Cumann na mBunscol Fixtures for 2018 commence this evening as the Girls have the honour of opening the show. The Boys competitions commence on Monday next and there will be a hectic schedule of activity over the next 6 weeks or thereabouts, leading into the Finals’ Days which will take place in Páirc Seán Mac Diarmada towards the last week of May/first week June.

The fixtures for the first two rounds in the respective competitions are outlined below.

Girls Division 1

Day Date Time Venue   Team
Thursday 12th April 6.30 p.m. Drumshanbo Drumshanbo V Gaelscoil
6.30 p.m. Mohill Mohill V Ballinamore
Leitrim bye
Thursday 19th April 6.30 p.m. Carrick Gaelscoil V Ballinamore
Mohill bye
6.30 p.m. Leitrim Leitrim V Drumshanbo

 

Girls Division 2

Thursday 12th April 6.30 p.m. Kiltubrid Drumcong V Annaduff
6.30 p.m. Carrigallen Carrigallen V Gortletteragh
6.30 p.m. Dromahair Drumlease V Scoil Mhuire
Thursday 19th April 6.30 p.m. Annaduff Annaduff V Scoil Mhuire
6.30 p.m. Kiltubrid Drumcong V Carrigallen
6.30 p.m. Gortletteragh Gortletteragh V Drumlease

 

Girls Division 3

Thursday 12th April 6.30 p.m. Drumkeeran Drumkeeran V Fenagh
6.30 p.m. Cornagee Dowra V Aughavas
6.30 p.m. Bornacoola Bornacoola V GS Chluainín
Thursday 19th April 6:30 p.m. Aughavas Aughavas V Drumkeeran
6.30 p.m. Manorhamilton GS Chluainín V Dowra
6.30 p.m. Fenagh Fenagh V Bornacoola

 

Girls Division 4

Thursday 12th April 6.30 p.m. Dromahaire Ardvarney V Leckaun
6.30 p.m. Drumreilly Drumlea V Killenummery
Aughnasheelin bye
Thursday 19th April 7.00 p.m. Dromahaire Leckaun V Killenummery
6.00 p.m. Dromahaire Ardvarney V Aughnasheelin
Drumlea bye

 

Boys Division 1

Monday 16th April 6.30 p.m. Leitrim Leitrim V Drumshanbo
6.30 p.m. Carrick Gaelscoil V Mohill
Annaduff bye
Monday 23rd April 6:30 p.m. Mohill Mohill V Leitrim
Gaelscoil bye
6.30 p.m. Drumshanbo Drumshanbo V Annaduff

 

Boys Division 2

Monday 16th April 6.30 p.m. Fenagh Fenagh V Ballinamore
6.30 p.m. Dromahaire Drumlease V Scoil Mhuire
Drumcong bye
Monday 23rd April 7.00 p.m. Carrick Scoil Mhuire V Fenagh
Drumlease bye
6.30 p.m. Ballinamore Ballinamore V Drumcong

 

Boys Division 3

Monday 16th April 6.30 p.m. Drumkeeran Drumkeeran V Carrigallen
7.00 p.m. Dromahaire Ardvarney V Aughavas
6.30 p.m. Bornacoola Bornacoola V Kilnagross
Monday 23rd April 6:30 p.m. Aughavas Aughavas V Drumkeeran
6.00 p.m. Carrick Kilnagross V Ardvarney
6.30 p.m. Carrigallen Carrigallen V Bornacoola

 

Boys Division 4

Monday 16th April 7.00 p.m. Glenfarne Glenfarne V Leckaun
6.00 p.m. Dromahaire Killenummery V Gaelscoil Cluainín
Diffreen bye
Monday 23rd April 6.30 p.m. Dromahaire Leckaun V Killenummery
6.00 p.m. Glenfarne Glenfarne V Diffreen
Gaelscoil Cluainín bye

 

 

