Corn Colmcille Ulster Final

March 28, 2023 by Helen O'Hanlon

Dean Maguirc College booked its place in the final of The Corn Colmcille competition (U13.5) by beating Abbey Vocational School on Friday past at Irvinestown’s Bawnacre centre. Having topped the qualifying group with victories over St. Louis’ Ballymena, St. Ciaran’s Ballygawley and St Joseph’s Donaghmore, The Dean entered the semi final on Friday as slight favourites over its Donegal counterparts.

Weather conditions were not ideal as the players took to the pitch but both teams adapted well to the wet ball and produced high quality football from the outset. It was Abbey who impressed most in the early exchanges and got the first two scores on the board. The Dean duly upped the tenacity in their tackling and this paid great dividends with them scoring a goal on the counter attack through ace marksman Brayden McNally. This team prides itself on gaining turnovers and they did this regularly during an excellent first half. Great pressure was applied to the Abbey kickout and The Dean were rewarded with scores from Marcus Conway and Mark Harte. From then on goals were on the mind of the attackers and they went on to score three from Pauric Broderick, Finbar Donaghy and Brayden McNally again. Abbey kept themselves in the game by scoring a goal after some great work from their half back line. At the half time break Dean Maguirc College were seven points in the ascendancy with a score line of 4.3 to 1.5.

The second half was a more cautious affair with The Dean seemingly more determined to hold on to the lead rather than extend it. They suffered for this in conceding two goals to Abbey, one of which was a penalty. Some substitutions brought fresh impetus to The Dean’s attack and one in particular, Matthew Meenagh, can count himself very unlucky to have had his goal disallowed. A goal each for Marcus Conway and Brayden McNally, alongside to a point from midfielder Lochlann Gillen paved the way for a nine point victory for Dean Maguirc winning by 6.6 to 3.6. They go on to play another Donegal school, St. Eunan’s Letterkenny, in the final which is due to take place on April the 20^th, after the Easter holidays.

Thanks to our feeder Clubs

March 6, 2023 by Helen O'Hanlon

Also in attendance were two guest speakers, who needed no introduction, Martin Penrose and Stephen O’Neill. Both shared some of the experiences with the boys and provided grounded advise about playing in high pressure games. They emphasised the importance of a strong panel and the need to have prepared mentally for what lies ahead.

Dean Maguirc College would like to thank all of the club representatives, most of whom have Dean connections, for taking time out to attend the event. We would also like to thank both guest speakers for being so generous with their time and advise.

Club representatives..

Beragh : Niall and Paul Owens.(past pupils)

Loughmacrory: Ciaran Meenagh past pupil and current parent)

Greencastle: Sean Teague(current parent)

Killyclogher: Sean O’Kane .

Pomeroy: Enda Kilpatrick.

Carrickmore: Jonathan Monroe(Past pupil)

Markey Cup Winners

by Helen O'Hanlon

Dean Maguirc Carrickmore 3-8 Coláiste Cholmcille Ballyshannon 1-10

History was made at Roslea on Wednesday evening when Dean Maguirc Carrickmore won the Ulster Schools Markey Cup for the first time in their history with a deserved four point win over Coláiste Cholmcille Ballyshannon.

It was a superb game of football played on a perfect surface between two well drilled sides. The winners grabbed goals either side of halftime and while their opponents battled back the Dean were able to keep their noses in front. Dean keeper Kilian Kerr was called into action in the opening seconds to save well from Anton Govorov while he also blocked two follow ups as well. Kevin Cuddy opened the scoring before Sean Og Teague doubled Dean’s advantage but by the 11^th minute the sides were level thanks to efforts from Aongas Sweeney and Ryan Barrett.

