Handball News: Coach & Teacher Training | Connacht 4-Wall 2nd Level Colleges Finals | Connacht GAA Handball 4-Wall Singles Championship — -copy

GAA Handball – Coach & Teacher Training in Annaduff

A significant milestone was reached by Annaduff GAA Handball Club on Thursday evening last when 14 coaches and parents from Annaduff and surrounding clubs graduated from the GAA Handball Foundational Coaching course. The course, delivered by GAA Handball’s Regional Development Officer Clare Conway, took place in the Leitrim GAA Centre of Excellence.
Earlier that day, teaching staff from Annaduff Primary School, and other local primary and secondary schools, participated in a GAA Handball Teacher Training workshop. This initiative ensures that schools in the area are now equipped to teach and promote handball as part of their PE classes, utilizing both indoor and outdoor spaces.
Together, these efforts provide a strong foundation for the young Annaduff Handball Club to build upon and will undoubtedly help foster greater interest in the sport within the local community.
A special thank you to Clare Conway and the GAA Handball staff, Clare Caslin and her team at Annaduff NS, Leitrim GAA CoE staff, and to all the parents, coaches, and executive members of Annaduff GAA Handball and Leitrim Handball, who generously gave their time and support to make this event a reality.


Coaches and parents from Annaduff and surrounding Handball clubs who completed the GAA Handball Foundation Coaching course.
Staff of Annaduff NS and surrounding schools who competed the Teacher Training workshop delivered by GAA Handball regional development officer – Clare Conway.

Connacht 4-Wall 2nd Level Colleges Finals

Congratulations to all those who represented Leitrim schools in the Connacht 2nd Level Colleges Finals in Galway on Saturday. This A-grade provincial competition, which had been on hiatus since Covid-enforced cancellation, was revived this year. Unfortunately, the original finals scheduled for January, were postponed due to Storm Eowyn.
Six players from St. Clare’s Community College Manorhamilton, Mohill Community School, and Ballinamore Community School represented Leitrim in last week’s matches. Although several players reached provincial final matches, no Connacht titles came to Leitrim this time. Nevertheless, the experience gained, and the friendships formed along the way were invaluable.
Well done to all involved, and better luck next time!


Peter Cox and Maxim Gilmartin who competed for Mohill Community College in the Connacht 4-wall Second Level Colleges Finals in Moycullen
Sophie Kane ( Ballinamore CS) in the 1st year girls singles Connacht colleges final in Moycullen
Eoghan Kelly & Adam Neary (Mohill Community College) in the 1st year boys doubles Connacht colleges semi-final in Claregalway on Saturday last.

Connacht Adult 4-Wall Singles Championship Roundup

The Connacht 4-Wall Singles Championship got underway last weekend with 30 matches across various adult grades, scheduled at 10 different venues over the next couple of weeks.
Manorhamilton’s Peter Boyle, competing in the Junior B grade, was the first of Leitrim’s seven competitors to take to the court. Peter faced Galway’s Padraic McNeela in Abbeyknockmoy on Saturday evening last. Unfortunately, Peter came out second best this time, with the Galway player advancing to the next round.
Next up for Leitrim is Fenagh’s Peter McDwyer, who will play Keith Donnellan from Galway in the Golden Masters B grade in Roscommon on Saturday evening. Best of luck, Peter!

 

David Mahon
OCP Liathroid Láimhe Liatroma
https://www.facebook.com/LeitrimHandball

Handball News: Connacht Silver Medals | Rescheduled Connacht Colleges 4-wall Finals | Connacht GAA Handball 4-Wall Singles Championship

Connacht Silver Medals for Manorhamilton’s Sadhbh and Ronan.

Two Connacht silver medals were the reward for Leitrim’s juvenile handballers who competed in the 40×20 B championships on Saturday last in Roscommon, Lisacul and Claremorris. Manorhamilton’s Sadhbh Smith and Ronan Sieber both competed brilliantly in the U13 girls and U11 boy’s singles finals, each bringing silver medals back to the north Leitrim club. Sadhbh and Ronan were part of a nine-strong group of young players who represented Leitrim with pride on the day.

