiasm greatly enriched the year.
