St. Conleth's College

Jitterless Juniors Join the Joy!

One on One. 1 vs. 1.: in sport, it does not get any more dramatic than that. And Ms. Speller’s teams excel at these mano a mano (or stick on stick) combats, showing nerves of steel. Maybe it is because of Ms. Speller’s training regimes which would probably be banned by the Navy Seals, including the handing out of al dente organic grains instead of Jaffa cakes as a half-time snack. And it pays off. Mr. Kilcommons had better order that new trophy cabinet as the Hockey Girls have brought home even more silverware… or gold ware, if you will. The Juniors have joined their older sisters in winning the South Dublin School Girls League, beating Rosemont, Sion Hill and Our Lady’s Grove, winning the final in dramatic 1 vs. 1s, with Maude and Isabella cooly slotting home. In-play field goals were scored by Maude and Elizabeth and several others. Another great day for St. Conleth’s Hockey… and another trophy!

Hockey Hits Heights… Again!

St. Conleth’s Senior Hockey team won the Dublin South Schoolgirls League, beating Sandford Park, Sion Hill, Our Lady’s Grove…and Sandford again in the Final! Yes, that’s 4-0 on the afternoon! This is the first time St. Conleth’s Hockey have ever won at senior level! The girls (and Ms. Speller) were delighted, especially the Sixth years who got to end the season on a high. They won this Leinster League back when they were in Second Year with the help of current Fifth, so it was lovely that they got to share this victory with them, as well!

Hockey Hysteria!

Cup? Shield? Plate? League? All of the above, please. Well, that is the attitude of Ms. Speller and the hockey girls towards postseason play! We can barely keep up with the pre-quarters, quarters, semis and (hopefully) finals that the various teams have been involved in! Punching above our weight (and numbers) Conelthian hockey teams have qualified at every level and every age group, extending the season… and Ms. Speller’s fixture congestion headache… but it is all worth it! Last week, our Juniors and Minors were edged out in their Cup and Plate competitions, facing big school, high level teams but, just yesterday, our Minors were back in the winning form they showed all season, hockeying Muckross, 2-0, in their Leinster League Quarterfinal with Gemma McCullough and Chloe McGovern scoring goals. Now, with all the fixture pot boiled down to one, we can all concentrate on supporting the Minors as they face Holy Faith-Clontarf in the Semifinal!

Hockey Hysteria!

Ms. Speller’s Hockey Minions are on the march! Our valiant First Years lost to traditional powerhouse St. Andrew’s in their first ever 11-a-side game, playing well with Anna Sweeney the player of the game. Our Seniors As lost to Muckross 4-1 despite a tremendous team effort and a goal by Juliet Donnelly while Juliet joined Roisín Ridge and Maude Kinlay on the scoresheet as they thumped St. Columba’s -6-0 and… best of all.. the Second and Third Years of the Juniors beat nemesis St. Raphaela’s 1-0 to, hopefully, make the Leinster Quarterfinals!

Hockey Hangs In!

We knew Ms. Speller would not keep quiet after all our excitement over basketball, rugby and chess: she rightfully reminds us that we have had another major sport at St. Conleth’s these last few years. Coach Speller’s Hockey Hordes have found it tougher this year as they have moved up the leagues but they still train and compete with spirit, skill and a strong sense of sorority and fun!

Furious Finish!

We had a pretty hectic- and successful- close to the half term, sporting wise, at St. Conleth’s. We are still searching up more film of the already legendary First Year Boys Basketball win detailed below, but there have been several more chapters added to the St. Conleth’s Book of Sporting Lore in the short time since that winning basket snapped the net. Some of the very same boys took part in another ‘Heart Attack Kids’ special: after their stunning B-Ball heroics, the First year Boys boys followed it up on the rugby pitch against Sandford Park, winning on a last minute try by Christopher Comer in the corner, after Noah Dwan had made a great break, juggled the ball, caught it again, and zipped the killer pass! The First Year Basketball Girls may not have matched the boys for drama in their debut game but they pushed a Woodlands Academy Second Year Team all the way, showing much promise and great team spirit… and much better ability than the boys in posing for an orderly team photo! And there was another close loss (0-1) to a tough, classy opponent (Dundalk Grammar) but the Senior Hockey Girls have kept their heads, and smiles, up…. and they are still drawing the fans!

A Moral Victory!