The Dean though were enjoyed a purple patch with Michael Rafferty, Pierce Byrne, James McCallan, Ronan Fox, Teague, Davagh Loughran and Aidan Woods all to the fore and efforts from Teague and Woods (2) moved them 0-5 to 0-2 in front. They missed a number of chances though and that allowed their opponents to reduce the deficit to the minimum with points from Jack Gallagher and Barrett. In the final attack of the first half though midfielder McCallan surged through and gave keeper Aaron Cullen no chance with a thumping shot to the top left hand corner of the net to leave it 1-5 to 0-4 at the break.

Things got even better for Dean Maguirc in the first attack of the second half when Woods finished in style to the bottom right hand corner of the net to give them a firm grip on proceedings. Loughran tagged on a point and at this stage it looked as though the Dean would assume complete control. The Donegal lads though had other ideas and a brace of points from Kyle McNulty was followed by a brilliant goal from Govorov in the 38^th minute to leave just a single score between the sides.

Gallagher then reduced the gap to two and the momentum appeared to have turned until the Dean reasserted themselves. Mickey Joe McGlinchey got a vital point for he winners and that was quickly followed by a quality score from distance from Cuddy. With eight minutes to go substitute Callum Stewart gave the Dean some breathing space with their third goal. That proved to be their last score but they had done enough. Gallagher kicked a brace of points before being sent off while McNulty registered again but the night belonged to Dean Maguirc as they secured a fabulous and well deserved win.

McDevitt Cup Winners

February 14, 2022 by Helen O'Hanlon

Dean Maguirc Lift Mc Devitt Cup

Dean Maguirc College claimed the Mc Devitt Cup on Thursday afternoon following a very exciting final at Ardboe that saw them defeat St Conor’s of Derry 2-9 to 1-6.

The winners came from 1-2 to no score down after twenty one minutes to level the game at the short whistle before pulling away in the second half to win 2-9 to 1-6.

St Conor’s won the toss and played with the breeze in the first half. Dean Maguirc looked nervous early on as St Conor’s bossed the early possession and the Carrickmore school were relieved that goalkeeper Caolan Tracey’s kickouts proved very effective against the wind during the opening thirty minutes. Defensively with Michael Gallagher, Eoghan Conway and Ciaran Mc Crystal in outstanding form, the Derry side found it hard to create scoring chances.

Points from Caoimhan Mc Nally and Tom Duffin and a fortuitous goal from the boot of Conrad Mullan helped put St Conor’s five clear with twenty one minutes on the clock. Although they trailed by five there was no sense of panic among the Dean players as midfield pairing Padraig Mc Crystal and Padraig Donaghy took control of the midfield area and Caolan Grimes, Pearse Mc Donald and Shane Morris asked questions of the Derry defence with their strong running and creative build up play.

With five minutes of the first half remaining corner forward Odhran Curran opened his team’s account with a fine point. Two minutes later the same player was on hand again to finish a well worked team move to the net to leave a single point between the sides.

There was still time for one more attack and Ryan Donaghy rounded off a superb Dean Maguirc comeback with a great point into the wind to leave the teams tied at the break 1-2 apiece.

The Derry lads began the second half in determined mood hitting two points in their first two attacks. Frank Mc Aleese and Tom Duffin were the players on target and just for a few minutes the Dean looked rattled. However the full back line of Rory Woods, Padraig Harvey and Conan Slane turned the game with some excellent defending and within four minutes the Dean were ahead. Curran bagged another point before full forward Fitzgerald’s hard work was rewarded.

With six minutes of the second half gone centre back Michael Gallagher, who was outstanding in defence,found himself deep in enemy territory and when the chance presented itself he finished the ball to the net to put the Dean in front for the first time in the game.

Ben Donnelly(2) and Pearse Mc Donald swapped points before a strong finish from Dean Maguirc saw them hit four points in a row from Donaghy, Curran, Fitzgerald and Mc Donald to secure the title on a final score of Dean Maguirc College 2-9, St Conor’s 1-6.

U20 Ulster Champions

February 4, 2020 by Helen O'Hanlon

Dean girls win Ulster U20 title

The under 20C colleges game between Dean Maguirc College and Largy College took place on Thursday at the Bawnacre centre, Irvinestown.

