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Report & Stats MATCH 52 | SPRING 2022 | www.ladiesgaelic.ie St. Mary's High School Midleton: Shauna Cashman, Amelia Cooper, Sally McAllister, Dara Kiniry, Grace Rooney, Róisín Keane, Emily Brenner, Brianna Smith, Kaitlin Smith, Lainey O'Sullivan, Rachel Quirke, Ava McAuliffe, Aine Hallihan, Rachel Leahy, Aisling McCarthy, Natalia O'Connor, Aimee Savage, Aoife Healy, Kate O'Sullivan, Emma O'Sullivan, Gráinne O'Neill, Emily Walsh, Aoife Lee, Aoife Fitzgerald, Martha Cronin, Sophie McCarthy Keane, Laura O'Donovan, Saoirse Twomey Tangey, Ava Walsh, Rachel Ryan, Sophie Kelleher, Nia Holland, Anna Brenner and Caitlin Horgan. "Hopefully now the school will kick on from this and for years to come. There are first and second years there, even Ava McAuliffe who got the goal. Those are brilliant signs for the future." St. Mary's co-manager Tomás Mac a t'Saoir made a point of mentioning the momentum his school has gained at both junior and senior levels in recent times. The Midleton school's senior All-Ireland success did not happen overnight and Mac a t'Saoir was thrilled with his players' efforts. "We have had a successful year with both our junior and senior age-groups," Mac a t'Saoir commented. "It is something we have probably been building towards over the last few years. Luckily enough, we won both junior and senior Munster PPS championships this year with groups of girls that have been together since entering secondary school. "Our juniors came up short in their All-Ireland semi- final but the seniors have managed to go one better and win a senior championship. That momentum just kept everything going and all the excitement that came with it for over the final few weeks." A bright future awaits a Cork school that will not be content to sit on their 2022 All-Ireland senior title. The foundations are already in place for St. Mary's to kick on and challenge for honours once again, according to Tomás Mac a t'Saoir. "There are 68 first years registered for the coming year," the St. Mary's Midleton school football co-manager stated. "Football is a great opportunity for them and a great outlet outside of their schoolwork, something for them to look forward to. The more people we get out playing, the better and it doesn't matter if they are successful or not. Football should be something to look forward to in their lives. "I have to mention the massive support we got on the day of the All-Ireland final too. There were busloads of supporters there and especially on a Saturday when children have lots of other commitments with different sports and what not. Pretty close to the entire school staff was in Bruff as well as all the parents and members of the local clubs too. The clubs deserve a lot of credit for the quality of players coming out of East Cork. It all bodes well for the future." Speaking of the future, Mac a t'Saoir is certainly going to be busy with St. Mary's hoping to defend their crown next year. As well as that, the co-manager was joined on the Bruff's GAA grounds pitch by his three- month old daughter Riona, who made a special guest appearance during the school's after-match celebrations. "Riona did indeed make a special appearance after the game," Mac a t'Saoir commented. "She was far too young to understand but I will be sure to show her this match when she is older! It was a great day and things went somewhat according to plan. Everyone was happy coming home on the bus anyway! "This group of players bought into what we were trying to do a number of years ago and been pushing hard ever since then. I remember training during Christmas and all 35 girls out there on pitches covered in snow and the whole lot. They are a very committed bunch and you couldn't ask for more from them." A momentous day for St. Mary's was capped off by a week of celebrations despite no homework passes being issued. The players of the Cork school deserved every accolade coming their way but, as captain Dara Kiniry pointed out, they had to refocus once the euphoria died down. The St. Mary's students, similar to students all over the country, are preparing for upcoming Oral school examinations "We had a good crack off of celebrating the week after the All-Ireland alright," Kiniry admitted. "There was plenty of singing on the bus all the way home. We have Oral examinations coming up soon so everyone will have to put in a bit of work (for those)." Co-managers Tomás Mac a t'Saoir and Emma Farmer's trojan efforts have been rewarded with an All-Ireland senior trophy. The Midelton school is looking forward to a bright future considering the increasing number of young footballers looking to pull on the school jersey. St. Mary's finish the year as Lidl All-Ireland PPS senior A champions but, perhaps much more importantly, have sown the seeds for future success.