GAA teenagers shine on stage
Scór na nOg county finals
A GREAT night of entertainment was had by all who attended the Scór na nÓg county final in Clonroche Community Centre recently.
The home club of Cloughbawn opened the night with the figure dancing competition. Aoibhinn Cooper, Nathan McDonald, Lisa Murphy, Brídín Quigley, Jamie Cummins, Caoimhe Quigley, Cormac Cooper and Aoife Fleming represented their club.
Meanwhile, Caoimhe Kenny, Eve Dunne, Gillian Hayes, Róisín Hayes, Chloe Byrne, Blathnaid Kenny, Ciara Kennedy and Lauren Meyers competed for Naomh Éanna.
Four accomplished singers competed in the solo singing competition. Úna Maguire (St. Patrick’s, Ballyoughter) sang Ellis Island and provided lovely accompaniment on guitar.
Éabha Carty (Sarsfields) performed well-known Wexford song, Boolavogue. In my Father’s House was beautifully delivered by Bannow-Ballymitty’s Kayleigh Moran, while Cloughbawn’s Cormac Cooper sang Come with me over the Mountain in a lovely traditional style.
Oulart-The Ballagh’s Declan Sinnott who did very well in last year’s competition, again performed very well in the recitation.
There was again strong competition in the instrumental music section. Réalt na Mara-Ballygarrett opened with Hilda Browne, Ben O’Connor, Brian Lee, Eve O’Loughlin and Cian Kenny giving a lovely performance of a jig and reel.
Next on stage were Banríona Ceoil Naomh Éanna who also gave an uplifting performance. Banríona Ceoil members are Tara O’Connor, Tara Cushe, Mollie Carroll, Leah O’Mahoney and Lauren Purcell.
Bannow-Ballymitty’s Cian O’Grady, Anna Harpur, Jane Rossiter, Kiera Reville and Callie Bennett again provided an entertaining performance of Christy Barry’s Jig and the Gravel Walks.
Bringing this category to a close were the boys from Faythe Harriers. Conall Clancy, Oisín Ó Feinneadha and Josh Walsh gave a beautiful performance on banjo, uilleann pipes and guitar.
Two Bannow-Ballymitty and two Naomh Éanna groups participated in the ballad group competition. The Bannow-Ballymitty girls sang Wexford song Beautiful Land of the Slaney and Ceol a Phíobaire, and the group members were Kayleigh and Caoimhe Moran, Niamh Colfer, Ciara Breen and Serena Reville.
Meanwhile, the boys - Cillian Cullen, Tom Moran, Aaron Hogan, Wal Cullen and Mikey Davey - performed Grace and Four and Nine.
Cáirde from Naomh Éanna - Niamh Byrne, Sadhbh Sheil, Abbie Donohoe, Clíona Redmond and Éabha Chambers - gave a lively performance of I’ll Tell Me Ma, while Banríona Ceoil who played earlier in the instrumental music competition sang Red is the Rose with beautiful harmony and The Spanish Lady.
The final competition was the léiriú and here Bannow-Ballymitty was the only club participating. Niamh Colfer, Siobhán Rossiter, Caoimhe Moran, Michael Harpur, Jane Rossiter and Aaron Hogan performed a piece entitled ‘Welcoming Davy to Wexford’ and performed many songs and some music as part of their act.
Scór Chairperson, Áine Kennedy, thanked all those who helped in organising the event and congratulated all the performers.
She thanked the adjudicator, Dominic Leech, who also addressed the audience. Finally, bean a’ tí Breda Jacob announced the results.
The following clubs will represent Wexford in the Leinster semi-final in Allenwood, Co. Kildare, on December 4 at 2.30 p.m.: figure dancing (Cloughbawn - Aoibhinn Cooper, Nathan McDonald, Lisa Murphy, Brídín Quigley, Jamie Cummins, Caoimhe Quigley, Cormac Cooper, Aoife Fleming); solo singing (Bannow-Ballymitty - Kayleigh Moran); recitation (Oulart-The Ballagh - Declan Sinnott); instrumental music (Bannow-Ballymitty - Cian O’Grady, Anna Harpur, Jane Rossiter, Callie Bennett, Kiera Reville); ballad group (Naomh Éanna Banríona Ceoil - Tara O’Connor, Tara Cushe, Mollie Carroll, Leah O’Mahoney, Lauren Purcell); léiriú (Bannow-Ballymitty - Niamh Colfer, Jane Rossiter, Siobhán Rossiter, Michael Harpur, Aaron Hogan, Caoimhe Moran); tráth na gceisteanna (St. Mary’s, Rosslare - Kevin Power, David and Claire McDonnell, Manus Harte - through to All-Ireland final).
The latter qualified in St. Martin’s G.A.A. complex which was the venue for the quiz recently.
Teams from St. Patrick’s (Ballyoughter), St. Martin’s and St. Mary’s (Rosslare) participated, and the St. Mary’s quartet of Manus Harte, David McDonnell, Claire McDonnell and Kevin Power qualified for the All-Ireland final which will be held in Belfast.
St. Patrick’s (Ballyoughter) were represented by four teams comprising Úna Maguire, Fergal Maguire, Micheál Rowsome, Oliver Gahan, Conor Kelly, Eoin Kelly, Andrew O’Brien, Ciara Wilkinson, Adam Goff, Adam Kavanagh, Eoin Curran, Cormac Kavanagh, Pádraig Doyle, Tomás Wilkinson and Max Farrell-McCabe.
St. Martin’s were represented by two teams featuring Ciara O’Connor, Alannah Davies, Ellie Mernagh, Claire Barrett, Emma Barry, Kate Barrett, Sally Barrett and Aoife O’Connor.
Following the competition Joe Cummins (quizmaster) presented the winners with trophies. Áine Kennedy, Scór Chairperson, thanked St. Martin’s for the use of the complex and also Joe Cummins for compiling and asking the questions.