If winning the All-Ireland senior 'A' ladies schools football championship in 2004 was special, then the girls of St Louis, Monaghan treated GAA followers in the county to a truly momentous feat when they retained the title in '05. Their thrilling 3-19 to 4-13 (A.E.T.) defeat of Colaiste Na Sceilige in the final at Nenagh on Tuesday March 22 was one of the performances of the year - and must surely rank as the Monagahn town school's greatest result to date. It was arguably the most stunning result of the year. Defending the national crown they had won so convincingly in 2004, St Louis, Monaghan - with a whole host of new personnel on board - faced old rivals Colaiste Na Sceilige from Kerry in the 2005 All-Ireland senior (U19) ladies schools championship final at Nenagh on Tuesday March 22. An epic encounter unfolded. Ciara Connolly landed a dramatic late equaliser before the Monaghan girls went on to record a sensational 3-19 to 4-13 extra-time victory. It was their second successive 'A' All-Ireland - and their third in total. If the extra 20 minutes were riveting, so was the hour that preceded them. Connolly's late, late pressure kick that ultimately led to an astonishing recovery from the jaws of defeat will live long in the memory of all who were at the Tipperary venue on the penultimate Tuesday of March 2005. Having played with the benefit of wind advantage, St Louis led by six points at the short whistle. But serious questions were asked of the defending champions when their advantage was wiped out and they fell behind within five minutes of the resumption. The winners dug deep, though, and looked to be virtually home and hosed with just over five minutes left but the Kerry girls came back at them again, edging ahead a full eight minutes into injury time. It looked as if the day was lost - but the heroic Ciara Connolly (who finished with a personal tally of 0-6) had other ideas. Her humongous free forced extra time and was instrumental in one of the most incredible All-Ireland victories ever achieved by a Monaghan team. Extra time was entertaining, too, and the St Louis girls did themselves proud, with a return of seven points in that 20-minute spell, displaying remarkable spirit to win a match that could, in all honesty, have gone either way. But for the heart of St Louis. The Kingdom girls started brightest and had two early points on the board before St Louis opened their account through Ciara McAnespie in the fourth minute. But Na Sceilige quickly restored their two-point cushion. With the aid of the strong wind and the complete dominance of impressive midfield pair Grainne McNally and Helen Hughes, St Louis gradually began to find a foothold in the game and took complete control of exchanges for most of the remainder of the opening half. When corner forward Grace Mullen was brought down in the square, Aine Mulligan made no mistake from the resultant penalty to put Louis ahead for the first time. The winners were unfortunate not to be awarded another spot kick when Catherine West also appeared to be fouled in front of goal and Mulligan came close to adding to the Ulster champions' goal tally only to be denied by an outstanding save from Na Sceilige goalie Laoise O'Driscoll. The Monaghan representatives got their second point of the afternoon when Connolly calmly converted following a foul on West. The same player added a score from play and the margin suddenly swelled to five points when livewire West struck a fine brace. Bonnie Fleming further extended the lead and the Kerry girls replied with their first point since the opening minutes. Connolly closed the first half scoring, giving the defending champions a comfortable 1-7 to 0-4 interval advantage. Unbelievably, the quality of fare improved on the resumption. First, the Munster champions hit form to take the lead by scoring 1-4 inside five blistering minutes. At this stage, the Monaghan girls were in real danger of being completely swamped. Right on cue, Fleming gathered possession and set up Grace Mullen, who sent a crashing shot to the net. It was a defining score, breathing new life into the St Louis challenge. Connolly and Fleming added more points as the holders regained their composure. When Linda Cronin pointed at the other end it was hard to believe only ten minutes of the second half had been played! On 42 minutes, Mulligan fired home her second - and the winners' third - goal, putting St Louis six points clear at 3-9 to 1-9. The Kerry lasses pulled back a couple of points and Ciara Connolly was unlucky not to get a goal, but midfielder Helen Hughes was on hand to fire over a point. When Na Sceilige registered another goal, St Louis responded with a Fleming point. Two minutes from time, the sides were level: brief hesitation in the Monaghan defence allowed Colaiste Na Sceilige in for their third goal to tie matters up at 3-11 apiece. Cramp and injuries were rife now and referee Joe Murray added NINE minutes of injury time. Na Sceilige appeared to have struck the winning point when they scored eight minutes into added time. It seemed certain that the Kerry school would avenge their 2004 semi-final defeat. When McAnespie was fouled 30 metres from goal a minute later, the match official awarded a free from an acute angle. He informed Ciara Connolly that it would be the last kick of the match and, sensationally, the 16-year-old kept her cool to point under the most extreme pressure imaginable. At 3-12 each, extra time was nigh. St Louis played with wind advantage for the first period. Their outstanding defence held Na Sceilige scoreless in those ten minutes while points from Connolly, McAnespie (2), Charlotte Brady and Fleming gave them a 3-17 to 3-12 cushion. Further points from Fleming and Mulligan in the second period of added time (following a solitary Kerry reply) nudged victory closer but the losers again closed within a single score when they dispatched a late penalty. But St Louis held on to capture their third All-Ireland title at this level at the end of one of the most absorbing games of ladies football every played anywhere at any level. It was a brilliant all-round performance from St Louis, who were excellent all over the field (the defence excelled; the midfielders soared; and all six starting forwards scored) and thoroughly deserve their place in the history books. Defending champions by virtue of their heroics in '04, St Louis reached the 2005 national U19 decider when beating St Peter's of Dunboyne by nine points, 4-11 to 3-5, at the semi-final stage in Ardee. The Monaghan side won that particular game with a torrent of scores in the fourth quarter. Trailing by 3-5 to 0-8 midway through the second period, the All-Ireland champs hit their opponents with a devastating four-goal scoring spree to complete a typical, gutsy comeback. What makes this latest success all the more remarkable is the fact that the all-conquering team was much-changed from that which reigned supreme twelve months earlier. But, while a number of players had departed, the likes of Helen Hughes, Grainne Treanor, Bonnie Fleming and Grainne McNally were still on hand to provide vital experience. Pauline Devlin's girls were in magnificent form all year, outshining the opposition in Monaghan before claiming the Ulster crown with victories over Ballygawley (Tyrone) and Loretta, Cavan. In the All-Ireland final, they once more locked horns with familiar foes Colaiste Na Sceilige. There was a time when the Kerry school held the upper hand in these meetings, but St Louis have addressed this brilliantly with magnificent, battling wins en route to successive senior All-Irelands. With outstanding victories in 2000, 2004 and 2005, St Louis, Monaghan have now won three of the last six senior schools All-Irelands. Quite a record! Certainly one of the most impressive in Monaghan at the moment. St Louis, Monaghan - 2005 All-Ireland senior 'A' ladies schools football champions: Theresa Connolly-Hughes; Jennifer Connolly, Grainne Treanor (captain), Kim O'Dowd; Colleen Mulligan, Charlotte Brady (0-1), Yvonne Connell; Helen Hughes (0-1), Grainne McNally; Ciara Connolly (0-6), Bonnie Fleming (0-5), Catherine West (0-2); Ciara McAnespie (0-3), Aine Mulligan (2-1), Grace Mullen (1-1). Subs: Grainne McKenna, Catriona Treanor, Nuala Mohan. Rest of panel: Claire McKeown, Martina Beggan, Maureen West, Aisling Hughes, Caroline McAree, Sarah Cuddy, Sinead McAnespie, Leona Treanor, Ellanna Hackett, Aoife McAnespie, Nicola Fahy, Tara McElvaney. Tweet

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