Extra Curricular

December 2022

As extracurricular activity continues in our school, the year 2020-21 saw Gallen CS teams compete in a variety of sports with notable successes.

Our Senior lads football team achieved tremendous success. They beat Ardscoil Chiarain Clara, Oaklands Edenderry and Boyne CS to win the North Leinster final. They then beat Colaiste Eoin Hacketstown in a hard-fought Leinster semifinal before getting the better of Templeogue College from Dublin in a gripping Leinster final played in Heywood CS. They qualified for the All-Ireland semifinal where they played valiantly before going out to a strong Belmullet side in the semifinal played at the Connacht Centre of Excellence. The lads can be proud of continuing the Gaa legacy established in Gallen CS by the successful lads and ladies’ teams of the recent past.

Our lads Junior football team qualified for the North Leinster semifinal where they lost to a strong Oldcastle team. Our Second-Year team got to the North Leinster final where again Oldcastle proved just too good on a 4-10 to 4-09 score line. Our First year footballers bowed out to Colaiste Dhun Masc Portlaoise.

In Ladies football, our Senior Ladies bowed out to Tullamore College and our Junior Ladies bowed out to Killina. Our Juvenile Girls team showed a promise of things to come by having comprehensive wins over Tullamore College and Sacred Heart Tullamore before losing to Our Ladys Bower in the quarter final. This group is now making their mark with comprehensive wins at junior level in 2022-23.

On the Hurling front, our Senior Hurlers got to the North Leinster final losing a tightly fought contest to Moate CS. Our Junior Hurlers lost the North Leinster semifinal to Mountmellick CS. These games show that Gallen CS continues to compete at the business end of our Gaa competitions, and this augurs well going into the future.

Our Senior Rugby Team got to the Connacht semifinal before losing to Sancta Maria Louisburgh . Our Junior Team bowed out of the Connacht Cup at the hands of Presentation Headford. Our u 17 soccer team, after a great victory over Heywood CS, lost in Round 2 of the cup 1-0 to a strong Athlone CC team.

Our u16 girls’ basketball team had two victories before losing to a strong Moate CS team.  Gallen CS First year basketball lost a playoff to St Leo’s Carlow.A new landmark was achieved in 2021 when a Junior Girls Rugby team was established, and they beat Birr in a challenge match. Junior Girls rugby has made great strides in this academic year 2022-23 with the girls comprehensively defeating Calasanctius Oranmore and Colaiste Einde Galway in their competitive matches so far.

In this current year 2022-23 a notable addition to our school has been the re-emergence of Camogie . This complements the very successful Belmont camogie club and provides an outlet in school. There has been instant success with the First-Year girls winning the Offaly schools blitz in Faithful Fields Kilcormac. Our Intermediate Camogie team has made a winning start to their Championship beating The Bower.

Our Senior and Junior Ladies football teams backboned by strong clubs in Naomh Ciaran and St Manchans have both got their campaigns off to great starts with comprehensive victories in their respective Championship competitions and great hopes are held out for ultimate competition success for  these two teams.

Our Senior lads football team had a very successful League campaign, winning three matches out of three and qualifying for the League semifinal. In the North Leinster championship, a narrow loss to Mercy Ballymahon was followed by a one-point win over Mercy Kilbeggan by virtue of a last-minute goal by the Gallen lads.   Gallen have now qualified for the Quarter final.

An extremely busy period of sport awaits over the next few weeks with competitions progressing in Lads Soccer, Ladies Gaelic football, lads Gaelic football, hurling, Camogie and lads and Ladies Junior Rugby.

Gallen CS is a hive of sporting activity and thanks to the teachers who freely volunteer their time and effort in making Gallen CS  a veritable academy of sport in 2022-23.

September 2019

Since its formation in 2004 , Gallen CS has promoted a wide variety of extra curricular activities which promote the all round holistic development of its students. This helps them to be socially responsible and mature young adults in line with the ethos and mission statement of Gallen CS.  Gallen CS students can enjoy and take part in   Gaelic football for both boys and girls  , rugby , basketball and  hurling. Gallen CS has enjoyed numerous successes at county , regional and National level  in both gaelic football and basketball.

In  2004 Gallen CS  reached the All Ireland Senior  Vocational A  Football Final losing to St Brogans Bandon. In  2011 Gallen CS won the All Ireland Senior Vocational A Football Title in Croke Park defeating Clonakilty CC before finishing runners up to Holy Trinity Cookstown in 2012 .  Gallen CS triumphed in the All Ireland Junior A Vocational Football final in 2013 defeating St Marks Warrenpoint.

2016 was a memorable year which saw  our mens and ladies teams win the All Ireland Senior double. Gallen CS won the  Ladies Football title beating Colaiste Phobal Sliabh Luachra Rathmore and the mens team defeated Holy Rosary Mountbellew to win the All Ireland Colleges Senior B  title in Croke Park.

In 2014 our Cadette Basketball team won the All Ireland defeating St Josephs Charlestown in a packed National Basketball Arena. The Scor Ballad Group team of Zoe Rooney , Valene Greer , Niamh Delaney , Sarah Kenny and Avril Spain have won an unprecedented 3 All Irelands including this year.

Gallen CS is proud of its extra – curricular history and achievements and thanks those teachers and volunteers who give countless hours of their free time to coach , mentor and inspire our students past and present to great successes  not just on the sporting fields but in life itself by helping to develop  young people who are able to take their place in society.

Gallen CS is not just a Community School but a School for the Community  and it is because of this that Gallen CS  recognises the fundamental importance of continuing to forge links with community and voluntary groups in the wider West Offaly area.

Ni neart go cur le cheile.