Our Lady's, Castleblayney rewrote two history books in 2005 by winning their first-ever Ulster and All-Ireland colleges football crowns. After claiming the MacLarnon Cup for the first time, the Castleblayney school went on to take national honours, eclipsing Abbey CBS (Tipperary) in the All-Ireland final at Parnell Park on Saturday April 30 - a fitting end to an incredible and momentous voyage. Nobody said it was going to be easy. And it wasn't. But Our Lady's, Castleblayney were prepared to roll up their collective sleeves tame and time again and - ultimately - they got the rewards their sterling efforts and stellar displays merited. Throughout a stunning campaign, the Castleblayney side played always with the trait of champions - tremendous skill and energy allied with immense character and determination. Never was this more evident than in the All-Ireland semi-final defeat of Scoil Dara (which they won after trailing by ten points at the break) or in the 2005 All-Ireland 'B' Colleges final itself when they resisted a stubborn Abbey CBS fight back (that yielded five successive points) to prevail by 1-11 to 1-9. History was made. The Ulster final (MacLarnon Cup) victory was equally hard-fought. In the provincial decider, which was an intense local derby in Belfast on St Patrick's Day, the would-be victors went in as underdogs against St Patrick's High School, Keady. The Keady lads scored twice as often as the 'Blayney boys over the hour but goals win matches and Our Lady's made their Ulster breakthrough on an incredible 4-1 to 0-10 scoreline. The game that followed was even more astonishing: Scoil Dara (Kilcock) provided All-Ireland semi-final opposition in early April and the champions-elect produced a devastating second-half revival to emerge victorious by 2-13 to 2-11 - having trailed by a seemingly-insurmountable twelve points after 25 minutes and by ten at the break. The hallmark of true champions had been clearly demonstrated for all to see. But back to the All-Ireland final... It was a monumental occasion at the well-appointed Parnell Park venue in the capital on the last day of April 2005, as the splendid gladiators of Our Lady's turned on a typically stunning performance to thrill the large Castleblayney and Monaghan support that had trekked to Dublin for the rarity of a team from the Farney County competing for an All-Ireland title. When the conquering heroes returned home with the spoils of victory, as well-wishers and supporters thronged the streets of Castleblayney to acknowledge and celebrate a genuinely noteworthy achievement, there could be no doubting that this special crop of players had done themselves, their community and Monaghan GAA proud. In the final itself, the winners got off the mark first with early points from Martin McElroy and Gerard Duffy before wing forward Niall Duffy's speculative long-range ninth-minute effort ended up in the back of the net to give the 'Blayney side a useful five-point cushion. With ten minutes gone, the Ulster champions were sitting pretty. However, the comeback from the Munster kingpins was instant and effective. The Tipperary crew got on top in the centre of the park and, swarming their defence, with seven men detailed to rearguard duties, levelled by the 21st minute with five consecutive scores, including three from brilliant Premier County dual minor star Timothy Dalton. These were testing times for Castleblayney, whose early attacking threat had been snuffed out by Abbey's blanket-defence approach, but they received a massive psychological lift when big midfielder Gary Boyd fired over an excellent long-rang free to give them a narrow interval advantage, 1-3 to 0-5. It was all to play for on the restart, but the Monaghan school had come too far to relinquish their dream now… When the action resumed, Our Lady's continued where they had left off at the half-time hiatus with points from frees courtesy of Boyd and his fellow midfielder Darren Bishop. However, the Tipp lads were made of stern stuff and Dalton was again the inspiration as they once more drew level by the 40th minute. Our Lady's started to lord it at midfield, though, and centre forward Shane McQuillan was pulling the strings up front as they eased clear with three points from Gerard Duffy (2) and Shane McQuillan. Unbelievably, Abbey struck with a goal (courtesy of the man with the golden boot…) to leave the sides level with eight minutes to play. Now it was a matter of who wanted it most. Where a lesser side might have capitulated completely after being pegged back for the third time, Our Lady's kept their composure