It is said that infant Achilles was dipped in the River Styx by his heel, rendering him nigh invincible. Too bad about the heel. It is also said that Mount Anville charters a jet each year to fly their prospective hockey players to Hades, where they are thrown into the same river, and those that make it ashore, clinging to their sticks, make the team. Now, Ms. Speller is a tough teacher and coach, having made it through the notoriously tough Eagle Scout Two Week Training Course in a mere six and a half hours, but she is also a nurturing and supportive leader for her girls, and the fact that her Senior Girls made it onto the same pitch as Anville As for a Cup match is, in itself, a moral victory and a sign of how far hockey has come in a few short years, without so much as a toe dipped in the River Styx. This Senior team has itself gone from rank outsiders to a Dublin power in its own right, a remarkable achievement for a small school that only started hockey when some of these same girls came through the front gates. So, they did not find Mount Anville’s heel, but they put up a brave and skilful fight, sealing the reputation of St. Conleth’s as a ‘hockey school’.

Hockey Hordes

If it came down to a civil war between the partisans of our main sports of rugby, basketball, debating and hockey, we have to admit it would be likely that only the hockey girls would be left standing. First of all, there are hordes of them. Secondly, they have sticks. And thirdly, and most importantly, their Head Coach, Ms. ‘Give ’em Hell’ Speller, has Eagle Scout badges in Total Warfare and Imperial Aggression. But, thankfully, all our coaches and athletes are still on friendly terms… for now. Anyways, the First Years recently added actual wins to their already impressive portfolio of enthusiasm, hard work and sheer joy in playing the sport. And the Hockey Teams’ Official Transition Year Photographers, Greta and Juliet, won the ‘Artsy Sport Photos of the Week’ competition. Stay tuned for more hockey hoopla!

Jolly Hockey Sticks… Again!

Once again, Ms. Speller’s hockey minions are off and running and winning and putting pressure on those rugby boys! Third Year Eva Ryan kindly gives us this update on recent jolly hockey goings-on:

In our Junior league match, last Tuesday, we won 9-1. In the first half we had a total of five goals and then racked it up to nine in the second half. Goals were scored by Maude Kinlay, Eva Ryan, Elizabeth Finnegan and Jane Sweeney. The team played extremely well and are very proud of their win. It’s definitely a good way to start the season! In the senior Leinster League match on Wednesday, we won 3-0. The goals were all scored brilliantly in short corners, twice by Juliet Donnelly and once by Maude Kinlay.

The Plaque is Back!

Our Junior Hockey Team is back with a bang! After a heart-breaking League Semi-Final defeat, they stormed back to win the prestigious title of Junior A – Dublin South School Girls League, beating Sion Hill 2-0, Our Lady’s Grove 2-0, drawing with Rapheala’s 1-1 and Killian’s 0-0. The girls are thrilled after an intense debate about points: thinking we’d lost, then won, then drew … to finally winning!!  An escastic bus journey home ensued. It was a fabulous team effort and well done to coaches Ms. Speller, Ms. Handley and Jules. Roll on next year, at Senior level!

And our ‘Junior Juniors’ are also doing well, having drawn with John Scotus!

Jolly Junior Hockey Sticks!

We were so busy processing our ace reporter (and over-enthusiastic amateur herpetologist) Emilio’s 3,000+ photos of various visiting reptiles last week that we completely neglected a very significant sporting achievement by our Junior School Girls! Small in number but huge in heart and spirit, our Junior School Hockey players celebrated one very hard fought win and one equally hard fought loss in a double against Our Lady’s Grove. Well one to all the players, coaches and TY helpers!

And we will take this opportunity to also bring you some snaps from our Senior School Junior team who went down valiantly (and undermanned) in the Dublin League Semifinal. Great to see so much support on the sidelines from students and staff, including Current ‘Head of All Sport’ Ciaran Smith and former ‘Head of All Sport’ Gavin Maguire. Especially nice to see Gav showing up, obviously harbouring no ill feelings despite the furore over ‘Donut-gate’ which hastened the end of his tenure in office.

The Jolliest of Hockey Sticks!

It has been some year for Lucy McGoldrick. While the rest of us spent the covid days moaning and endlessly adjusting our masks, Third Year Lucy was playing hockey for Leinster and leading her team, in true ‘goalkeeper-quirky’ fashion, through to the Leinster league Semi-Final.

Now, an even rarer, and more impressive feat has been accomplished: Irish Hockey has named Lucy to its U16 squad. There are plenty of challenges and adventures ahead for Lucy with a five nations tournament taking place in the Netherlands from April 14th to 19th, a series against Scotland in Edinburgh in early July and a further tournament in mid-July in Terrassa, Spain. We will be there with you! In spirit definitely, and thanks to the return of sanity and travel, maybe even in the flesh, via Ryanair!

