Moate CS girls aim to secure All-Ireland ‘holy grail’
Fidelma Quinn has described the ambition of winning an All-Ireland ‘A’ title in ladies football as the “holy grail” for Moate Community School.
Quinn is joint manager, alongside Amy Hughes, of the Moate CS team which takes on Ursuline Secondary School, Thurles in the LGFA Lidl All-Ireland PPS Junior ‘A’ final tomorrow (Thursday). The final will take place at Glenisk O’Connor Park, Tullamore, throw-in 1pm.
“We won the U-16 ‘B’ All-Ireland in 2019 (defeating Coláiste Oiriall from Monaghan in the final). Obviously, we got to the Senior ‘A’ final in the Covid year of 2020 but didn’t get to play it, and then we lost the Senior ‘A’ final to Midleton (St Mary’s) in 2022.
“An ‘A’ All-Ireland title is the ultimate goal, it’s the holy grail and hopefully this team can do it,” said Quinn, who is also the vice-principal of the school.
Moate CS recently defeated Our Lady’s and St Patrick’s College, Knock (a school based on the Down side of Belfast) in their All-Ireland semi-final played in Darver, Co. Louth.
Speaking after the semi-final victory (4-10 to 2-4), Quinn said all involved with the team were “delighted” to reach the final.
“We were probably only able to relax in the last three or four minutes of that game. We felt at half-time that we hadn’t really played to our full potential, or maybe we weren’t allowed to do so,” said Fidelma.
“Their blanket defence was very difficult to break down and while we were kicking over it as best we could, they were very good at turning over the ball. The supply was going in but they were very good at getting turnovers and breaking fast.”
Anna Ryan from Doon, player of the match recipient in the Leinster final win over Maynooth Education Campus, was subject to plenty of close marking in the All-Ireland semi-final. Therefore, the ability of Chloe Malone and Alex Kelly to kick scores from distance proved crucial. The aforementioned Ryan still struck for two goals which helped to seal victory in the closing stages.
“We have girls like Alex Kelly and Chloe Malone, to name just two, who are able to kick from distance and with accuracy. That kept us in the game and ticking along up until half-time,” Quinn remarked.
For their part, Ursuline SS, Thurles overcame the challenge of High Cross College, Tuam (a newly amalgamated school) in the other semi-final. One of Fidelma’s teaching colleagues was in attendance at that semi-final and the reports coming back suggested that the Tipperary side are likely to provide formidable opposition.
Moate CS has been one of the leading lights in ladies football over recent years, and excitement is building as the Westmeath school strives to bring home a coveted All-Ireland ‘A’ title. The Moate CS team is jointly captained by Áine Bracken (Moate) and Erin Ó Faoláin (Caulry) - see full panel and player profiles here.
And having made a long trip to Darver for their semi-final, the Moate girls are likely to be backed by plenty of support in the convenient venue of Tullamore on Thursday afternoon.