The St. Joseph's, Spanish Point team that will contest the Masita Post Primary Schools All-Ireland SFC 'D' Final.
By John Harrington
If you want to check the health of Gaelic games in a county, it’s always a good idea to feel the pulse of the game at schools level.
The post-primary game really accelerates the development of players because it exposes them to a higher level of competition and a different styles of play when you travel beyond the county.
And for a school to compete at a good level and be successful what you must do first is create a symbiotic relationship with the clubs that surround it.
It looks like St. Joseph’s, Spanish Point, who contest Saturday’s Masita Post Primary Schools All-Ireland SFC ‘D’ Final, have done just that.
They’re situated in West Clare which has traditionally been the heartland of football in the county, and are profiting from a mutually beneficial relationship with their surrounding clubs.
“Yeah, we have great clubs around us, there's a very strong football tradition in clubs like Kilmurry-Ibrickane, Milltown, Doonbeg, Cooraclare, and Western Gaels,” says St. Joseph’s manager, Paul Reidy.
“We have very strong links with our clubs and they're very supportive of the school. The clubs are very well structured themselves so they really do understand the benefit of schools football and the work that the coaches put in. We're very lucky in our school in so far as we have an awful lot of people in our school who are very interested in coaching outside of school-time which is important in both the ladies' and men's football.
“We have very good coaches in our school too, some of whom are involved with county teams, and that level of expertise is very appreciated by the clubs.
“The GAA has always been a major part of our school. We've always worked very hard at it and maybe didn't have the success we would have liked and we've had some heart-breaking defeats along the way.
“This year things have come right for us, thankfully. We've had a bit of luck, the boys have trained exceptionally hard, and we've worked really well with the clubs which has led us to where we are.
“It's great to be there, very exciting. I'm as excited as team manager, let alone how excited the lads who are playing must feel. It's great for the school. It's our first time ever in an All-Ireland Final and there's a great buzz around the place.”
In attendance at the Masita All-Ireland Post Primary Schools Captains Call at Croke Park in Dublin were, from left, Chair of the GAA National Post Primary Schools Committee Liam O’Mahony, Marcus Dalton of Ard Scoil Chiarain Naofa, Sean Neylon and Josh Moloney of St Joseph's Spanish Point.
A rising tide lifts all boats and the success of the Clare senior football team in recent years has had a positive drip-down effect.
There’s a real pride now in Clare football at all levels. The St Joseph’s players come from clubs that are steeped in the game and play with a natural self-confidence that springs from that identity and the profile of Clare football now in general.
“It matters a lot to them,” says Reidy. “They come from clubs where football matters a lot. They're in a school where football is taken very seriously. And that gives them a lot of confidence when they take to the field no matter who they're playing or what county they're from that they can perform to their best.
“We have a lot of boys who are on county development squads or currently with the Clare minors or Clare U20s so they're playing at a very high level every day they go out.
“Football has a really good profile in the county right now too which definitely helps.
“When Clare was operating in Division 4 there as maybe nothing to aspire to. You didn't see the profile of Clare football playing in Croke Park a couple of weeks ago against Dublin.
“Now there's something to aspire to so if you can become a Clare senior footballer. You get to play in Croke Park, you get to National League Finals, you get to play Munster championship matches against Kerry and Cork. So there's something to aspire to which is great.
“Football is going very well in Clare and we're hoping that support will follow us up to Tuam on Saturday. The kids at school are very excited, this doesn't happen too often.
“The last time we won a Munster Championship before this year was 1995. So even for our kids this week getting the colours ready and arranging supporters buses and stuff like that, it's new territory.
“The most important thing now is that we perform to the best of our ability and have no regrets on Saturday because you may not get there again.”
Reidy is expecting a big challenge in Saturday’s Final from Leinster champions Ard Scoil Chiaráin Naofa, Clara, who he characterises as a superbly organised team.
It’s no surprise they are when you consider that every single one of them also plays with the Clara GAA club, so they’ve played with one another since nursery level.
“That's a huge achievement in itself,” says Reidy. “For a club side essentially to get to an All-Ireland Final. No more than our school, I'm sure they've put in an exceptional amount of work.
“We saw their semi-final, they played exceptionally well. They're strong and well-drilled and have some very good footballers. So I think it'll be a very good final on Saturday.”
Saturday, March 11
Masita All-Ireland Post Primary Schools SFC 'D' Final
St Joseph's, Spanish Point v Ardscoil Chiaráin Naofa, Clara, Tuam, 1pm.