Here We Go Again!

It seems just like yesterday that Coach ‘Giv ’em Hell’ Speller and I were arranging a hockey team on the legendary front steps of No. 28 Clyde Road for a pre-quarterfinal team photo, complete with lettered signs… but apparently it was three or four years ago! Tempus fugit! Well, Coach Speller and the girls are at it again, but this time we are starting with the Semifinals! See the photo below as well as some action shots from the recent league win which sealed that postseason date!

‘Give ’em Hell’ Speller!

Ms. Speller may have picked some tips up, herself, from her History classes on the great dictators and generals of the Twentieth Century because when her hockey players take to the pitch, there is certainly a ruthlessness to her gameplan and approach… and it works! And like General ‘Nuts’ McAuliffe, Coach ‘Give ’em Hell’ Speller just will not surrender…. our sporting headlines!

Our current leagues position!

Her Juniors beat the auld enemy St. Columba’s yesterday to remain top of their Leinster League. Juliet Donnelly and Greta Lawless were on the mark with Eli Strahan playing a stormer in the field and Lucy McGoldrick again unbeatable in goals. And Second Year Jane Sweeney stepped up and provided some backbone to our formation just when we needed it. Yes, top of the league, and marching onwards!

Bunch of Jocks!

The Silver Screen and, even more so, its diminutive cousin, are full of high school scenarios and tales where the jocks are the thuggish, shape-throwing villains (remember Mr. T?) and the heroes are well-meaning, toilet-cleaning, dweebish guys like Screech or Gav Maguire. Well, at St. Conleth’s you don’t have to choose between being academic and sporty… or artsy and musical, for the matter: you can be anything you want, and in any combination you would like! Our reputation for music, debating, art and chess is well established but the way our sports teams are winning lately, especially the girls’ teams, we may just have to work hard to prevent other schools’ kids from scattering when ours saunter onto the DART or the No. 10… Watch out for those Conleth’s jocks! Or is that jockesses? Jockettes? Anyways… the latest sporting triumphs? The girls pulled a trifecta last week with First/Second Year basketball beating Wesley and both Junior and Senior Hockey teams winning, 1-0. Just make sure you don’t accidentally sit at their table in the cafeteria!

Sticks and Style!

A good news story to start the year and the return to school: Ms. Speller’s and Ms. Handley’s hockey hordes all received their stylish new school jerseys before the break. 2022 promises even more hockey plates, cups and trophies… and now we have the stylish gear for proper team photos! A big thank you to the Transition Years who helped organise the whole, complicated process.

Leinster Lioness!

The Toy Show had plenty of adorable kids jumping around the place, emitting affected roars, but there is one St. Conleth’s Third Year whose charming growl you had better listen to! Lucy McGoldrick has been chosen as goalkeeper for the Leinster squad and has even been put forth for Irish trials, a great honour for herself, her coaches and St. Conleth’s as a whole.

We have had Leinster rugby tennis players and Irish fencers, golfers and basketball players but this is certainly our first Leinster hockey player, and a a tribute to the remarkably quick transformation into a ‘hockey school’ which we have undergone since Ms. Speller’s arrival a few short years (and several trophies) ago. Lucy, of course, earned the honour, herself, and if anyone is lucky enough to have Lucy in class, they know of the talent, spirit and leadership skills she shows in every field of endeavour. Above we see Lucy with her coach and her Leinster teammates while below we hear more about her motivation and goals.

Great Sports!

We mentioned below how the St. Conleth’s rugby and hockey teams have hit the ground running, and we are soon to hear from the basketball teams, too, but sport at St. Conleth’s involves a lot more than the extramural teams. In fact, winning matches is great, but we are probably even prouder that all our students are encouraged to enjoy physical education and sport of the more everyday kind: in classes with Mr. Lonergan and the other PE teachers, at training sessions with the various coaches, on ‘Wellbeing’ brisk walks and even at break-time in the yard. Here are just a few snaps of what is going on at St. Conleth’s everyday, in a sporting way:

1) Shay Keenan, St. Conleth’s Games Master/Coach/Absolute Legend, gets the Sixth Year soccer boys lined up for a proper team photo at the grand re-opening of the Herbert Park Astro. They look great: a shame they will be crushed by the Staff Team in May!

2-3) Both the Transition Year girls and the boys get the opportunity to help improve St. Conleth’s sporting acumen. The girls are great helping Ms. Leary coach the Juniors… and the boys get to do Gav’s laundry!

4) Coaches Ingle and Gahan get the Basketball girls ready for the season, which is just about to tip off!

