All-Ireland final awaits Loreto ladies
Ladies football
Aideen Coyle
Loreto College, Cavan will aim for a second senior schools All-Ireland today (Thursday) when they take on Skibbereen Community School in the All-Ireland final at Nowlan Park, Kilkenny (2pm).
Loreto have been a dominant force on the schools football scene since winning the school’s first All-Ireland ‘A’ title back in 2018. Since then, they have added a further four titles to their haul including three-in-a-row Junior A titles from 2022 to 2024. In 2018 the Cavan school created history by landing a Senior A and Junior A double - and they’re back in the Senior A final today for the first time in seven years.
Of their five national triumphs, just one has come at the senior grade; however the majority of the panel have had some national success with either their school or county.
Loreto have been excellent en route to the final, racking up huge wins in their Ulster championship. In the semi-final they had a convincing 6-9 to 1-7 win over St Patrick’s, Knock.
In the provincial final they had a five-star performance versus St Mary’s, Magherafelt to win back the championship they lost to 2024 All Ireland champions Our Lady’s Castleblayney. Goals from Kate Fegan (two), Katie O’Meara (two) and Katie McGahern helped Loreto to a comfortable 5-8 to 1-6 win over the Derry school as Sarah Clarke (Cavan Gaels) took the Player of the Match accolade.
In the All-Ireland semi-final, the Breffni ladies were made work hard for their result having to dig deep and show their true character and resilience. It took a late point from substitute Clodagh Clarke to nervously brush past the stiff challenge of Kildare school Maynooth Education Campus. Cavan Gaels clubwoman O’Meara bagged a crucial second-half goal.
The Cavan girls trailed by a point entering injury time but showed their experience to win by the narrowest of margins, 1-10 to 2-6. O’Meara pointed the equalising score in the early minutes of the injury time. But the heroine of the hour was Ballyhaise’s Clodagh Clarke who got the winner having returned to the panel after recovering form a cruciate knee injury which kept her out of action last season.
Standing in their way of a second Senior A title is Cork’s Skibbereen Community School who play in their school’s first ever final at this grade. Skibbereen are looking to be the first Cork school to win the title since St Mary’s High School, Midleton lifted the crown in 2022. The Cork side are a battle-hardened outfit, recording an impressive win in their All-Ireland semi-final after winning their second consecutive Munster title with a 3-12 to 1-7 win over St.Mary’s of Midleton.
They then comprehensively advanced to the final with a 4-11 to 0-3 win over Roscommon’s Mercy College in the semi-final.
Loreto, managed by teachers Áine Shannon and Conor Maguire, look to add a second Senior A title to their already-glowing resumé. The team is well represented with players from many clubs around the county. They are boosted by having three Ulster PPS All-Stars in their ranks in Ellie Brady (Ballyhaise), Sarah Clarke (Cavan Gaels) and Kayla Bartley (Butlersbridge). The trio, alongside fellow Cavan representatives Ella Sheridan (Bailieborough Community School), Sinéad Kelly (Virginia College) and Katie Tierney (St. Clare’s College Ballyjamesduff) picked up their awards last Friday night at the presentation night in Tyrone.
The squad is stacked with talent, with 16 of the panel currently members of the Cavan county squads with Ellie Brady and Sarah Clarke part of the Cavan ladies senior panel. The team have plenty of experience in All-Ireland finals, winning three of the last four Junior A finals as well as a staggering 23 of the panel picking up All-Ireland medals last season with their county at U16 and minor levels.