Longford’s Cnoc Mhuire Granard in quest to reach All-Ireland football final

The excitement is mounting as Leinster champions Cnoc Mhuire Granard play the Ulster champions Aquinas Diocesan Grammar School, Belfast in the Masita All-Ireland Post-Primary Schools Senior 'B' Football semi-final at St Patrick's GAA grounds in Donagh, Co Fermanagh on Saturday next, throw-in 2pm.

Backboned by a few members of the Longford U-17 squad who performed brilliantly to win the Leinster Minor ‘A’ Championship title in 2024, including the Cnoc Mhuire captain Liam Greene from Edgeworthstown, the north Longford secondary school could be good enough to reach the National final.

On the evidence of their impressive Leinster success when they came from six points down midway through the first half to eventually crush Wexford opponents Gorey Community School on a most emphatic 4-16 to 2-10 scoreline, Cnoc Mhuire are capable of going one step further. 

Brendan Martin Burns was the chief marksman on that occasion with 3-1 to his credit and there is plenty of scoring power with other St Mary’s Granard clubmen Ben Blessington and Cian O’Donnell also posing a big threat in a razor sharp full-forward-line.

The Belfast boys were equally effective on their relentless march to a comprehensive 2-12 to 0-5 win over St Eunan’s Letterkenny in the Ulster final and their dangermen in attack are JJ Higgins and Jacko Watson who clocked up 2-6 between them.

Aquinas Grammar School are clearly a very useful outfit who will be hard beaten, with Ulster underage football traditionally strong, but the talented and well balanced Cnoc Mhuire team will be quietly confident of emerging victorious in what promises to be a cracking contest.

CNOC MHUIRE GRANARD (v Gorey CS): Eoin O’Hara (Granard); Caolain Madden (Gowna), Mel Mulligan (Abbeylara), Jacob Gaynor Brady (Granard); Liam Greene (Mostrim, 0-1), Aaron Plunkett (Mullahoran), Niall O’Donnell (Granard); Dylan Ledwith (Abbeylara), Odhran Madden (Gowna, 0-5, brace of two-pointer frees); Sean Fagan (Abbeylara), Karl O’Hara (Abbeylara), Daniel Corr (Granard, 0-1); Ben Blessington (Granard, 0-4), Cian O’Donnell (Granard, 1-3), Brendan Martin Burns (Granard, 3-1, 1-0 penalty).

Subs:- Padraig Cahill (Mostrim), Kian Lynch (Mullahoran, 0-1), Dylan Corr (Gowna), Jake Brady (Gowna), Ciaran McEvoy (Sean Connolly’s), David Simpson (Gowna), Arthur Lopes (Ballymore), James Dalton (Mullinalaghta), Shane O’Hara (Granard), Liam O’Hara (Granard), Tommy Coyle (Ballymachugh), Daniels Mikelson (Abbeylara), Charlie Sheridan (Lacken), Conor Smith (Mullahoran), Cillian Leonard (Mullinalaghta), Noa Salopek (Granard), Patrick O’Reilly (Mullahoran), Raymond Madden (Gowna), Mark Shields (Gowna), Tomas Scanlon (Abbeylara), Odhran O’Reilly (Mullahoran), Cillian Fagan (Mullinalaghta), Jake Sheridan (Ballymachugh), Killian O’Reilly (Mullahoran).

Pictured (l to r) are St Mary's Granard clubmen Vincent Nally (teacher/mentor), Noa Salopek, Shane O'Hara, Liam O'Hara, Daniel Corr, Brendan Martin Burns, Jacob Gaynor Brady, Niall O'Donnell, Cian O'Donnell, Ben Blessington and Eoin O'Hara who were part of the Cnoc Mhuire Granard squad that claimed Leinster Post-Primary Schools Senior 'B' Football Championship glory with their 4-16 to 2-10 win over Gorey Community School  (Wexford) in the final