Mullahoran N.S past pupil Anthony O'Reilly All-Ireland Vocational Schools Senior 'A' Football Champion visited the school today with his victorious team mates and the cup.

Nine Cavan players scoop All-Ireland medals

Published: Wed 17 Apr 2013, 5:11 PM

Last updated: Wed 17 Apr 2013, 6:18 PM

Paul Fitzpatrick

There was fantastic news for three Cavan GAA clubs last Saturday in Croke Park when nine players picked up All-Ireland Vocational Schools Senior Championship medals with Cnoc Mhuire, Granard. And the players marked the occasion today (Tuesday) by touring their old national schools with the cup. They all received rapturous receptions from the pupils who were delighted to get their hands on the silverware.

The Longford school saw off Holy Trinity, Cookstown by 2-13 to 2-12 in a thrilling clash at Croke Park, with Mullahoran quartet Tadhg McGahern, Diarmuid Fitzsimons, Sean McKeogh and Fionán O’Reilly starting the match and Mark Kiernan (Ballymachugh) and Aaron Brady (Gowna) coming on as subs.

Mullahoran’s Shane Sheils, Adrian Rabbitte and Aaron Fegan were also part of the panel, giving the Dreadnoughts the second highest representation on the panel after Northern Gaels.

'It’s great news for the club, we are all delighted for the lads, they played really well,' stated Mullahoran Children’s officer Danny Brady.

'We’ll be hoping that some of them will go on from here and do well. Apart from Fionán, who is doing the Leaving Cert, the rest of the seven are eligible again next year.'

McKeogh, Kiernan and O’Reilly have all been involved with the Cavan minor panel this season, with O’Reilly having featured as a sub in a couple of ACFL Division 1A games with the Mullahoran senior team.

Despite only having 14 men after the harsh sending off of Aidan McElligot, Cnoc Mhuire survived a late Holy Trinity rally.

'I was frozen with fear. I might have looked calm, but they kept coming at us. We had worked so hard having played most of the game with 14 men. In the last five minutes we just didn’t have anything left,' said Granard manager James Carroll, an Offaly native.

'I think our name was just written on the trophy.'

Granard led at the break by 2-7 to 1-4, with McKeogh and McGahern impressing at the back, and withstood a late surge to deservedly take the title.

'Unfortunately, we left it too late. Playing well for 15 minutes isn’t going to win an All-Ireland final,' bemonaed Cookstown joint manager Aidan O’Donnell, who was joined on the line by former Tyrone star, and Fermanagh manager, Peter Canavan.

SCORERS – Cnoc Mhuire: R Brady (1f), D McGivney (5fs) 0-5 each, A McElligott, N Rabbitt 1-0 each, L Sullivan, M Gorman, F O’Reilly 0-1 each. Holy Trinity: J McGahan 0-5 (3fs), R Loughran 1-2, J Rocks 1-1, D Mulgrew, G Goodfellow, D Magee, M Quinn 0-1 each.

Cnoc Mhuire – L Meehan; T McGahern (Mullahoran), D Fitzsimons (Mullahoran), I Ilunga; B McKiernan, S McKeogh (Mullahoran), L Sullivan; D McGivney, A McElligott; C Mallon, M Gorman, A O’Reilly; R Brady, N Rabbitt, F O’Reilly (Mullahoran). Subs: M Kiernan (Ballymachugh) for A O’Reilly (27), A Brady (Gowna) for Gorman (44), M Gorman for McKiernan (54), B McKiernan for Ilunga (60).