The Dean girls had come through two very tough games to qualify for the final. They beat Virginia College Cavan in the quarter final by 1pt after extra time and then St. Louis, Ballymena in the semi-final by 1pt in a replay after extra-time.  The girls had shown real character to come through these battles. However, the team had lost Claire McGarrity through injury.

Winning such games stood to them going into the final. In the first half the girls played against a strong wind. The Dean started off well and went 2 points up, however, Largy College took control of the game and took full advantage of the wind and went 2-2 to 4 points up after 15 minutes.  Once again the Dean girls dug deep and started to crawl their way back into the game.  Maeve McCrystal was very influential during this period and scored 1-3 to bring the girls back into the game.

The game flowed from end to end and at half time only a single point separated them.  Dean 1-06 to Largy 2-04.

The wind had a bearing on the second half and Largy college found it increasingly difficult to work the ball out of their defence.  The dean team became more confident and started to dominate the play.  The addition of Meaghan Clarke coming on further boosted the dean with her ability to run at the Largy defence. This helped settle the team and through Caitlin Gormley and player of the match Mairead McGarrity began to take control of the game.  A few excellent frees from Sorcha Gormley helped the Dean pull away from their opponents and a late goal from Clodagh Munroe sealed the title.

Overall it was an excellent team performance and the girls now go onto to represent the school in the All-Ireland series. The game finished Dean Maguirc College 2-19 to Largy College 2-06.

Dean Team: Aoibh Kerr, Aoibhinn Daly, Sarah Devlin, Aimee McGuigan, Cloda McNamee, Eimear McGarrity, Mairead McGarrity, Leah McGuigan, Caoimhe Warnock (0-1), Alanagh McCallan (0-1), Caitlin Gormley (0-3), Sorcha Gormley (0-3), Mollie Clarke (0-1), Meave McCrystal (1-7), Clodagh Munroe (1-2):  Subs used: Blaithnait Kerr, Meaghan Clarke (0-1), Aine Grimes, Laura Corcoran and Siofra Loughran. Caitlin Conway, Aine McPhillips, Seanna Clarke, Ebony-Leigh Johnston, Mary Gormley, Anna Sweeney, Maebh McGarrity, Aoibhean Kerr.

U14 Camogie Ulster Final Winners

June 5, 2019 by Helen O'Hanlon

Yesterday our U14 Camogie team played Belfast West Gaels in the Ulster Final at Pearse Og park in Armagh. Not deterred by the fact that the Belfast team was a combination of pupils from St Genevieve’s high school and St Louise’s, Belfast, our girls played their hearts out in a very tough battle. A battle with both sides reluctant to give up even in the poor weather conditions.

Our captain and midfielder Aoibhinn Daly had an excellent game continuously feeding the ball in to the forward line, providing crucial set ups for scores. In the back line Mollie O’Hanlon provided a strong and comfortable position clearing the ball many times to hold the Gaels back. At half time both sides were even on a score of 1:2 each.

The girls knew that it was all to play for and any mistakes made could be a turning point in the game. Megan O’Hanlon sister of Mollie gained a penalty and scored a superb goal. The 3rd O’Hanlon sibling, Lucy O’Hanlon, stood strong in goals, providing many crucial saves. Both keepers on each side had tremendous games keeping the scores well down.

Although the conditions were far from perfect both teams fought hard to the final whistle. However it was the Dean girls who ensured a 2 point lead with 2 minutes to go resulting that on the final whistle DMC would bring another Ulster title back to Carrickmore, Final score DMC 2:3 West Belfast Gaels 1:4. A huge congratulations to the whole team on a very successful year of camogie.

The girls will now reflect on their successful year  and begin preparation for the next round of competitions. A special mention and thanks to the girls coaches and mentors Miss McCann and Miss McArdle. Thanks also to the Eire Og club for allowing the girls to use their facilities during the year. Thanks also to Pearse Og club in Armagh and  referee Shane Hughes.