and refused to panic. Points from Gerard Duffy and McElroy had them two points to the good with five minutes left. The tension rose to fever pitch when Dalton replied for the Munster outfit. Nobody was leaving Parnell Park early on April 30 2005! A cacophony of sound filled the cauldron and both teams battled bravely for supremacy in the closing four minutes of normal time. Hearts were in mouths as a genuinely absorbing encounter reached a fittingly thrilling denouement. There would be one more score and it epitomised the new All-Ireland champions. Three breath-stealing minutes into injury time, Our Lady's wing back Steven McGuirk raided upfield to kick over the insurance point at the end of yet another incisive, driving run. The closing score from the Rockcorry clubman had 'He Who Dares…' written all over it. What a finish! What a game! What a victory! Our Lady's of Castleblayney were All-Ireland champions for the first time and the circumstances of the history victory fitted the occasion perfectly. After a pulsating deciding match, there was time to draw some badly-needed gasps of breath before winning captain Ciaran Hanratty accepted the 2005 All-Ireland 'B' colleges football trophy from Bernard Dunne and the celebrations began… The large crowd at Parnell Park on that unforgettable Saturday afternoon shared in the making of history, as a fantastic journey that began with victory over St Mary's Belfast in Hilltown the previous October reached a successful conclusion. Decades of effort had finally culminated in triumph; past disappointments had been consigned to distant memory by the performances of the seventeen players who brought glory to the Castleblayney school, as well as the rest of the panel who had each contributed to the success in their own way at different stages during the campaign. A school that acted as a nursery for future intercounty stars such as Declan Loughman, Stephen McGinnity, Jason Hughes and Dermot McArdle (and one can't help but wonder how many of the Class of '05 will go on to emulate these) had finally hit the big time themselves. Our Lady's, Castleblayney had joined the illustrious ranks of All-Ireland winners. Few who have gone before them deserved it more. Worthy of special praise are team coach Eddie Kelly and his fellow selector Paul Lonergan, who invested endless time and industry into the landmark triumph, as well as school principal Gerard McGuill, who never stopped supporting and encouraging the boys. A former pupil of the Castleblayney school, Kelly said he always fancied his charges to go all the way once the McLarnon Cup had been annexed for the first time: "They had been training hard since September and they got their just rewards. They had met a number of obstacles throughout the campaign and overcame them all. They had to dig deep on a number of occasions, and they did." In the Ulster competition, Our Lady's played four 'group' matches to qualify for the knockout stage. They opened with a 2-6 to 0-5 victory over St Mary's, Belfast but then suffered their only defeat of the year at the hands of Downpatrick (1-9 to 0-9), before bouncing back with wins against Rathmore (2-10 to 0-6) and St Michael's, Lurgan ((1-12 to 1-10). The Lurgan lads also provided opposition at the quarter-final stage and this time the result was much more emphatic, 2-8 to 0-6. In the Ulster semi-final, Our Lady's faced a fancied St Columb's, Derry combo and took the decision by two points, 0-9 to 0-7. The final against St Patrick's High School from Keady was held at Casement Park on St Patrick's Day morning. It was a first ever MacLarnon Cup final appearance for Our Lady's and they were determined to make the most of the opportunity. They went in as underdogs, partly because Keady had beaten them comfortably in a challenge match earlier in the season. However, with four of the Monaghan minor team of 2004 on board as well as four '05 county minor panellists, the County Monaghan school were not without hope. The MacLarnon Cup final was an extraordinary affair. Our Lady's captain Ciaran Hanratty led by example. He had a hand in all four of his team's goals as they claimed a somewhat bizarre 4-1 to 0-10 victory. The Belfast venue was a sea of blue as the Castleblayney school - contesting their first ever Ulster final and represented by no fewer than ten clubs - recorded a famous success, making light of the potentially-debilitating loss of three of their most influential players (Ronan Marray, Shane McQuillan and Martin McElroy). To counter these absences, the Our Lady's think-tank deployed a simple but effective game plan - a