Sadhbh began her journey to the U13 girl’s final against Mayo’s Mia Reid. It was the Mayo player who got off to the better start, but Sadhbh dug deep to score 7 to Mia’s 15. While Mia took the first game, Sadhbh had found a probing serve and when combined with her excellent volleying and calm demeanor, gave her victory in the second game 15-9. Mia had the all-important serve to start the third game by virtue of most points scored and while she made a few points Sadhbh managed to meet the ball and indeed hit a few nice roof shots to take service back. Both players were improving all the time, but it was Sadhbh who battled through to the final on a scoreline of 15-9.

Waiting in the final was Róise Leonard from Galway! Sadhbh battled hard in the first game but lost 15-3 while in the second she dug in and scored 6 against Róise. The Galway player was a worthy champion, but Sadhbh learned a lot from the experience and collected her silver medal for club and county.

Ronan Siebert started his U11 championship positively by beating both his Mayo and Sligo quarter final and semi-final opposition in two straight games. The final started with Ronan serving first against Roscommon’s Eoin McDermott. It was a tit for tat game with most points being won in rallies and not player error which is a credit to both players. Ronan took some difficult shots off the backwall successfully and making some very impressive pass shots. The game was tied at six apiece before the Roscommon player pulled away finishing the first game 11-6 to Roscommon.
The second game had some notable long rallies, but once again the Roscommon player pulled away to win 11-4. It was an impressive match, and the referee complimented both players on their level of play in an U11s final, with Ronan really showed he can and will be an A player of the future.

Elsewhere, Rhys Glancy came agonizingly close to reaching the U12 boys final when he lost out to his Mayo opponent by the bare minimum in a tiebreak game. Caoimhe Glancy, Muireann Cox, Eoghan Kelly, Senan Prior, Niall Loughlin & Sam Conroy all but in great performances in their respective matches but found themselves up against tough opposition. For most, this was their very first time playing in a Connacht Championship environment and they will have learned a huge amount from the experience, and will no doubt be ones to watch for Leitrim and their clubs in the future.
Well done one and all!


Top L- R:
Aengus Cunningham from Roscommon Handball presents the Connacht B U11 Boys finalists with their medals – Ronan Sieber (Leitrim), Eoin McDermott (Roscommon)
Róise Leonard (Galway) & Sadhbh Smith (Leitrim) – Connacht B U13 Girls Final
Bottom L-R:
Caoimhe Glancy (Leitrim) – Connacht B U11 Girls Quarter-final
Senan Prior (Leitrim) – Connacht B U11 Boys Quarter-final.
Muireann Cox (Leitrim) – Connacht B U11 Girls Semi-final
Eoghan Kelly (Leitrim) – Connacht B U13 Boys Semi-final

 

Rescheduled Connacht Colleges 4-wall Finals go ahead on Saturday next.

The re-scheduled Connacht colleges 4-wall championship finals take place in Claregalway and Moycullen Co. Galway on Saturday next, March 29th. This provincial 2nd level competition which was revived for the first time this year since Covid fell victim to storm Eowyn back in January.

Mohill Community College leads the way with four Annaduff club players in the finals. Peter Cox will compete in the Junior (u15) boys singles grade, while recent All Ireland u15 doubles finalist Maxim Gilmartin will take part in the 1st year boys singles event. Additionally, clubmates Adam Neary and Eoghan Kelly will team up for the 1st year boys doubles competition.

Ballinamore Community School will have Sophie Kane in the 1st year girl’s singles, and she will also be joined by Ella Crinnigan who will compete in the junior (u15) girl’s singles. St Clare’s Comprehensive School Manorhamilton will be represented by Cormac Scarff in the Intermediate (U17) boys single competition.
Best of luck to all the players next weekend. Beir Bua!

