Drumbar welcome back former player Connell Breslin in novel U-16 girls pairing

There will be a reunion of sorts on Saturday at Drumbar, outside Donegal Town, when Connell Breslin takes his Portlaoise U-16 girls team to the venue to play the home side in the U-16 SFAI National Cup round of 32 game.

The Leitirmacaward native is well known around Donegal Town, having managed Kavanagh’s SuperValu there for a good number of years and he also spent five years in the colours of Drumbar United.

He is now living in Ballycolla, south of Portlaoise and still linked to SuperValu with stores in Rathdowney and Abbeyleix. He moved to the area in 2009.

And he is also manager of a very successful Portlaoise girls U-16 team that contains his daughter, 14-year-old Ciara.
Where he now resides is Laois hurling territory and his son, Darragh, as he says himself “is hurling mad”.

“Ballycolla is a small village, but the GAA club is fierce progressive. They got to the Leinster senior club hurling final last year, losing to Ballyhale Shamrocks. Portlaoise GAA club would be more football, but the soccer team would also be strong, fielding 26 teams,” says Connell.

Breslin has been in charge of the girls for a few years and they have achieved great success, winning the FAIS U-14 girls competition last year.

“The present U-16 team are made up entirely of last year’s team, so they are playing a year above, but they are doing okay.”
The Portlaoise team will present a formidable test for Drumbar as three of the squad, including Connell’s daughter, Ciara, are set to join League of Ireland clubs in the summer. Ciara is joining Wexford Youths while two others are set to join Athlone Town.

“They would want to sign out on a good note,” he says. “Last year was a brilliant year at U-14 level. They entered four cups and won all four. In the present campaign they have beaten Shelbourne, Greystones and Clonee. We have been blessed to have such a good bunch,” says Breslin, who added that eight of the squad were involved in the Gaynor Cup last year, going all the way to the final.

“I know Drumbar have a good team and we’d expect a fierce tight game, especially giving away a year. But we’ll be hoping to give a good account of ourselves,” says Breslin, who said it was a novel pairing as he had spent five years playing with Drumbar over two spells.

“We had been keeping an eye on them last year at U-14 level and were hoping we would draw them because of my connection, and it worked out this year. But with up to 150 teams taking part, it was funny the way it worked out. When my daughter, Ciara, saw the draw, she called me and said ‘isn’t that the team you used to play for’.”
The game has given Connell the perfect opportunity to make a trip to his home county for the weekend.

DRUMBAR ON THE UP
Drumbar United are also a team on an upward curve and the past number of years has seen great success at underage level.
Paddy Colhoun is manager of the present U-16 girls squad and, like Connell Breslin, he has a daughter, Sarah, in the squad.
“We won the Ulster U-14 last year and were beaten by Tipperary Town at this stage of the competition 1-0.

Portlaoise went on to win that competition outright. They are obviously a talented side and they beat Greystones in this year’s Leinster final 2-0,” says Colhoun.

“Our path to this Round of 32 has been very good. We played Ballyjamesduff from Cavan in the first round and won easily. We then got a bye in the second round as Ballyhaise of Cavan were unable to field.

“In the Ulster final we defeated Cockhill Celtic of Buncrana 3-1. That game was played on January 6th in Letterkenny.
“Then came the open draw and we got Portlaoise with the game at home. And with Connell Breslin’s involvement with Portlaoise, it has added some extra interest,” says Colhoun.

The girls section of Drumbar United has been going for a number of years with Colhoun helped out by, among others, Paddy Gallagher and Emma Cuddy with Paddy Brogan always available.

“They are a forward looking club and now have the FAI Club Mark. The club is heavily invested as a community based club with the boys and girls on equal footing,” says Colhoun. The present U-16 team has representatives from all over south Donegal, Killybegs, Inver, Rossnowlagh, Donegal Town and one from Letterkenny.

“These Portlaoise girls know how to win but so do we and we are looking forward to the challenge. We know it will be a tough game and with Connell Breslin involved it will make it interesting,” said Colhoun. The game has a 2 pm kick-off on Saturday at the Drumbar United grounds.

The Drumbar U-16 squad is: Maeve Brady, Sarah Colhoun, Louise Kennedy, Hannah Leape, Lauren McArdle, Laoise McBride, Clara McGuinness, Sarah McGuinness, Megan Murphy, Zoe Murray, Florence Naughton, Faye Nolan, Teagan O'Reilly, Laura Quinn, Sara Thomas, Lucy Ward.