Boys Division 5

Monday 16th April 6.30 p.m. Cloone Cloone V Dowra
6.30 p.m. Drumreilly Drumlea V Gortletteragh
Aughnasheelin bye
Monday 23rd April 6:30 p.m. Gortletteragh Gortletteragh V Cloone
Drumlea bye
6.30 p.m. Cornagee Dowra V Aughnasheelin

 

Boys Division 6

Monday 16th April 6.00 p.m. Glenfarne Kiltyclogher V Tarmon
6.30 p.m. Aughawillan Aughawillan V Drumeela
Largy bye
Monday 23rd April 6.30 p.m. Drumkeerin Tarmon V Aughawillan
7.00 p.m. Glenfarne Kiltyclogher V Largy
Drumeela bye

Great news tonight from the Cumann na mBunscol National Awards Ceremony in Kilkenny as Cumann na mBunscol Liatroma has taken the National Award for the Promotion of Gaelic Games and Culture for its ongoing Hurling Initiative. The initiative which was piloted in six schools from Hallowe’en to Christmas and has since seen the project move on to six other schools this term, has beaten off stiff competition from Cork and Dublin to take the National Award, sponsored by Cornmarket. Well done again to all the schools to date, its pupils and teachers, who have taken this initiative in their stride and we look forward to the continued growth of this project in remaining Leitrim schools. The in-school success has been driven by teaching staffs at the various locations and we are delighted with their enthusiasm. Well done also to the officials of Cumann na mBunscol Liatroma who have worked very hard in pushing this project out with very valued assistance from Leitrim Coaching and Games Development and Hurling Coach Michael Carroll.

Connacht Junior B 40×20 Semi-Final – Fenagh’s Jarlath Scollan booked his place in the Connacht 40×20 Junior B Final with a hard fought victory over Galway’s James Dempsey on Sunday on a scoreline of 12-21, 21-12, 21-11. Although the scoreline doesn’t suggest it, the game was much closer, with long rallies and both players executing some great kill shots.

Connacht Cuman na mBunscol Finals – The Cuman na mBunscol Finals were played in Salthill Co. Galway on Sunday with 5 pupils from St Patrick’s NS Drumshanbo taking part: Aidan Dowler, Aoife Nolan, Daire McCabe, Sean Nolan, and Senan McGowan. Aoife Nolan won a Connacht Bronze Medal in the Girls U13 competition. Well done to all the participants

Leitrim Colleges B 40×20 Final – The Colleges B First Year Doubles final was played in Drumshanbo on Sunday between Darren Wrynne and Paul Flynn (Ballinamore CS) and Dean Cornyn and Karl Foley (Drumshanbo VS). After 2 thrilling games, the Drumshanbo pair came out on top 15 -7  15 – 3.

Connacht 40×20 Junior Championship – The Connacht 40×20 Junior Championship is up and running with first-round games played at the weekend. Brothers Aaron and Jarlath Scollan (Fenagh) faced Sligo opposition in the Junior B and Junior C quarter finals which were played in Drumshanbo. In Junior C Aaron took on Eddie O’Connor (Collooney) but was defeated on a score line of 21-3, 21-4.

In Junior B Jarlath’s opposition was Stanley Harte (Collooney), where the Leitrim player carved out a tough victory, with the game going right down to the wire. In a very entertaining game which was played at a very high-intensity Jarlath won on a score line of 21-19, 13-21, 21-19. He now meets Galway’s James Dempsey in the semi-final which is fixed for this Sunday in Drumshanbo at 2pm.
Leitrim Cumann na mBunscol Finals – Leitrim Cumann na mBunscol was held in Drumshanbo Handball Club on Sunday last with three Schools taking part:

Scoil Mhuire Carrick on Shannon

Gaelscoil Chluainin Manorhamilton

St Patricks National school Drumshanbo.

The winners go forward to the Connacht Finals.

Boys U11 Singles

Daire McCabe. St Patricks Drumshanbo

Boys U11 Doubles

Sean Nolan and Senan McGowan. St Patricks Drumshanbo

Girls U13 Singles

Aoife Nolan, St Patricks Drumshanbo.