Connacht GAA Handball 4-Wall Singles Championship 2025

Adult handball springs back into action next weekend with several Connacht 4-wall singles championship Junior B and Junior C grade matches up for decision. First out for Leitrim will be Manorhamilton’s Peter Boyle who plays Galway’s Padraic McNeela in their Junior B preliminary round match on Saturday evening next, March 29th in Abbeyknockmoy. The very best of luck Peter in his championship match.

 

David Mahon
OCP Liathroid Láimhe Liatroma
https://www.facebook.com/LeitrimHandball

Handball News : Connacht B Championships (U14 – U17) roundup

Handball News : Connacht B Championships (U14 – U17) roundup.

Hard Luck to Gary Cox (Annaduff – U16), Dashiel Wilson (Manorhamilton – U14) and Peter Cox (Annaduff – U15) who despite giving their all, came up short against their opponents in the Connacht B championship played in St Coman’s Handball Club, Roscommon on Saturday morning last.

Peter Cox started strongly in his U15 semifinal against Roscommon’s Mark Farrell, taking their first game 15 to 14. However, Mark who was playing in his home alley, rallied to take the second game 12 to 15 sending this tight, tense match to a tiebreaker game. However, the young Roscommon man prevailed in the tiebreak game winning it on a 7 to 15 score.

In the U16 semi-final Annaduff’s Gary Cox came up against strong opponent in Roscommon’s Aron Lenord. Gary worked hard to get a foothold in the match, however playing on his home turf, Aron showed his slightly greater experience to win both games and match. Manorhamilton’s Dashiel Wilson gave it his best against the Galway’s Cillian Kirk in the U14 singles B Connacht Final, however with his greater 4-wall experience, the Abbeyknockmoy man always had the upper hand in the match.

Although disappointed with this weekend’s results, Peter, Gary and Dashiel will have learned a lot from their experiences in the 4-wall A & B championships this year and will come back stronger for it next year. 𝘉𝘦𝘪𝘥𝘩𝘭𝘢́ 𝘦𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘣𝘗𝘢𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘩!

Attention now turns to the Connacht B U11 – U13 boys and girl’s categories which will take place in Roscommon venues next weekend. Leitrim has an unprecedented 19 entries from across the county competing for titles!

The very Best of Luck to all our young competitors from Annaduff, Drumshanbo, Fenagh and Manorhamilton who are taking part.


L-R:
Aron Lenord (St Coman’s, Roscommon) & Peter Cox (Annaduff, Leitrim) – Connacht B U16 singles semi-final
Cillian Kirk (Abbeyknockmoy, Galway) & Dashiel Wilson (Manorhamilton, Leitrim) – Connacht B U14 singles final.
Mark Farrell (St Coman’s, Roscommon) & Peter Cox (Annaduff, Leitrim) – Connacht B U15 singles semi-final.

David Mahon
OCP Liathroid Láimhe Liatroma
https://www.facebook.com/LeitrimHandball

Handball News: It’s All Ireland Silver for Leitrim’s Maxim and Daniel | Leitrim Juvenile Handball Trials

It’s All Ireland Silver for Leitrim’s Maxim and Daniel after Croke Park weekend to remember.

Two rare, splendid silver All Ireland handball medals came to Leitrim last weekend when Annaduff’s Maxim Gilmartin and Daniel Kane from Fenagh contested the U15 Doubles 4-wall All Ireland Final in Croke Park on Sunday last. Although this talented Leitrim came up short of capturing the title itself, their exploits over the weekend announced to the handball world that Leitrim’s youth can compete with the best in Ireland at underage level!
Fresh from their recent Connacht title victory, the Leitrim duo entered this weekend’s All-Ireland series as underdogs. However, played some masterful handball on Saturday, Maxim and Daniel defied all the odds, booking their All-Ireland final ticket by defeating the highly fancies Tyrone pairing of Conor Molloy and Mickey Nugent in an hour-long match needing a tiebreak game to separate the sides.

