'We wanted to compete and beat all the big teams at this level' - Conor McCahill

There was a serious whiff of what might now be termed as ‘old-school football’ every time the Abbey Vocational School players spotted their inside forward Conor McCahill screaming for the ball to be kicked into him during last Saturday’s MacRory Cup semi-final win over Donegal Southwest. 

It was the simple act of letting the ball in early to the target man that saw the Donegal Town school continue their remarkable journey in this year’s Ulster A competition with a hard-fought 0-12 to 0-10 win in Ballyshannon.  

The all-Donegal semi-final brought out the best in the Abbey, whose composure and teamwork earned them a place in the final, a first for any Donegal school since 1961. 

Reflecting on the victory, Abbey’s Conor McCahill underlined the significance of the win for both the team and their school community who are represented by St Naul’s, Four Masters, and Naomh Brid.  

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"This win means so much to us," McCahill said. "It means so much to the three clubs that are in the school. Coming up from McLarnon last season, we had so much motivation coming into the MacRory competition." 

Abbey’s progression to the MacRory Cup final has been nothing short of impressive. Just a season ago, they were competing in the Ulster B competition which they won for the first time, and expectations were measured as they entered the higher-tier competition.  

"We were coming in as underdogs," McCahill admitted. "We didn’t have experience of playing at this level, so people weren’t expecting much from us. But we wanted to compete and beat all the big teams." 

That ambition has been realised through consistent performances and a focus on hard work. Saturday’s semi-final saw Abbey adapt to challenging conditions in Ballyshannon, showcasing their ability to control the game even against the wind in the first half.  

McCahill set the tone with the opening point, and the team’s precision and pace allowed them to build a 0-7 to 0-3 halftime lead. 

The second half brought an expected response from Donegal Southwest, but Abbey’s resilience shone through. Leaders like Turlough Carr stepped up at key moments, while Kevin Muldoon’s energy and Oisin Doherty’s accuracy were crucial in keeping the scoreboard ticking over. 

"We knew Donegal Southwest were going to come back at us," McCahill said. "They didn’t sit back, so we had to dig deep and grind out a result, and that’s what we did. Everyone stepped up, and we managed the game well." 

This composure has become a hallmark of Abbey’s season, as has their confidence in their running game.  

"The game was to run at them hard and just take no mercy going at them," McCahill explained. 

"There are different ways to break down teams, but we know with the boys we have and the running power that we have, we can break down most teams." 

For Abbey, the focus now shifts to preparing for the final, where they will face one of Ulster’s traditional powerhouses.  

The magnitude of their achievement isn’t lost on the players, many of whom have already experienced high-level finals in both school and club competitions. 

"We’ve played in a number of finals now in different competitions at high levels between club and school, so, we know what we need to bring. It’s now just about preparing properly for it," McCahill insisted.