Jock School?

Art School? Music School? Debating School? Yes, we could be classified as any, or all, of those but maybe we need to reconsider and re-market ourselves…. as the neighbourhood jocks! So, stand aside when the boys and girls in black, yellow and green come sauntering into the DART station- we want that space to flex and pose, and we will have it! Okay… not very likely: our students are too mannerly to strut and strop like that, but we would have every right to! Just look at our recent results and add three more wins from Wednesday. Coach Speller’s Junior Hockey girls squeaked past St. Raphaela’s 1-0 in a close match, with Isabella Donlon assisting on Roisín Ingle’s goal and the rugby teams won the double over Newpark, with both the JCT and First Years winning close, fairly fought games. We certainly don’t want to lose our reputation for our creativity and intellect, but it is not bad being the big boys (and girls) on campus, too!

Moral Victories!

Now, we are not saying that the SCT headed into their first match of the season as absolute underdogs as the European Ryder Cup Team when they faced off against the stronger, more accurate, louder, more handsome and trimmer USA team but we were facing Templeogue, a much bigger school and one with quite a rugby pedigree. But Coaches Louis, Ger and Callum and the boys were certainly not intimidated and they all hit their tackles, ran their lines and heaved their scrums with the enthusiasm, if not quite the mass, of Shane Lowry. The boys kept it very close, with Luke O’Keeffe providing a spark off the bench, and climbed within two points before it got away. Overall, a good, hard-fought match and, with quite a young, a harbinger for better days to come.

The Junior Girls Hockey Team also earned a moral victory with their 2-2 draw with Sandford Park. Juliet Donnelly found the net twice with stylish goals but it was a real, strong team effort, with girls from different years melding together into a true team effort. Coaches Helen Speller and Jules Dale were thrilled with the progress shown. All that summer training is paying off! Particularly impressive was Leinster-chosen Lucy McGoldrick in goals, repeatedly stymying the opposition with stunning saves.

Jolly Ho, Jules!

In the short years since Hockey Czarina Speller first brought hockey to St. Conleth’s, there have already been several Cups, Shields and plaques added to the trophy cabinet, watched over, woodenly but joyfully, by St. Conleth of The Foyer. We so quickly became a ‘hockey school’ that it is easy to forget how far, and how fast we have come. And the fact that our Senior team opened this season with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Sandford Park is a tribute to that legacy: our still-small numbers make fielding a senior team a challenge, yet we make up in quality of effort and coaching what we lack in quantity of players. Helping Coach Speller lately has been Julian Dale, famous Irish international player and cutting-edge coach. Already, we can see a difference in the confidence and cunning with which the girls are making runs, playing passes and taking shots. Caioimhe Moore scored a scorcher and Lucia Waldron netted a brace: two Fifth Years, which bodes well for the future. And it looks like jolly hockey sticks are set to continue for the younger teams, too. First Years are turning out for training in their droves. Stay tuned!

Back in Action!

Finally! Yes, the new gods have issued their decrees and the children can be children again! We have already seen how Louis has kept the Junior pupils moving, and how Mr. Lonergan has persisted with PE despite the mind-forged manacles, but now after-school sport is back, too, and back with a bang! Mr. Smyth, Head of Senior Sport, supervised as Coaches Speller, Morris, Sheridan, O’Brien and Maguire gathered the willing troops and retook the local fields and pitches. At first it was a bit awkward, understandably after months of distancing, dawdling and doodling, but with a few kicks of the ball, a few shots with the stick and the rising, life-renewing scent of wet grass, the kids (and the coaches) were back where they belong, as if they never left!

And to honour this historic restart, Mr. ‘Gav’ Maguire unveiled the latest evidence of his deep ties with the inner circle of Irish rugby, somehow getting the Leinster senior team to sign our JCT jersey!

Every Cloud…

Yes, even the calamitous cloud of Covid has provided a silver lining for some: Netflix, knitting supply shops, the dog-pound, the producers of Tesco purple box ‘Indian for two’… and any south-side school girls hockey team! Why? Well a few years ago, a new girl moved onto the block, and, boy, is she a bully! The traditional powers of hockey were probably laughing through their gum shields when they heard St. Conleth’s was fielding girls hockey teams for the first time. They are not laughing now!

Ms. Speller, Ms. Leary and dearly decamped Ms. Stanley forged a formidable force in a few short years, winning trophies, shields and the respect, even the fear, of the hockey powers-that-be. So, with restricted circumstances, everyone is just training this year and while our girls are champing at the bit, others may be sighing relief! Until they allowed to take a slap-shot in anger, enjoy some pics of past glories and the training which will bring us even more!