The Leitrim duo started their semi-final slowly with some obvious big game nerves showing as they allowing the Tyrone lads to get an early grip on the first game which they couldn’t relinquish. However, regrouping for the second game and with the advantage of serve Maxim pushed them out into an early 3-0 lead before Tyrone quickly clawing it back and moved 6-3 ahead. With serve changing frequently and with protracted rallies, Tyrone was leading on scoreboard at 13-9. However, momentum swung to Leitrim when some exceptional serving from Maxim and strong back play form Daniel wrestled the game to 13 apiece. A fine front-wall play by Maxim sending the ball awkwardly in front of his Tyrone opponent was enough to push the Leitrim lads ahead 14-13. In a tense conclusion where both pairs resorted to deep balls to the back, Daniel Kane found the key to unlock the game when he angled a brilliant long shot off the front wall down onto the side to outmanoeuvre the Tyrone player and take the critical point bringing the match to a tiebreaker!

Maxim and Daniel entered the tiebreaker with a renewed momentum quickly taking serve and pushing into a 7-0 lead. Tyrone was coming back at 7-4 when two lovely low kill shot and a dive to meet an attempted Tyrone kill from Maxim wrestled back server for Leitrim and moved them up into a 10-4 lead. Serve once again changed multiple time, but Maxim and Daniel continued to keep the distance between the Tyrone lads on the scoreboard. At 14-9 and playing for the match, Maxim and Daniel held their nerve in an edgy last few minutes as the Tyrone lads pushed hard. But once again a perfectly powered return from Daniel forced the Tyrone player to snap at his shot, sending it into the roof and down to the floor, giving the critical score to Leitrim and sending their travelling supporters into rapturous applause.

Sunday’s All-Ireland final pitted Maxim and Daniel against the formidable Clare duo of Charlie Collins and Sean McGee. The final developed in a similar fashion to the previous days with the Clare duo racing into an early lead playing tricky low fast serves low along the floor. However, unlike Tyrone, this polished duo never allowed the Leitrim lads an opportunity to get a foothold in the match. Maxim and Daniel rallied hard in the second game to bring the score to 6-6 and give their follows hope that they a repeat of the heroics of the previous day could be on the cards! But that was as close as they got. The Clare combination systematically closed out the match in a workman like fashion with a flurry of fast serves in low along the left wall to the dismay of Maxim, Daniel and the large Leitrim supporters present.

While initially disappointed with not capturing the All-Ireland championship, the Leitrim duo can be very proud of their Connacht championship and All-Ireland silver medals wins this year. Handball historians pointed out that this is in fact the first time that Leitrim juvenile players picked up 4-wall medals in Croke Park, as previous finals would have been played in regional venues! Everyone associated with Leitrim Handball are very proud to have players of the caliber of Maxim and Daniel, and everything they have achieved this weekend. They are a brilliant example for all younger players of what can be achieved with practice and dedication.
Congratulations Maxim and Daniel.

Leitrim Juvenile Handball Trials.

Well done to all the young handball players who took part in the Leitrim Juvenile Handball trials in Drumshanbo on Friday evening last. The prizes on offer on the night were qualification places in the upcoming Connacht Juvenile B championships.  It’s a testament to the growing strength of Leitrim Handball that 58 single and doubles entries were received from the clubs across the county and had to be reduced to 2 entries in each category after some very competitive games.  Congratulation to the following who go forward to the Connacht finals In Roscommon on 23rd March for U11, U12, and U13 categories and March 16th for U14 to U17 categories.
Best of Luck everyone.

Below is a collage from the Leitrim Handball trials, Drumshanbo Friday March 7th.

 

More images from an eventful weekend in Croke Park and the homecoming !

