Abbey VS have sights set on All-Ireland final as they take on Dunmore CS on Saturday

It’s well over a week now since Abbey VS, Donegal Town made history by lifting the Mac Larnon Cup on their first final appearance, but their ambition has now been lifted a notch with a place in the B All-Ireland final (Drummond Cup) up for grabs when they meet Dunmore Community School (Galway) in Kent Park, Sligo on Saturday (1 pm).

Abbey were eight point winners against Our Lady & St Patrick’s, Knock in the MacLarnon final (2-10 to 0-8) played at the BOX-IT Athletic Grounds, Armagh on February 11th.

Now two weeks later the very talented Donegal Town students can write another piece of GAA history.

Donegal schools have won the MacLarnon Cup 12 times but only four teams have made the final. St Eunan’s, Letterkenny and De La Salle, Ballyshannon were All-Ireland winners of the Drummond Cup in 1979 and 1980 while PCC, Falcarragh lost to FCJ Bunclody in 1986 final and De La Salle lost out to St Colman’s of Claremorris in the 1996 final.

Now Abbey VS have the chance to make it five and they have the potential to do just that, such is the talent that is available to them.

The side is backboned by Four Masters players who have reached the last two Ulster Minor Club finals while there are important panel members from neighbouring clubs St Naul’s and Naomh Brid as well.

The side are managed by Gaoth Dobhair native Stuart McFadden and Realt na Mara, Bundoran and county player Jamie Brennan.

After winning the Mac Larnon final, the school were on midterm break but the management team had them together for a training session.

“We got together on the Friday of the week they were off and we had another session on Monday evening.

“We are well prepared and we will have a short team meeting on Thursday,” said Stuart McFadden, who said a good number of the squad were involved with Donegal U-17 and U-20 teams at the weekend.

“It’s all good and the spirits are high. Even last night at training we were missing a few of the minor lads who had minor training in Convoy. But hopefully, they will all look after themselves and they will be good to go on Saturday.”

The history-making squad have enjoyed a whirlwind season but on Saturday they will be going into the unknown, knowing very little about their Galway opponents.

“It has been an unbelievable journey for the boys and there has been no hassle with them. They are a great group of boys to be working with.

As for Saturday’s opposition, every avenue is being pursued to find out details on Dunmore CS.

“We got a wee bit of information as one of the teachers in the school would know people from Carrick-on-Shannon, who they beat in the Connacht final. We’ve obviously read the reports that were in the local papers down there.

“We have a wee bit of work done but we wouldn’t know a great deal. They would seem to be on a crest of a wave with a good bunch of players as well. They won the D competition in 2021 and they won C last year and now they have won the B competition this year.

“They seem to be, no more than the Four Masters group that are coming through there, they just have a good bunch. They have a couple of players that are on the Galway U-20 panel. We know we are going to get a good test,” said McFadden.

Stuart McFadden, manager of Abbey VS.

The Abbey manager knows that it will take their best performance to be successful and he agreed that while they won the Ulster final by eight points, it wasn’t their best display.

“I would have said that the eight points win in the MacLarnon final was a wee bit flattering. Our late goal kinda put a wee gloss on the finish.

“Look, there were things in that game that we weren’t happy with and we chatted to the boys about. You’re never going to get a perfect performance but this is a game that is a unique opportunity for them.

“For some getting to play in an All-Ireland semi-final,  it might be the highest they might ever play between club, school and county. So, we are encouraging them to put their best foot forward and take the opportunity. We’ll be telling them to go out and work hard and bring that intensity and if they do that it will take a good team to beat them at the end of the day.”

McFadden agrees that the success which Four Masters achieved at minor level in the last two years has provided the backbone, driving force and ambition for the school group.

“It definitely has and I would say more so it’s coming from the Leaving Cert students that are there. A lot of the Leaving Cert students would have been on that Four Masters team last year that lost the Ulster final and were  overage this year. The likes of Leo McGowan, Seanán Carr and Conor Meehan and I think it (winning Mac Larnon) meant a bit more to them.

“Then you have the likes of Oisin Mogan, Donal Gallagher and Aaron McGrory, that will be their third school medal; they won first year competition and they were along with myself and Pauric O’Donnell when they won the Loch an Iuir (U-14½ ). They have always been a good bunch of lads and it’s nice for them in their final year.

“It was nice for them to leave with a MacLarnon medal and hopefully, they could get more as well.”

There is also the possibility of the final being played in Croke Park, although McFadden was reluctant to talk about finals.

“I know it was in Croke Park last year but we haven’t really looked that far forward. It is normally a double header with the Hogan Cup.”
https://www.donegallive.ie/news/gaa/1428201/the-alternative-view-bogey-what-bogey-o-baoill-nails-it-for-donegal-against-fermanagh.html

The Abbey side is backboned by very talented players and when you think in the past with teams that included Karl Lacey and Barry Dunnion and later Peadar Mogan, Brendan McCole and Gavin Mulreany, none of those teams reached the heights of this year’s side.

“It’s historic for the school and when you mention Peadar Mogan and Brendan McCole, we had three from that Markey winning team, and three brothers have now gone and won the B competition, the Mac Larnon. It was Peadar and Oisin Mogan, Aaron and Callum McCrea and Thomas and Leo McGowan.”

The bragging rights are with the present squad in those houses.

“I would say it’s nice for the younger lads to have something to hold over them anyway,” laughs McFadden, who was also involved in the Loch an Iuir success.

“It was nice to see them from U-13 and U-14 and see how they developed. To take them through and get the opportunity to take them this year at senior; I knew they were a good bunch of boys and good footballers. At the end of the day it makes my job easy taking them boys out training. It is just a pleasure to be involved with them and really proud of what they have achieved for themselves and for the school.”

It would seem that the Gaoth Dobhair man is something of a lucky mascot for the school as he only came to teach in the Abbey VS in 2009.

Donegal senior footballer Jamie Brennan, who is part of the management of the Abbey VS team