McAvoy Cup Winners

by Helen O'Hanlon

The Dean U15.5 tewam won the McAvoy Cup, overcoming St Aidan’s Cootehill on a scoreline of Dean 3-7 Cootehill 2-7.

The game was played in the Pearse Og grounds in Armagh. Today was the 25^th time this squad has met over the last 3 months and the result was a fitting reward for the effort forthcoming from all 28 players on the panel. Today we had a group of players collecting their fourth Ulster Title with the Dean, whilst others were collecting their first. However, the delight at the final whistle was the same for the ‘veterans’ of the team as it was for the ‘novices’. The first half was a cagey affair and was a story of missed chances for the Dean. At half time the score line was 1-3 each and it seemed the Dean had a mountain to climb in the second half playing against a strong breeze. However, climb that mountain the boys did and after a pulsating first 15 minutes of the second half the boys had built up a 9 point lead at one stage. Cootehill never gave up and rattled off 3 points in succession to leave 6 points in it in injury time. As Carrickmore supporters were calling for the final whistle Cootehill scored an excellently worked goal to leave only 3 points in it. The Dean won the following kick out of defence and were able to weather the storm and bring Ulster glory back to Carrickmore for the second time this year.

January 9, 2019 by Helen O'Hanlon

Rafferty Cup Winners

Dean Maguirc College 1-11 St Pius X, Magherafelt 1-10

After 2 games and 2 periods of extra time, only the minimum separated ourselves and St Pius X at the Final of the Rafferty Cup in Stewartstown on Saturday.

There was little between the two well drilled sides, with the Dean boys deserving the success on the day. Our team started with the same 15 from the drawn game, but it was the positional switches that the management deployed at the second time of asking that went a long way towards winning the game.

Team captain Micheal McCann led by example with an inspirational display at corner back. Oran Toal was moved to the 40 and caused havoc every time he gained possession, while Sean Conneely and Packie Quinn were also to the fore for the team.

St Pius more than played their part in a thrilling encounter with players Ryan Laverty, Michael Forbes and Aaron Donnelly being their best players on the day.

Scores proved difficult to come by in the third quarter. An unfortunate Cathair Kelly was off due to a black card offence just shortly before St Puis became level. A great response from Sean Conneely and Oran Toal responded with converted frees before Lorcan McGarrity eased a 3 point lead with 8 minutes to go. A minute later and the ball was in the bottom corner of the net for St Puis X. The Dean boys dug deep with Packie Quinn placing Zak Devine for the lead point before Oral Toal weighed in with his fourth of the day.

The final whistle marked a third ulster schools’ title in a row for this group of players, all the more remarkable as this group of players have moved up a grade in each of the 3 seasons. A thrilling game of football from both sides with a well deserved result in the end. Special congratulations has to be said to the coaches Enda Kilpatrick and Terry McCann who have worked hard with this young team.

Dean Maguirc

Daniel McCrory, Micheal McCann, Conor Cuddy, Cahir McAnespie, Caolan Meenagh, Packie Quinn 1-0, Cathair Kelly, Sean Conneely 0-2, Tiarnan Teague 0-1, Zak Devine 0-1, Oran Toal 0-4, David Morris, James Donaghy 0-1, Lorcan McGarrity 0-1, Michael Rafferty 0-1

Subs: Michael McElduff for James Donaghy, Donal Sweeney for David Morris, Ruiari Dobbs.

Gaelic Football 2017-18

April 18, 2018 by iebsoftware

Last year we had the privilege of having two pupils selected from the Dean to represent Tyrone Minors

Conall Grimes (who was last year’s Captain ) and Cathaoir Gallagher

We also had two players on the Tyrone  team that won the inaugural All- Ireland U-17 Trophy

Ryan Gumley and Ruairi Slane with the team being captained by Cormac Munroe a past pupil.