series of fast, devastating, blitzkrieg attacks. Hanratty drove left-footed to the net in the ninth minute. Just when it looked like Keady were finding their feet and possibly a way back into the game, centre back Kealan Duffy struck with the winners' second major. The losers managed two late points from frees but the Monaghan side led by 2-0 to 0-2 at the interval. Keady re-opened with a point but, nine minutes in, Hanratty placed Niall Duffy for his team's third goal. In the 42nd minutes, the big full forward was grounded and Gary Boyd fisted Darren Bishop's resultant free to the net to make it 4-0 to 0-3. To their credit, the High School threw everything into attack in the last quarter and made a real fight of it. It was backs-to-the-wall stuff for Our Lady's late on as they were outscored by seven points to one, but they had done enough and held out for a memorable and historic MacLarnon Cup heist. In the All-Ireland semi-final justover three weeks later, it was Our Lady's who finished strongly, producing an amazing recovery to overturn a whopping ten-point half-time deficit and book what had appeared an unlikely All-Ireland final place. The national semi-final was staged at Parnell Park on Saturday April 9 and Our Lady's had to be at their brilliant best in the second half to carve out a gutsy 2-13 to 2-11 win against all odds. For once, they started sluggishly and they were four points behind before they knew what had hit them. Despite a point from Ciaran Hanratty, the newly-crowned Ulster champions trailed by 1-5 to 0-1 at the end of the first quarter. Gerard Duffy pointed a free but Kilcock continued to pull away and a 25th-minute penalty conversion put the Leinster champs twelve points ahead. It looked like Game, Set and Match. Darren Bishop and Hanratty landed two points before the short whistle, which sounded with Kilcock leading by 2-8 to 0-4. But Our Lady's hadn't done themselves justice in the opening half hour, and pride would drive them to an outstanding fightback. The transformation that followed was simply spectacular - one of the most amazing comebacks ever witnessed at this level. Points were traded in the first five minutes of the second half, leaving a mountain still to be climbed. But Our Lady's started to gain a definite footbhold at midfield and Rory Woods flashed a shot over the bar to reduce the leeway. As the third quarter unfolded, Our Lady's - with the strong wind now at their backs - began to find their scoring boots. They registered four points in a row (from Duffy, Bishop and Hanratty twice) to reduce the gap to six points (two goals) with a quarter of the match remaining. A colossus at centre forward, Bishop pointed again in the 51st minute and the grandstand finale was on. Suddenly, a new sense of spirit and conviction seeped through the MacLarnon holders and Our Lady's caught a glimpse of their destiny. Then came the brace of killer goals in as many minutes: substitute Philip Markey received possession from Steven McGuirk and blasted to the net. Almost immediately, Hanratty picked out Woods, who also bulged the net to put the Ulster champions ahead for the first time with seven minutes left. Kilcock equalised three minutes from time but Our Lady's completed their remarkable victory-from-the-jaws-of-defeat act with late points from Bishop and Gerard Murphy, who finished the match with four points apiece. Abbey CBS overcame Mountbellew from Galway in the other semi-final, but after the stirring comeback evidenced at Parnell Park on Saturday April 9 2005, Our Lady's were not going to leave it behind them. They made no mistake in the final. Our Lady's, Castleblayney, 2005 All-Ireland 'B' colleges football champions, 1-11 to 1-9 victors over Abbey CBS at Parnell Park on Saturday April 30: Enda Duffy (Drumhowan); Cormac Brady (Castleblayney), Ciaran Hughes (Castleblayney), Philip Markey (Cremartin); Steven McGuire (Rockcorry, 0-1), Kealan Duffy (Castleblayney), Mark McHugh (Castleblayney); Darren Bishop (Cremartin, 0-1), Gary Boyd (Cremartin, 0-2); Niall Duffy (Castleblayney, 1-0), Shane McQuillan (Ballybay, 0-1), Martin McElroy (Castleblayney, 0-2); Gerard Duffy (Drumhowan, 0-4), Ciaran Hanratty (Castleblayney), Rory Woods (Donaghmoyne). Subs used: Sean Graham (Oram), Liam McVicar (Cremartin). Rest of panel: Jerry Brady (Castleblayney), Sean Hennessy (Castleblayney), Ronan Marray (Cremartin), John Tomany (Cremartin), Mark O'Neill (Drumhowan), David Caulfield (Drumhowan), Gerard Cunningham (Toome), Brendan Finnegan (Aughnamullen), Lauren Ward (Aughnamullen), Daryl Craig (Blackhill) Tweet

Most Read Stories