Sportacus Redux!

Yes, afterschool sport is back at St. Conleth’s Senior School! Only rugby and hockey for now, but it a welcome start to a return to normality for our school community. We have noticed that for all the success and many positives of our ‘coping with covid’ existence, many students noticeably missed the exercise, competition and camaraderie of organised school sport. Mr. Smyth, our Head of Sport, gives all the details:

We are delighted to announce that After-School Sports Rugby and Hockey are returning this week. At the minute we can only have training sessions in small groups but all the coaches have plans in place to make sure we are following the guidelines set out by the Government. Students will remain in the same groups that are set out their coaches for the coming weeks so mixing between students will be at a minimum. 
With regard to Covid and training, it is imperative that all students who attend training follow the instructions set out by the coaches. There will be a very strict policy in place with regard to behaviour and if a student is in breach of any instructions regarding behaviour or Covid guidelines, they will not be allowed to train for the rest of the School year. 

Hockey 
2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th & 6th year girls will be training in Pembroke Hockey Club on Tuesdays (4-5pm), Wednesdays (1:30-2:30pm) and Thursdays (4-5pm). Please make sure students are collected on time unless they are travelling home by foot, bicycle, bus or train.

Rugby
2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th & 6th year boys will be training in Wanderers Rugby Club on Mondays (4-5pm), Wednesdays (1:20-2:20pm) and Friday’s (4-5pm). Please make sure students are collected on time unless they are travelling home by foot, bicycle, bus or train. 

If students are unable to attend training, it is up to them to inform the coaches. Students may NOT attend training if they have not in school on that day. 

Hopefully we can get back to some sort of normality in the coming weeks but for now, we are delighted to able to get the students training with their classmates, even if it is in small groups. 

With regard to other sports, we are monitoring the guidelines set out for each level but for now, all we can allow is Rugby and Hockey. Hopefully we can change that in the not too distant future.

Kind regards,
Ciarán Smith
Head of Sports,
St. Conleth’s College

Knee-Bumps Galore!

Juliet Donnelly has lit up St. Conleth’s since she first walked through the door, as bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as her older brother Michael and almost as winsome! But don’t let that sweetness fool you: once Juliet takes to the hockey pitch, a cold-hearted executioner emerges: case in point, her four goal demolishment of Sion Hill in the Dublin South Minor B Girls League Final! Yes, Coaches Speller and Stanley have another trophy for the shelf and the pressure is on the B-Ball boys to follow suit. Juliet was no doubt the star of this one, but it was also a whole team performance, as it has been all season, with Captain Meabh Joy and all the girls playing their hearts (and lungs) out for each other and the school. Such has been the hockey success these past two seasons that rumours abound that one of the seven science labs planned for our next extension may well be converted to a Hockey Trophy Room!

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St. Conleth’s Strikes Again!

The Hockey Girls are really setting some high standards for the years and teams to come! With the first St. Conleth’s Hockey team only taking the field a few short years ago, it is amazing that we already have a trophy case shelf groaning under the weight of hockey cups and plates! The latest was won this past Saturday. While the rest of us were sleeping off the lingering effects of the PPU festivities of the night before, Ms. Speller, Ms. Stanley and and Georgia Weir McErlean were up, putting the girls through their paces. And when the last shot was taken and the last net had rippled, St. Conleth’s Juniors team had beaten Sion Hill – 1-0 and St. Raphaela’s 2-0, bringing home the Plate of the Dublin South Girls League Junior A Division! So much for a lag after being promoted after last year’s championship season!. Well done to all the girls and their coaches.

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Bling, Bling!

Yes, the rugby boys had their heavy metal year in 2016, when they added a treble of trophies to that groaning trophy shelf in the foyer, and our basketballers usually clean up each year with shields and SDBL plaques at the very least, but the hockey girls have won a serious amount of ‘shine’ this year, themselves. The Minor Girls won another league last Tuesday – the Dublin South and Central School Girls League Shield. They played two twenty minute matches: the first against Sion Hill – winning 1-0 with an excellent goal from Sydney and the second match against St. Raphaela’s, which the girls also won, 1-0, with a goal from the combined efforts of Sasha and Katya.
Great wins and a fitting close to a fantastic season! 

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The Senior Girls did not hit the headlines as much as the Minors but they also had a successful season, even though they are extremely young for their age group and were often outnumbered. Below we see some snaps from a recent close loss where the girls once again showed great skill and spirit even though they were quite the underdogs.

