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Our U15 Camogie team won the Seandun Camogie Shield Final that was held yesterday in Manning Park. Passage payed a strong Douglas side and edged over the line by just a point! Overall, a fantastic display of Camogie from both sides

Final score:

Passage: 2-03

Douglas: 2-02

Our U16s headed to Douglas yesterday afternoon to face Grenagh in their county final. Having faced Grenagh in the early stages of the league back in the spring, the girls knew they were a formidable opposition. Passage started the brighter, registering 3 unanswered points before Grenagh established themselves on the scoreboard. The first half was a very even affair, with both teams finding scores hard to come by thanks to tenacious defending from the backs. Grenagh found the breakthrough with a brace of goals just before half time to leave the score 2-2 to 1-3 at the short whistle.

Grenagh used the momentum from the end of the first half to drive on in the second, creating a number of successful scoring opportunities. Passage continued to battle hard but Grenagh pulled away and ran out winners on a 5-7 to 1-5 scoreline. A disappointing result but there will be plenty more days out for this team; they should be very proud of the strides they have made this season. Thanks as always for the great support for the girls

Passage team: C.Walsh, I. O’Brien, T.Hanlon, K. Farrell, C. Brady, S. Moynihan L. Finlay, E. Murphy (C), R. Killen, R. Browne, S. O’Mahony (0-2), S. Ryan (0-2), A. Keane (1-0), L. Coughlan, C. James, C. Allen, S. White (0-1), L. Kelly, K. Maxwell, R. Hanlon, E. Barry, S. Hendrick, E. Collier

Passage 4-7 Ballinora 2-10

Our U15 football team achieved a historic victory last Saturday afternoon in Bishopstown, cementing 2023 as one of the most successful years for the club’s under-age section. In a stunning display of determination and skill, our young footballers staged a dramatic comeback, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat to claim the championship trophy to add to the hurling championship already won a few weeks ago. In what can only be described as an exhilarating contest, Passage found themselves on the verge of defeat as the clock ticked down in the final stages of the match. However, adversity only fueled their spirit and inspired a remarkable turnaround.

With the opposition seemingly in control, Passage showed great resilience, rallying together to unleash a flurry of attacks in the closing minutes. Despite facing a formidable opponent, they demonstrated unwavering determination and a refusal to accept defeat. The turning point came when Passage orchestrated a stunning scoring return of two well-executed goals and two points in the closing five minutes The spectators were left spellbound as the team turned the game on its head, transforming the scoreline and propelling themselves into the lead. This breathtaking display of skill, teamwork, and unwavering belief in their abilities showcased the incredible talent and determination possessed by these young Passage players. Their remarkable performance serves as a testament to the quality of coaching and the hard work put in by the players themselves.

The triumphant victory in the championship will be etched in the history books of the Passage Gaelic Football Club, marking 2023 as a standout year for underage football. The club’s continued success at this level serves as an inspiration to future generations of aspiring footballers and hurlers, instilling in them the belief that anything is possible with dedication and a never-give-up attitude. As the celebrations erupted on the field, the joy and elation on the faces of the Passage U15 football team were a reflection of the immense effort they had poured into their training sessions and the desire to succeed. Their achievement will be celebrated not only by the club but also by all the supporters present, who will undoubtedly cherish this memorable victory for years to come.