 

 

 

David Mahon
OCP Liathroid Láimhe Liatroma
https://www.facebook.com/LeitrimHandball

Handball News: Croke Park Date for Daniel and Maxim | Connacht Cumann na mBunscol Finals | Connacht Final – Men’s 𝐒𝐢𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐁 𝐃𝐨𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐬

Croke Park Date with Destiny for Daniel and Maxim.
The 2025 juvenile 4-wall handball session reaches its conclusion this weekend with the All-Ireland semi-finals and finals up for decision in the National Handball Centre in Croke Park. This year’s finals have special interest from a Leitrim perspective with Fenagh’s Daniel Kane and Annaduff’s Maxim Gilmartin aiming to bring the boys under 15 doubles All-Ireland title to Leitrim.
Having secured their place in the finals by winning the Connacht title in recent weeks, the Leitrim duo enter Court 2 in Croke Park next Saturday to take on a Tyrone pairing of Conor Molloy and Mickey Nugent in the All-Ireland Semi-final.

Maxim, who is a first-year student in Mohill Community College, and Daniel who is in second year in Ballinamore Community School have been masterfully coached by JP Kane and Peter Heaney amongst others. Although entering the contest as underdogs, this ambitious Leitrim partnership have the skills, strength and potential to create a shock and wrestle the title away from Ulster or Munster hands.
Everybody involved with Leitrim Handball wishes Daniel and Maxim the very Best of Luck next weekend.
Go n-éirí an t-ádh le Daniel agus Maxim!

Connacht Cumann na mBunscol Finals.
There were thrills and spills a plenty in Salthill Handball Club on Saturday last when the 2025 Connacht Cumann na mBunscol finals were played off.
Five Leitrim primary schools were represented by an 11 strong team of competitors.
Congratulations and well done to Mark MacShera from St Patricks NS Drumshanbo who won silver in the U13 boys singles category. Mark played exceptionally well on the day beating the talented Roscommon player, and recent Connacht U12 A finalist – Patrick Farrell on his way to the final.
Also, congratulations to Doireann McKiernan and Eimer McKiernan from St Brigid’s NS Drumcong, who secured the bronze medal in the U11 girls doubles grade.
Special mention to Abbie Kane from St Caillins NS Fenagh in the girls U11 singles, and to the Annaduff NS U11 doubles partnership of Conor Cregan & Gerry Sharkey. Both brought their opponents to tiebreak games and were unlucky not to progress in their respective grades. An admirable achievement for these young players in a Connacht final setting!
Other Leitrim players who did well on the day include Ronan Seibert – Gaelscol Chluainin who was playing in the boys U11 singles category. Kian McNabola & Sam Conroy from St Brigid’s NS played in the boys U13 doubles competition. Ciara Conlon & Kayla Crinnigan from St Caillins NS also played in the girls U13 category.
Well done to each and every one of the boys and girls who represented their schools, handball clubs and county with great pride. Win or lose, it was a brilliant fun day that will stay long in the memory.

Connacht Final – Men’s 𝐒𝐢𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐁 𝐃𝐨𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐬
Manorhamilton’s Joel Smith and Anthony O’Flynn contested the 40×20 Connacht Final in the Silvers Masters B Doubles grade in Collooney on Saturday evening last. Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be for Joel and Anthony this year as the Mayo duo of Francie McDonagh and James McNulty took the match on a scoreline of 21-12, 21-9.
𝐵𝑒𝑖𝑑ℎ 𝑙𝑎́ 𝑒𝑖𝑙𝑒 𝑎𝑔𝑎𝑛 𝑏𝑃𝑎𝑜𝑟𝑎𝑐ℎ!

David Mahon
OCP Liathroid Láimhe Liatroma
https://www.facebook.com/LeitrimHandball

Handball News: Connacht U15 Doubles Champions – Connacht Silver Master Final – Connacht Cumann Na mBunscol Handball finals

Leitrim’s Maxim and Daniel are Connacht U15 Doubles Champions.
For the third weekend in a row Leitrim was the epicentre of the Connacht juvenile handball world with 30 of the best young players from across the province vying for glory on Sunday last in Fenagh. 11 Connacht boys and girl’s title were up for decision with All-Ireland semi-final places part of the prize on offer. Leitrim Handball had a strong representation of 5 players in action on the day.