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Leinster Champions!

They have done it! It was a happy, historic hockey happening for St. Conleth’s, as the whole school downed tools and headed to the wilds of Rathfarnham to watch as our Minor Girls beat Loreto-Beaufort in a ‘1 vs. 1’ shootout to decide the Leinster Final and bring home the cup! Ms. Speller, Ms. Stanley, Ms. Purcell and Ms. Leary were justifiably proud of the girls as they fought tooth-and-nail in a mighty defensive struggle which lasted the length of regulation time.

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Sydney was, as usual, omnipresent in midfield and Caoimhe set our hearts racing with some scintillating runs. And Meabh, Siobhan and Ciara were all making game-saving stops and clearances in a see-saw battle of wills. In the end it went to a ‘one-vs.-one’ shoot-out and the girls were confident stepping up to the mark, having dispatched mighty Mount Anville in a similar showdown. The pressure was on but the Conlethians did not wilt: Vivienne came up huge in goals, stonewalling the opposition by bravely dashing from her line and then Alanna cooly circumnavigated their goalie and scored emphatically. It all came down to Sasha.

She had been there before, and perhaps Beaufort did not know, but she has ice in her veins. Some impressive stick-play, a burst of speed, a confident shot…. and the crowd goes crazy! And what a crowd it was, with the numbers and the enthusiasm recalling glory days of the past in rugby and basketball. Well, those sports have made room on the top shelf for a new trophy: one that says ‘Leinster 2019 Minor Girls Hockey!

Into The Final!

Our Minor Hockey Girls are into the Leinster Final! A first in Hockey for St. Conleth’s. They beat Dundalk Grammar in the Semis in a hard-fought defensive match, winning 1-0 on a short corner by Sydney Weir McErlean! A charming footnote to the match is that three players had older Conlethian siblings on the sidelines- granted special release from classes: Sydney, Vivienne and Ciara were cheered on by Georgia, Pierce and Oisín. But for the next match, there will be more than just siblings: the Leinster Final is on Monday against Loreto High School Beaufort- and the whole school is going to witness this great moment in St. Conleth’s sporting history!

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Hockey Hoopla!

Our Minor Hockey Girls Team is through to Leinster Semifinal! This historic hockey happening will take place on Friday vs. Dundalk Grammar at the YMCA grounds in Sandymount. It is simply amazing that in a few short years, St. Conleth’s has become a legitimate power in girls school hockey and it is a credit to Coaches Speller, Leary, Stanley and Purcell. We will also see, below, the First Year team join with the Junior School players for a combo training session and pics from the Junior School team’s recent blitz at Mount Anville. It looks like hockey is here to stay at St. Conleth’s!

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Hockey Hits New Heights!

Our Minors won a thrilling penalty shoot-out over Mount Anville in the Quaterfinals of the Leinster’s. Head Coach Ms. Speller reports:

Today was the tensed match we have played.  It was 0-0 at half time after some great defensive play on both sides. Into the second half and a Mount Anville goal in the first few minutes crushed Conleth’s hopes of a semi final win, but with determination they fought on to live another day! A late goal by the combined efforts of Sydney and Sasha meant that Conleth’s spirits soared. As the final whistle blew we stood at 1-1. The refs conversed and decided that ‘1v1s’ (hockey’s version of a penalty shoot-out) was the way forward.

With eight seconds each to score, the girls lined up: Sydney, Sasha, Maebh, Alanna and Caoimhe. Mount Anville had the first shot and scored. Syd stepped in and also scored. Mount Anville missed their next three, while Conleth’ss Sasha scored a secnd: 1-2 to Conleth’s! Alas, Maebh and Alanna missed the next two, leaving the score at 1-2 to us. Mount Anville stepped up for their last shot and scored. 2-2. Tensions were high. Mr ODulaing even looked rattled. All went quiet with nerves. It’s Caoimhe time to shine…. She steps up, goes right and shoots! In it goes and the crowd goes wild! St. Conelth’s live to fight another day and are through to the semi-finals!
Ms Stanley’s brilliant (but unbiased) reffing and Ms Purcell’s coaching definitely had an impact. A great day out!

Hockey Hysteria!