Ballinora despite playing against the strong wind, opened the scoring in the first minute after they worked the ball through the Passage defence. Tomas O’Flaherty immediately but his shot was blocked down by a Ballinora defender and went out for a 45. Sean Coughlan failed to convert the kick and Ballinora broke up the field and fired over their second point of the afternoon. Callum Griffin made two important interceptions in the next passage of play that helped keep Ballinora away from the Passage goal. Ballinora were on top and had a point effort fall short into the hands of Passage goalkeeper Diarmuid Buckley. Passage counter-attacked and Philip Heavey was unlucky that the Ballinora full-back managed to block down his shot. Ballinora immediately broke down the field and their half-forward won a free after he was fouled, luckily for Passage, the Ballinora free-taker’s shot hit the crossbar and fullback Shane Whyte managed to clear the ball out of danger. Ballinora managed to win the ball back and they again ran through the Passage defence to score their third point of the game after 10 minutes. Passage like so many times this year refused to yield and slowly came into the game more. Against the run of play, Zac Hanlon caught a great ball and hand-passed the ball to the lightning-quick forward Eoin Morrisson. Eoin fired an unstoppable shot to the roof of the net to level the game. Within 30 seconds Philip Heavey scored another great goal to give Passage the lead for the first time. Ballinora regrouped and scored 1-2 in the next few minutes to regain the lead. They could have scored two more goals only for a brilliant save from Diarmuid Buckley and a last-minute block from centre-back Callum Griffin.

Oisin O’Sullivan and Tom McCarthy started to win more balls in the middle of the park. The Passage half-forwards Tomas O’Flaherty, Sean O’Regan and Sean Coughlan started to dominate their area and Sean Coughlan kicked 3 points coming up to the half-time break. Zac Hanlon was unlucky with a goal effort that went inches wide after Alex Maher had made a great clearance moments earlier. The halftime score Passage 2-3 Ballinora 1-6. Mark Barry was the only change made at halftime for the Passage team. Ballinora got the second half off to a flyer scoring 1-2 in the first few minutes. The Passage defence of Ollie O’Neill, Shane Whyte, Alex Maher, Sean Cash, Jack Mc Mahon and Callum slowly started to come to grips with the Ballinora running game. This helped the forwards to start creating more chances. Sean Coughlan hit the post from a free won by Mark Barry and he also had an effort saved by the Ballinora keeper. Philip Heavey who had an excellent second half fired over a long-range point to narrow the lead. The next five minutes saw three goal chances for Ballinora thankfully going inches wide. It wasn’t all one-way traffic Zac Hanlon had a goal effort saved by the Ballinora keeper. Callum Griffin scored a point after a well-worked move involving several Passage players. Ballinora replied with two quick points of their own to leave Passage 5 points down with only five minutes on the clock. In a finish for the ages, Zac Hanlon and Sean Coughlan scored two quick goals and Philip Heavey kicked two great points to give Passage a three-point win and the U15 Championship double.

What a group of players, they never know when they will be beaten and hopefully they can continue this in their County campaign against Clonakilty. Congratulations to all the players and management team. Special call out to Aidan O’Connor who was injured at the last minute, he played his part in getting the team to the final. Also playing their part were the subs on the day who didn’t get game time on the day but played most of the games during the year Tom Kileen, Eoghan O’Bryne Zac Lenihan. Call out to the U13 players who played some of the games earlier in the summer also.

Team: Diarmuid Buckley, Alex Maher, Shane Whyte, Ollie O’Neill, Jack Mc Mahon, Callum Griffin (capt), Sean Cash, Oisin O’Sullivan, Tom Mc Carthy, Tomas O’Flaherty, Sean O’Regan, Sean Coughlan, Eoin Morrisson, Zac Hanlon, Philip Heavey.

Sub Used: Mark Barry

Scorers for Passage: Sean Coughlan 1-3, Philip 1-3, Eoin Morrisson 1-0, Zac Hanlon 1-0. Callum Griffin 0-1

Passage 3-14 St.Vincents 2-5

In an exhilarating match last Wednesday night in Knocknaheeney, the Passage U14 hurlers emerged victorious, clinching the hurling league title. This triumph marked the second time in just a few weeks that a young Passage team had travelled away to St. Vincent’s, displaying their tenacity and skill to bring home the trophy.

Throughout the game, Passage demonstrated their commitment and determination, standing toe to toe with their opponents. While Vincent’s put up a strong fight, it was Passage who ultimately pulled away in the second half, securing a remarkable victory. It is important to acknowledge the overall achievement of Passage U14 hurlers, who overcame formidable challenges to secure another remarkable victory on their journey to success. The players’ unwavering dedication, skill, and mental fortitude were instrumental in their victorious campaign. With this latest triumph, Passage has further solidified its position as a force to be reckoned with in underage competition. The future appears bright for these young hurlers, who, buoyed by their recent achievements, will undoubtedly approach future games in the coming years with renewed vigour and confidence.

Straight from the throw-in Vincents were the quickest out of the blocks scoring two points in the first minute. Passage replied with an excellent point from Morgan Kelleher after a great solo run through the Vincent’s defence. Straight from the puck out Vincents won the ball and fired over their third point. They could have increased their lead only for poor shooting, missing two scorable chances. The Passage defence of Finn Brady, Finn O’Connor, Ruben Ring, Ollie O’Neill, captain Sean Cash and Morgan Kelleher were slowly coming into the game and were outstanding throughout hooking blocking and giving their opponents no peace throughout the game. Half-forward Brian Griffin narrowed the Vincent’s lead with an excellent point out by the sideline, after great work from David O’Connor and Fionn O’Flaherty to set him up. Philip Heavey pointed a free to level the scores after Fionn Flaherty was fouled. In the next play, Morgan Kelleher caught the sliothar and went off on another solo run. The Vincent’s midfielder who was one of their better players fouled Morgan and the referee sent the Vincent’s player to the line. As can sometimes happen Vincents seemed to be galvanised by the sending-off. They quickly scored the first goal of the game and were denied another one only for the heroic defending by Ruben Ring.

Luckily for Passage Vincent’s shooting again left them down in the next few minutes, they missed two scorable frees and another easy chance from play in front of goal. Goal poacher Austin Horgan then scored a great goal for Passage against the run of play after great play from Aidan O’Connor and Daniel Collier. Sharpshooter Philip Heavey fired over a quick point almost immediately afterwards to give Passage the lead for the first time in the game. Passage suffered a blow when the excellent Ruben Ring had to go off injured. He was replaced by Daniel Mooney who slotted in effortlessly playing an excellent game up to the final whistle, clearing numerous balls. Passage had two wides from Philip Heavey and David O’Connor in the next few minutes before Vincents drew level with a long-range effort from the middle of the park. Midfielder Matthew Sheedy who battled away all night won the puck out and sent in the sliothar to the Vincent’s back line. Fionn Flaherty won the ball and somehow managed to break free from the Vincent’s players marking him to set up Philip Heavey who fired over the bar.

David O’Connor was fouled in the next attack and Philip made no mistake from the resulting free. The exchanges were tough and some of the tackles going in were not for the faint-hearted. Austin and David O’Connor had two wides in the next minute before Vincents scored a well-worked goal. Vincents gained some confidence from the score and were denied another goal opportunity when Eoghan O’Bryne and Ollie O’Neill combined to clear the ball. Philip missed a free to level the scores before the referee blew the half-time whistle. The halftime score Passage 1-6 Vincents 2-4.

Like the first half Vincents were first out of the blocks. They created a goal-scoring chance immediately but Eoghan O’Bryne managed to save the shot after a goalmouth scramble. Morgan Kelleher and Finn O’Connor worked the ball out to clear the danger. Vincents were fired up and thankfully only managed one point in the next few minutes from four shots on goal. Daniel Mooney and Finn Brady cleared a lot of balls in these minutes also. Full forward David O’Connor lifted the siege with a well-taken point from a pass from Brian Griffin. Philip Heavey then took over proceedings with a majestic display up to the final whistle. He scored a great goal after another solo run from Morgan Kelleher. The goal lifted the whole team and it was one-way traffic now. Philip fired over three points from play in the next five minutes. When Vincents managed to get back up the pitch Finn Brady, Sean Cash, Finn O’Connor, Ollie O’Neill, Daniel Mooney and the leader of the defence Morgan Kelleher ensured there was no way through. Behind them, Goalkeeper Eoghan O’Bryne was excellent all night with his puck-outs. The forwards were doing their part also half forwards Aidan O’Connor, Brian Griffin and Fionn O’Flaherty working their socks off all night. Inside them despite limited ball going in Daniel Collier, David O’Connor and Austin Horgan were all winning their battles.

Philip scored another goal midway through the half after Aidan O’Connor and substitute Sam Flynn combined to set up the scoring opportunity. Sam was fouled in the next play which allowed Philip to add to his scoring tally with another well-taken free. Ruben Ring re-entered the arena for the final ten minutes which added an extra layer of protection up to the final whistle. David O’Connor won a ruck to set up Brian Griffin for another point in the next passage of the play. It was all Passage now and Philip fired over another free after corner forward Daniel Collier was fouled. Brian Griffin then produced a moment of magic out by the sideline flicking the ball over his man and firing a shot which went inches wide. It would have been a score for the ages had it gone over. Tom Killen and Hugo Murray came on for the final ten minutes and both were quickly in the thick of the action. The tackles were still flying despite the scoreline.

Workhorse Matthew Sheedy scored the final point of the game with two minutes left on the clock. Tempers threatened to spill over in the closing minutes when Morgan Kelleher gave his marker a perfectly timed shoulder by the crowded sideline. The match was held up for a minute or two as the referee tried to clear people off the pitch. On the restart, he blew the final whistle and Passage had secured another trophy in what has been a year for the ages. Special call out to the players who didn’t play on the night. Mark Barry who played all the games during the year but unfortunately was injured for this game. Corey Browne was also injured and played his part during the year. Youngsters Darragh Walton and Padraig O’Driscoll can be proud of their contributions during the year and finally Noah Joyce who was injured for most of the season and it’s great to see him back playing. All that was left now was for captain Sean Cash to lift the trophy his second of the year. Well done to all the players, management and supporters.

Team: Eoghan O’Bryne, Ollie O’Neill, Ruben Ring, Finn O’Connor, Finn Brady, Morgan Kelleher, Sean Cash(capt), Matthew Sheedy, Philip Heavey, Brian Griffin, Aidan O’Connor, Fionn O’Flaherty, Daniel Collier, David O’Connor, Austin O’Connor.

Subs used: Daniel Mooney, Sam O’Flynn, Hugo Murray, Tom Kileen.

Scorers for Passage: Philip Heavey 2-9 (0-4 frees), Austin Horgan 1-0, Brian Griffin 0-2, Morgan Kelleher 0-1, Matthew Sheedy 0-1, David O’Connor 0-1

Our U10s enjoyed a great morning’s football against St Michael’s to finish off their season. The girls have made great progress with their skills this year and all their efforts at training are paying off. Thanks to St Michael’s for travelling down. Thanks also to all the players and parents for their dedication to training all year

Our U8 boys played in a monster football blitz this morning in Páirc Uí Chaoimh. A total of 9 games were played by our three teams we played against Ballinora, Kilmurry, St Catherine’s, Whitescross, Ballygarvan and Aghabollogue

Nine very competitive games in a beautiful dry morning on the Páirc Uí Chaoimh astro .The boys showed great teamwork along with some great scores, nice kick passing and great defending when they had to.

A very enjoyable morning of football was had by the 17 boys who togged out. Hurling blitz on Saturday week back in Páirc Uí Chaoimh is next for this group of players which be their last blitz of the year.

What an evening in Dromtarriffe! Our U12s headed north for their final county league group match. With both teams sitting level at top of the table with a place in the final at stake, the girls knew they had a tough encounter ahead and this game delivered excitement in spades.

The game was played at a ferocious pace from the start, with the lead changing hands constantly. Each team had periods of dominating possession and neither side was able to pull more than a couple of scores ahead as the clock ticked on. A purple patch for Passage in the closing minutes of the game ensured they came away with the victory and a well-deserved place in the county final, much to the delight of the large group of travelling supporters who as always were exemplary in their encouragement and support of the team.

A huge well done to this group of players who have already achieved so much this season and continue to do the club proud. Details of county final to follow!