Jarlath’s fall on famous day for Muredach’s

Connacht PPS SFC ‘A’ Group 3 – Round 1 

St Muredach’s College, Ballina 1-13 

St Jarlath’s College, Tuam 0-10 

At Sean Duffy Park, Ardnaree 

Never before has the school won the near 100-year old competition. In fact, this season is the first in many that St Muredach’s College are even taking part in the ‘A’ section of the Connacht Post Primary Schools senior football championship. But the Ballina outfit announced their return to the top tier in some style last Wednesday when taking out the most successful school in the history of Connacht colleges football.

Of course, St Jarlath’s College is not quite the footballing force it once was, but the Tuam academy has still won five Connacht titles since the last batch of boarders departed its halls in 2006, with their last Aonghus Murphy Memorial Cup triumph as recent as 2022. So for St Muredach’s to have beaten them by six points in the opening round of the 2025/26 instalment will have caught many people’s attention.

The Moysiders are also joined in Group 3 by Ballinrobe Community School and Summerhill College, the latter beaten in last year’s final by St Colman’s but winning Connacht in 2023, yet St Muredach’s will already fancy their chances of progression to the knockout stages on the back of this breakthrough victory. And yet there wasn’t even any onus on the, to take part in the ‘A’ championship this year; it’s by choice that the team managed by returning Mayo footballer James Carr and Knockmore’s two-time Moclair Cup winning captain David McHale and coached by John Brogan and PJ Sweeney is pitting itself against the very best in the province.

When you see the talent at their disposal, you can begin to understand that decision.

Seven different clubs were represented on the starting Muredach’s team, with Ardnaree Sarsfields the most prominent having provided five of the fifteen along with two of the three substitutes used. It must also be taken into account that the team is currently without another excellent Ardnaree footballer, Charlie Beale, because of injury.

Beale and Nathan Roddy, who lined out at full-forward last Wednesday, were members of the Mayo team that reached the 2024 All-Ireland MFC semi-final while their Ardnaree clubmates Cahair Tighe and Peter Quinn, and Conor Jordan of Ballina Stephenites, all of whom also featured for St Muredach’s last Wednesday, were part of the Mayo team that reached this year’s All-Ireland MFC semi-final.

That the home side played quite cautiously in the first-half was perhaps understandable, as they looked to gauge the quality of the opposition involved in their step up to senior ‘A’, but they still managed to take a one point lead into the dressing-room at half-time, 1-2 to 0-4 – the goal having come in the 21st minute from right half-back Conor Breslin from Knockmore. Taking confidence from that, St Muredach’s tore into St Jarlath’s in the second-half but had still only increased their lead to three points by the 45-minute mark, 1-6 to 0-6. However, roared on by a vocal home support, and aided by late points from all three members of the full-forward line, Patrick Carr, Nathan Roddy and Sean Foody, the Red and White got the job done in very impressive fashion, in what from start to finish was a very enjoyable spectacle.

Oisín McCann was chief marksman with four terrific points from play and the Muredach’s winning margin would have been more had they brought their shooting boots for the first two-thirds of the contest.

Managed by ex-Armagh panellist Jack Grugan, St Jarlath’s leaned heavily on Killian Joyce in attack and seven of their ten scores came from the highly promising Corofin youngster. Goal chances fell to Dara Costello and Jack Finn in either half, with both well-saved by St Muredach's goalkeeper Conor Bohan.

Jarlath's can afford no further slip-ups with matches to come against Summerhill College, at home (provisionally fixed for Wednesday, November 26), and Ballinrobe Community School at a neutral venue (December 10).

The first-half was high on intensity but low on accurate finishing with the opening four points equally shared – Killian Joyce and Jack Cleary on target for Jarlath’s, Oisín McCann and Dylan Sweeney for the more wasteful Muredach’s.

The contest’s hinge moment arrived in the 21st minute when Sweeney’s long-range effort fell short and Jarlath's goalkeeper Evan Burke punched clear under pressure, with Conor Breslin reacting quickest and latching onto the break before turning back onto his right foot and blasting to the net.

Jarlath’s would trim the deficit with Joyce converting twice after fouls on both himself and Dara Costello to leave Muredach’s with a slender 1-2 to 0-4 interval advantage.

Ryan Connolly, after determined work from Joyce, levelled it up for the visitors with the opening score of the second-half before Muredach’s hit on a hot streak. The only deficiency in their performance up to that was in the finishing department, but that was rectified as they kicked ten points in a blistering 16-minute spell.

The excellent Oisín McCann set that purple patch in motion with back-to-back points and with Muredach's growing in stature, Nathan Roddy and Patrick Carr also got in on the scoring act.

Killian Joyce and Cian Hynes responded for Jarlath’s but the boys in red remained dominant with Cahair Tighe and Kenzie McKee leading a strong defensive effort.

Wing-back Alexander Smyth’s stinging drive was parried over by Evan Burke and further scores followed from Carr, a free, McCann's fourth, Dylan Sweeney, Nathan Roddy and Seán Foody as the margin stretched to a game-high of eight points.

St Jarlath’s had been cut adrift and though they rallied late on with three further Joyce points, Carr rounded off the scoring as Muredach’s made a winning start to their provincial campaign.

They have another major obstacle to cross this Wednesday, November 19 when they play Mayo rivals St Gerald’s College of Castlebar in the Flanagan Cup ‘A’ final. The game will be played at 12.30pm in Munnelly Park, Castlebar.

Scorers – St Muredach’s: Oisín McCann 0-0-4, Conor Breslin 1-0-0, Patrick Carr 0-0-3 (2f), Nathan Roddy and Dylan Sweeney 0-0-2 each, Alexander Smyth and Sean Foody 0-0-1 each.

St Jarlath’s: Killian Joyce 0-0-7 (4f), Ryan Connoly, Cian Hynes and Jack Cleary 0-0-1 each.

St Muredach’s College: Conor Bohan (Ardnaree Sarsfields); Cathair Tighe (Ardnaree Sarsfields), Kenzie McKee (Ardnaree Sarsfields), Sean Fleming (Ballina Stephenites); Conor Breslin (Knockmore), Cian Hastings (Ballycastle/Naomh Padraig); Oisin Gavin (Castleconnor), Dylan Sweeney (Ardnaree Sarsfields); Oisín McCann (Ballina Stephenites), Conor Jordan (Ballina Stephenites), Marc Munnelly (Kilfian/Naomh Padraig); Sean Foody (Bonniconlon), Nathan Roddy (Ardnaree Sarsfields), Patrick Carr (Ballina Stephenites). Subs: Corey Lavery McCay (Ardnaree) for Munnelly (37), Eoin Golden (Ballina) for Smyth (50), Peter Quinn (Ardnaree) for Fleming (52).

St Jarlath’s College: Evan Burke (Tuam Stars); Conor Winston (Corofin), Tiernan Looney (Corofin), Matthew Steele (Tuam Stars); Jack Cleary (Tuam Stars), Jack Finn (Monivea-Abbey), Adam Healy (Corofin); Andrew Kehoe (Milltown), Kian Gilmore (Cortoon Shamrocks); Rory Fahey (Corofin), Ross Mitchell (Tuam Stars), Ryan Connolly (Corofin); Killian Joyce (Corofin), Cian Hynes (Cortoon Shamrocks), Dara Costello (Milltown). Subs: Fionnán Kelly (Milltown) for Fahey (45), Mylo Higgins (Tuam Stars) for Healy (52), Ben Devaney (Kilconly) for Connolly (54).

REF: Kenny Durcan (Bonniconlon)