Don’t tell Gav but the word on the DART, in the queues at D-Brook Fair and at the pilates and spinning classes is that there is a new hockey school on the block and its name is…. St. Conleth’s!  The ever-enthusiastic Helen ‘Rah-Rah’ Speller, and her coaching crew of Mses. Leary, Stanley and Purcell, have engineered a quiet revolution in St. Conleth’s sport.  Actually, it has not been that quiet at all, as you would know, if you ever hear the hockey girls traipsing through the hallways en route to another amazing upset.  The latest was when the Minor girls beat hockey-hallowed Mount Anville to qualify for the Leinster Quarterfinals, another notch in an already impressive list of hockey achievements.  Below you see the minors celebrating that accomplishment and the Seniors saluting the sunset after another rambunctious training session.

 

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A Thousand Words…

…is the supposed value of a picture but the frequent visitor to these pages knows that we often throw in the thousand words anyways, for good measure!  This time, however, we will let the photographs speak for themselves.  Our usual TY ace reporters Edwin and Seoyeon were joined by new recruit, Adam Rafter, and he proved a quick learner as he traipsed around the various sporting venues, snapping away with his usual good humour, despite having just roused himself from his sickbed .  The events themselves were a trifecta of moral victories but actual losses: our JCT went down to Blackrock College (yes, that Blackrock College!) but put up a darn good fight; our Senior Hockey girls lost to Louth powerhouse Dundalk Grammar; and our U16 Boys Basketball team was edged out in the SDBL Semifinal by perennial foreign student-enhanced powers, St. Andrew’s.  Three losses yes, but all against top-notch competition, and there is more to come in each sport as the JCT face the rugged farm-boys of Ardee (pronounced ‘AR-deeeee’) in the Duff Shield quarters; the Minor Hockey team is steaming into the post-season; and the U19 Boys have a SDBL Semifinal vs. St. Andrew’s later this week. We feel that… oh yes, enough said.  Now, the photos!

JCT Rugby

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Senior Hockey

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U16s Basketball

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Hockey Happenings

It is getting rather repetitive reporting on hockey victories, such is the run of success currently being enjoyed by both our Senior School girls teams…. but we still enjoy it!  Yes, Ms. Speller, Ms. Stanley, Ms. Leary and Ms. Purcell have built in just a couple of years what is starting to look like a sports dynasty and the Minors added another win to the total last Thursday, beating St. Raphaela’s soundly 3-0.  All the usual suspects were at it in a comprehensive victory but Siobhan particularly stood out for both her effort and skill. The Minors will have more matches to come, but now attention turns to the Senior team’s momentous showdown with Dundalk Grammar School.  The Louth girls come from the furthest recesses of the Pale, and they are tough on and off the pitch, so our girls will need all the support we can muster.  So come on down and cheer them on in this league group decider!

 

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Senior Hockey Girls in Action!

We recently broke the bank with the purchase of a new camera which is capable of catching those split second moments of pivotal action during basketball games, debating meets, musical concerts, chess showdowns… and, yes, hockey matches!  So, our first assignment with our new toy was for intrepid TY reporter Edwin Chang to follow the Senior Hockey Girls to their match versus Wilson’s Hospital at the nearby Pembroke Hockey Club.  The girls maintained their incredible unbeaten record, drawing 1-1 with the team from this long-time hockey school, with Eve Harvey Graham scoring in a tough, defensive match.  The girls were understandably pooped after their exhaustive efforts but joining them at the oxygen tanks was Edwin, who spent the whole game running up and down the sidelines!  Coach Speller said she was so impressed she might sneak in a new player on the wing into the next match: exchange student Edwina Chang!

 

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Hockey Win in the Wilds of Wicklow!

Just in case you have yet to acquire the ‘postmodern patter’ dialect common amongst our youngsters and used below in the players’ match report, let us just give you the facts: yes, the Minor Hockey Girls won again, 1-0 over Dominican- Wicklow, scratching out a tough victory over worthy opposition.  Or, as the gurlz put it:

The brave Conlethians girliepops set off down the N11 motorway to go over yonder in Wicklow Town they arrived only to be greeted with a pitch that was, like, we had only heard horror story’s about… a grit pitch…omg!  Although the pitch was… like…different… it still didn’t stop the brave Conlethian girliepops from competing in a game that didn’t lower their standards (but did their speed). The game took a slow start but after a lot of grit in eyes, socks, shoes and everywhere you could think, yes you guessed it: our very own girliepops from our very own St. Conleth’s managed to put a breathtaking and unstoppable ball between the two goal posts of the D.C.W goal. 25 mins of hard hockey later our girliepops regrouped on the sideline and after a spontaneous photo shoot came back with a 1-0 victory over D.C.W.  By 2nd year girliepops Alanna, Sydney, Caoimhe and Sasha

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Sisters in Arms!

