Sports
Sport at Coláiste an Chraoibhín
Sport is an integral part of daily life at Coláiste an Chraoibhín both as an outlet for students away from the books and as a social outlet. A mix of dedicated coaches and top class facilities are available to all students who represent their school in the sporting arena. When it comes to sports we offer a range of options unrivalled by others.
GAA is widely played at the school with equal importance given to Hurling, Football and Handball for both boys and girls. Last year was a relatively successful one for our hurling teams with progression seen at all levels. Our Senior hurling team under the stewardship of Castlelyons native Rory O’Connor qualified for the semi-final of the County Championship losing narrowly to eventual County Champions St Colmans Midleton. Our U16 ½ hurlers had a great year defeating schools from Limerick, Cork and Waterford in qualifying for the Munster final against Crescent Comprehensive Limerick. After a spirited display we came up short against a super Limerick side. Our U16 hurlers qualified for the quarter final of the County Championship after defeating St Aidans but were undone in a close battle with De La Salle Macroom. These teams are managed by Pat O’Leary of Watergrasshill. Our U14 hurlers were unbeaten in their group and made it to the quarter final only to be beaten in a thriller under the watchful eye of Kilworth’s Shane Kenny. The Ladies Footballers are a vibrant part of our sporting collage. This year that vibrancy has been boosted further by a massive influx of talented and enthusiastic first years from a host of areas. This team will look to grow and prosper over the years with Anne Marie Haran, Tipperary’s Lisa O’Mahony and Watergrasshill’s Pat O’Leary. Our senior team has been spoiled in recent years amassing five county titles in last five years. Last year this team were agonisingly defeated in the County final and have benefitted massively from the tutelage of legendary Cork manager Eamonn Ryan who has come to our school on three different occasions over the years. Girls can also avail of Camógie under Pat O’Leary. A number of fine players have passed through the doors of Coláiste an Chraoibhín including current Cork Senior Footballer Tomás Clancy, Cork underage dual player Rachel O’Callaghan and the highly rated Olivia Cahill who won an All Ireland with the Cork Ladies Footballers U16s two years ago and an All Ireland medal with the minors this year. Coláiste are also proud to see current and past pupils winning county championships with the Fermoy Intermediate Hurlers and Ladies Footballers this year.
Basketball plays a prominent role in Coláiste with teams entered at all ages for both boys and girls. Overseen by former Ireland International Ger Gibbons players have come in having never played the game before and have left the school clutching a fine collection of medals. Soccer is also a widely played sport at the school. At the moment we field boys teams at U14, 17 and U19 level. Our U19s reached the semi finals of the county cup last year which was a great achievement. Our Rugby team is closely linked with the club in Fermoy where a number of coaches run sessions along with our own coaches in the school Ronan Condon of Fermoy and Mark Lyndon from Birr Co Offaly. Our teams play both full contact for boys and tag rugby for boys and girls These players also benefit from regular workshops from Coaches from Munster Rugby.
Other sports which are played in the school include athletics where last year Jamie Buckley was a major competitor on the provincial and national stage at Cross Country running and current third year Rebecca Kearney is the South Munster Race Walking Champion. Last year also saw the first ever Coláiste 5k run which brought in 350 participants and was a major success. The event was organised by a mixture of staff, students and parents and hopefully we can look to run this again next year……….pardon the pun!! Equestrian, Orienteering which has produced All Ireland Champions in recent years, Golf and Pitch and Putt who were very successful recently coming second in the All Ireland championships having taken the top prize three years ago are also available to students in the school to add to our extensive list of sporting opportunities.
Our facilities cater for a wide range of sports and this will only improve in future years with the addition of a brand new full size PE Hall and Gym facilities. We have our own full size sports field suitable for Rugby, Soccer and GAA, indoor gym, full size athletics track and spin bikes. This is in addition to the use of the local facilities in Fermoy for GAA, Soccer, Rugby and Handball showing the close relationship between the school and the local area. In the next few years we will have a further boost to our sporting capabilities with a massive extension to the school which will add a full sized sports hall to our existing facilities. This will allow us to continue to grow participation in sport in the school.
So if it’s a wide variety of Sports you’re looking for with a host of facilities, soon to be further upgraded, and fully dedicated coaches, Coláiste is the place to be.
Music
Colaiste an Chraoibhin has a vibrant Music and Drama Department run by Mr. Lyndon, Ms. Lawton and Ms. Howard. Our facilities include two music rooms with a range of instruments including Drums, guitars, pianos and digital keyboards to name but a few, all available for use by the students. We also haev a full range of digital recording facilities.
Over the years we have staged many musical productions including “Little ireland” which was held in Fermoy Palace Theatre last February and “Blas Beo” in May. Our music students take part in many performances throughout the year including the school awards night, Open night, Carol singing, Trad Group as well as entering in multiple competitions. We even got as far as the final of the “Waltons” music competition in 2013. We believe the students should have a hand in selecting the pieces they perform and we try to incorporate as many students as we can in our performances.
There are music lessons available in Colaiste an Chraoibhin for beginners right through to experienced musicians. We cater for a wide range of instruments including Brass, Woodwind, Guitar, Drums and Keyboards. Lessons are run by qualified teachers from the ETB. We aim to give everybody the opportunity to take part in music at the school, even if they do not intend to choose it as a subject.