Scoil Mhuire gan Smál TY students nurturing next generation of GAA stars

Nearly 100 sixth class pupils from local primary schools gathered in Blarney recently for a Gaelic football blitz organised and refereed by Transition Year students from Scoil Mhuire gan Smál.

The event saw boys and girls from Gaelscoil Mhuscraí Blarney, Scoil Chroí Íosa Blarney, Cloghroe National School and Berrings National School take part in three hours of football under glorious sunshine.

The blitz was designed to give young players valuable match experience ahead of the upcoming Sciath na Scol competitions. It also provided an opportunity for Scoil Mhuire gan Smál students to showcase their coaching and leadership skills as part of an exciting new initiative at the school.

Scoil Mhuire gan Smál places a strong emphasis on sport and the GAA in particular as part of its extracurricular programme. The school’s coaching team includes former and current Cork stars from both codes, Brendan Jer O’Sullivan, who played for the Cork senior footballers, Stephen Moylan lined out for the Cork senior hurlers and Fiona Keating is a current member of the Cork senior camogie squad.

There were also external specialists such as Gavin Webb, Cork GAA Games Development Coach, Marc Smith, Strength & Conditioning, and Kieran Walsh, Hurling Skills Coach.

A key element of Scoil Mhuire gan Smál’s sporting vision is to integrate itself into the local player development framework by training Transition Year students as GAA-qualified coaches. These students are then placed with primary schools and local clubs to help nurture the next generation of players.

The recent blitz marked the first major event organised entirely by these TY student coaches, who planned fixtures, refereed games and ensured the smooth running of the day.

Speaking after the event, organising Scoil Mhuire gan Smál teachers Colm Kiely and Seán O’Callaghan praised both the participating schools and the TY students for their enthusiasm and commitment.