The St. Conleth’s Hockey Machine keeps rolling!  You have already read about our Minor team’s stunning early season success.  Now the Senior team are demanding their share of the headline, with a stylish win over Sandford Park.  Below you see the pre-match team talk huddle, led by Georgia Weir McErlean (Captain) and Emily Mansfield (Vice) and the post-game celebrations with Georgia again leading the festivities.   In-between these moments, was a great game with some lovely team work displayed by all involved.  Georgia and little sister Sydney both scored, with Georgia’s coming from a strike from a short corner and Sydney’s from a lovely reverse sweep at the top of the D.  Ava’s two goals both resulted from some impressive attacking ‘in the D’.  Georgia and Emily’s instructions could be heard throughout, showing their great leadership and passion for the game.  And,  just like in class, adding a few comical moments to the game too!

 

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This follows a blitz vs. Sanford Park, where our Minors teamed up with the Junior School’s Sixth Class, for an afternoon of good-natured but competitive hockey.   We were on the winning side in all the matches, and though our goal-keeper got a bit bored, it was great to see the different age groups working together.

The Invincibles

Our Minor Hockey Girls are on a roll! Now 2-0, after beating Our Lady’s- Terenure 5-0. They have scored 10 goals in League play and allowed none.  Well done to the girls and coaches Ms. Leary, Ms. Speller and Ms. Stanley.  Here are match reports from some of the players, themselves.

St. Conleth’s vs. Our Lady’s Grove

It started off with a very unusually quiet bus ride to the scarily big grounds of UCD. With the aid of Ms. Stanley, we finally conquered the grounds and made it to the pitch. We started our warm-up: a treacherous two laps of the pitch,  followed by stretches. Finally, the very late Our Lady’s Grove showed up to face their fears. Then it began:  Sasha took tip and we were off. After many unsuccessful trips to the D, we finally got a goal an amazing full power shot by Sasha, followed closely after by another.  Then it was half time and our amazing team talk followed by our cheer that could be heard everywhere on the campus. Within no time at all, we were already up 3-0, all goals thanks to our amazing striker Sasha.

Then the magic happened…. Our Lady’s hit the ball over their own end line and it was a long corner to us. Caoimhe raced and got the ball and with an amazingly powerful shot (for such a small human being) she hit the ball into the back of the goal scoring a tremendous fourth goal.The match finished with an amazing score of 5-0 to us and all of us went home with smiles on our faces until it started to rain. Simply amazing!  By Caoimhe & Alanna

 

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St. Conleth’s vs.  Our Lady’s- Terenure

It started off with a not so quiet bus ride which was thanks to the return of Sydney, after she had been previously injured and not been able to play with us. We bopped along to some classic pop while the First Years looked on in confusion. We arrived at Our Lady’s- Terenure with Caoimhe and Sydney battling it out to lead stretches. Then it was quickly onto the pitch and we got Tímea all kitted out in her amazingly marshmallow-like goalie gear.  The captain for our first league match was Caoimhe, with Alanna as vice-captain. We lost the toss-up but still started strong. There wasn’t much activity in the backs as the forwards battled for their first goal. After slight toing and froing Jennifer got our first goal after being set up very nicely for the deflection from Sasha’s powerful shot. She managed to get the ball into the bottom left corner.  After our first goal, Caoimhe and Sydney both got a goal each, making the score 3-0 at half time. A few substitutions later, the three first years, Ciara, Olivia and Sophie, joined us on our battle towards victory. With some amazing passes, outstanding blocks and great teamwork we managed to make the final score 5-0.   By Alanna & Caoimhe

 

Hockey Teams Fire First Salvos!

The revolution continues.  And this is no long, drawn-out insurgency in the hills.  This is Castro riding into Havana, with all guns blazing!  Yes, a couple of years ago we went fully co-educational. And yes, we allowed them to play their rather darling girls’ sports, encouraging them with the politest patter of patrimony…. but we did not expect them to take over the gym and the pitches and hog the headlines!   Coaches Helen Speller, Elaine Leary and Chloe Stanley must be beside themselves with joy (and HOS Gav Maguire, too, of course!) as both the Minor and Senior teams started their seasons with stunning success at Alexandra College on Saturday.  The Minors (1st + 2nd Years) battled manfully to a 0-0 draw, in their first match on a full-sized pitch, with Sasha and Katya leading the charge.  And the Seniors, in the first-ever official St. Conleth’s Senior Hockey match, won a thriller 3-2, with Eve (twice!)  and Vanshika rippling the nets and Georgia proving a stalwart in defence and Eva immense between the sticks.  So, rugby boys and basketball boyz, it is over to you!

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