Congratulations to the Under 15 girls for an outstanding journey to the National Féile finals in Derry! On Friday afternoon, June 26th, the team gathered with great excitement at the Dunsilly Hotel, coming together from Clontarf, the south of France and various Gaeltachts in preparation for the big event.
Their determination and unity shone throughout each challenge. To reach this stage, the girls won the Dublin region, regrouping after a narrow loss to Sylvester's and defeating Ballyboden, Castleknock, Kilmacud Crokes, and then, on a memorable morning in Abbottstown, overcoming Castleknock to become only the second Clontarf team to reach the national final.
The national finals featured three group games of 24 minutes each, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the semi-finals. In the first game, Clontarf defeated Na Fianna of Meath with a score of 3-7 to 0-2, scores coming from Clara, Molly, Casey, Róisín and Fleur. The next match was against Fergus Rovers from Lissycasey in Clare; not leveraging the wind advantage in the first half, Clontarf lost 0-8 to 1-3. This set up a decisive final group game against Watergrasshill of Cork, where the girls started strong and, after a tense second half, secured a 3-6 to 1-6 victory, with scores from Sophie, Maisy, Laoise W and Saoirse, some great defending by Aoife, Anna McG and three outstanding saves from Lyra meant qualifying for the semi-finals.
Finishing second in the group meant facing a tougher semi-final opponent, Claregalway, the 2025 champions. Clontarf took an early lead with points from Maisy and Saoirse, and a goal from Molly, but conceded two goals to trail by two points at halftime. The second half showcased an exceptional performance, with scores from Laoise K and a class goal from Maisy narrowing the gap to just two points with three minutes remaining. Despite their relentless efforts of the defence Anna, Stella, Rubi, Cara, the girls couldn't find the crucial goal, and Claregalway added a couple of frees to win 3-6 to 2-5.
Claregalway went on to win the final, beating Ballinderry 1-8 to 0-3.
Although there was disappointment among the girls and parents, everyone was deeply proud of the team's effort and resilience. It takes years to reach this level of performance, and this experience lays a strong foundation for future achievements. A heartfelt thank you to parents, coaches and supporters for making this journey possible. Your encouragement has been invaluable to the team's progress.
We look forward to even greater successes together as the girls continue their journey toward adult football in the coming years.
Squad: Lyra Parke, Fleur Bolger, Cara Dempsey, Aoife Drury Byrne, Stella Gillhooly, Roisin Haran, Maisy Healy, Casey Homer, Laoise Kirwan, Lucy Lonergan, Sophie Maculey, Saoirse Mccarthy, Anna McGettigan, Keela McVan, Clara Mullany, Niamh Murphy, Molly O'Boyle, Anna O'Grady, Aoibheann O'Malley, Lucy rowan, Laoise Whelton, Rubi Wilkinson
Mentors: Julian Drury Byrne, Tom McCarthy, Padraig Whelton, Dave Kirwan, Sinead O'Boyle, Trish Murphy, Marian Rowan. Ciara O'Connor, Timea Kovac
The team’s sponsor is Brereton Jewellers.