First up for Leitrim was Annaduff’s Maxim Gilmartin and Fenagh’s Daniel Kane who needed to overcome the Roscommon duo of Tiernan Hyland and Ryan McDermott in their U15 doubles Connacht Final. Displaying some early nerves, the Fenagh – Annaduff combination had to come from behind in their first game after the Roscommon duo raced into an early 10-3 lead. However, Maxim and Daniel fought their way back into the game to steal the win by the bare minimum. Upping the tempo in the second game the Leitrim pair got to grips with their opposition and went on to secure a famous Connacht title for Leitrim on home soil. Maxim and Daniel now go forward to represent Leitrim in the All-Ireland Juvenile semi-finals in the next few weeks. Times and venue are yet to be decided.
Well done but hard luck to Manorhamilton’s Cormac Scarff & Tadhg Kirwin, and Fenagh’s Katie Kane. They battled hard in their respective matches, but the Connacht title alluded them this time round. While disappointed, Cormac, Tadhg and Katie can rest assured that everyone is very proud of their achievements.

The standard of Handball on display last weekend in Fenagh was first-rate, with each Connacht county winning at least one title.
Congratulations and well done to everyone in Fenagh Handball club who hosted the Connacht Finals with great professionalism on Sunday last. They are setting the standard for other clubs in the county to follow. A special word of thanks to everybody who helped out and to all those who refereed the matches on the day. Also a word of recognition to those who kept the venue and online scoreboard updated ensuring that the results from Fenagh were available online in real-time across the world.

Left – Connacht U15 Doubles champions 2025 – Maxim Gilmartin and Daniel Kane Right Top – Galway – Caoimhe Ní Gloinn defeated Leitrim – Katie Kane in the Connacht Girls U17 final. Right Bottom – Mayo – Sean Nevin and Feidhlim Gulfoyle defeated Leitrim -Cormac Scariff and Tadhg Kirwan. Medals presented by Aengus Cunningham – Roscommon Handball.

 

Connacht Silver Master Final for Joel and Anthony
Everyone in Leitrim Handball wishes the very best of luck to the Manorhamilton dynamic duo of Joel Smith and Anthony O’Flynn who compete in the Connacht Men’s Silver Masters B Doubles final next weekend. Joel and Anthony will play Francis McDonagh & Aidan McNulty from Mayo in the final.


Connacht Cumann Na mBunscol Handball finals 2025.
Best wishes to all the schoolchildren from Leitrim who will be representing the county in the Connacht finals in Salthill Co. Galway on Saturday next March 1st. Win or lose, this will be a great experience for all involved. Go n-éirí an t-adh libh!

David Mahon
OCP Liathroid Láimhe Liatroma
https://www.facebook.com/LeitrimHandball

Leitrim Handball News – February 16th

Connacht Juvenile A Championship Roundup.
Sunday last was another busy day for Leitrim Handball with over twenty top class Connacht Juvenile A U14 to U17 quarter finals and semi-final matches decided in Fenagh, Annaduff, and also in Collooney Co. Sligo. Eight Leitrim handball players competed on the day across several grades.

Congratulations to Annaduff’s Maxim Gilmartin and Fenagh’s Daniel Kane who comfortably won their U15 doubles semi-final against Mayo opposition, booking their place in next weekend’s Connacht finals in Fenagh. Also, well done but hard luck to Sophie Gallogly, Adam Neary, Eoin Mahon, Gary Cox and Peter Cox who all played very well in their respective semi-final matches but unfortunately came up short of reaching the Connacht finals.

The U14 – U17 Connacht finals will be decided in Fenagh on Sunday next, February 23rd. Maxim and Daniel will also be joined by Fenagh’s Katie Kane who will contest the Girls U17 Singles final. North Leitrim is also represented on Connacht finals day by Cormac Scarff & Tadhg Kirwin who will contest the Boys U16 doubles finals.

A sincere thank you to everyone who helped run things so smoothly in Fenagh, Annaduff and Drumshanbo over the last two weekends. