Savouring a memorable occasion
St Attracta’s All-Ireland final win was a great day for the parishes and Sligo
HERE’S a thought. What if Sligo was a sporting superpower, both provincially and nationally? But maybe we’re better off suffering more lows than highs. Because only then can we fully appreciate when great days come along like Bank Holiday Monday, when St Attracta’s Community School won an All-Ireland title.
All of south Sligo was there at Ballyforan to watch the Tubbercurry secondary school defeat Ursuline Secondary School (Thurles) in the Lidl All-Ireland Post Primary Schools
Senior ‘B’ Championship final.
Having been fortunate to see St Attracta’s win their Connacht final and All-Ireland semi-final, I sensed this was a team – and a squad – on a mission.
They were seeking redemption – last year’s loss in a provincial decider certainly hurt and a number of these players also featured for St Attracta’s in FAI Schools Senior Girls National Cup final defeat (on penalties) to Buncrana’s Scoil Mhuire.
Little was known about Ursuline Secondary School although the
Munster champions had pedigree in camogie, losing last month’s AllIreland Senior ‘A’ decider.
St Attracta’s, though, weren’t in awe of their opponents. The Connacht champions boasted two Sligo LGFA county players, Cara King and Lauren Normanly. Furthermore, 10 of the starting XV played for Sligo LGFA, either at U-16 or U-18 level, in AllIreland ‘B’ finals last year.
St Attracta’s created almost too many chances early on and, with several of these opportunities going abegging, it was logical to wonder if these teens would be haunted by these misses later on.
Thankfully this wasn’t the case and their eight-point winning margin, 3-12 to 1-10, summed up their eventual supremacy in difficult weather.
St Attracta’s forward Lauren Normanly was named Player of the Match (a gong not selected by the watching media, mind) as the forward maintained the scoring form displayed in her team’s All-Ireland semi-final win.
Victory at the Roscommon venue would have prompted the lighting of bonfires all over south Sligo, as well as nearby Charlestown in Co. Mayo.
Hopefully Sligo LGFA’s adult team will benefit down the line from this latest crop of stars. That’s the future. Right now, we must thank this group for providing one of the most memorable of days for Sligo sport.