Girls U13 Doubles

Hanna Smith and Lasairione Scarff. Gaelscol Chluainin, Mahorhamilton

Boys U13 singles

Aidan Dowler. St Patricks Drumshanbo.

Boys U13 Doubles.

Thomas McKeon and Conor McLoughlin. St Patricks Drumshanbo

Hurling Initiative – This year in Leitrim, Cumann na mBunscol Liatroma, in conjunction with Leitrim GAA Coaching and Games Committee decided to run a hurling initiative due to the poor number of schools registering interest in hurling competitions (3 schools out of 38).  Our determination is to make hurling as accessible as possible to all primary school pupils.

The Plan – We met with National Hurling Development Manager Martin Fogarty, Connacht Hurling Development Officer Damien Coleman, Hurling Coach Michael Carroll and Leitrim Games Development Manager Thomas Keenan and explored possible issues and devised a plan. We liaised with our Games Development Manager Thomas Keenan to buy equipment (200 helmets, 200 hurls, and 200 sliotars) and we made up six packs each containing 30 of each. Each pack also contains the Hurling Fun-Do information pack which contains fun, easy-to-do skills and drills.

In this regard, we would like to acknowledge the subsidising of the equipment by Leitrim GAA to reduce the investment cost to Cumann na mBunscoil Liatroma.

We would like to thank the above people for the input and advice that they have given us to bring this initiative to a reality. We look forward to the schools of the county getting involved and we are hopeful that with the encouragement and help of the Coaching and Games Development and buy-in from our schools and teachers that current primary school pupils of all ages will enjoy an experience that will foster an interest in the camán and sliotar.

These kits will be delivered to six schools at a time for six-week “Sessions”. During this six-week session, a hurling coach will visit the teachers in the school to help them devise a six-week programme. This is designed to help make the school self-sufficient and not entirely reliant on hurling coaches. We believe that everyone can be a hurling coach. After the six-week session is over, all six schools will come together and have a blitz, giving the children a chance to use their newly-learned skills with other children who are at the same level as themselves in a fun, non-competitive way. Schools do not pay to borrow these kits for the sessions but have the option to buy the sets after the six weeks should they choose to do so. This offers them a free trial before they commit to buying the expensive gear.

We are currently piloting the scheme in six schools with a full rollout in January. There will be three sessions between Jan – June 2018 and with five sessions planned for the 2018-19 school year and the target is to have every school in the county trying hurling for six weeks for free. More info is available and Leitrim schools can register their interest at cnmb.leitrim@gaa.ie or follow us @cnmbleitrim on Twitter.

Our photographs feature pupils from Scoil Mhuire NS, Bornacoola, St Brigid’s NS, Drumcong, Aughnasheelin NS, Drumkeerin NS and St Joseph’s NS, Aughavas, making excellent use of the equipment.

Allianz Cumann na mBunscol INTO/GAA Girls Mini 7s took place this morning at the Centre of Excellence. Gaelscoil Liatroma, Scoil Mhuire NS Ck-on-Shannon, Scoil Mhuire NS Bornacoola, Fatima NS Cloone, St Manchan’s Mohill and Annaduff NS participated in a feast of all that’s best in schools’ football. Scoil Mhuire NS Ck-on-Shannon and Gaelscoil Liatroma contested the venue final with Gaelscoil Liatroma qualifying for next week’s county finals. Well done to all the participants.

The first round of the INTO/GAA Boys Mini 7s took place earlier this morning at various venues in the county. In the Centre of Excellence. Annaduff NS, Scoil Mhuire NS-Bornacoola, Fatima NS-Cloone, St Manachan’s-Mohill, Gaelscoil Liatroma and Scoil Mhuire NS Ck-on-Shannon were the participants. After an enjoyable and competitive morning’s football, Gaelscoil Liatroma got the better of Annaduff NS in the venue final and will progress to the County Finals to be held later in the month. Well done to all.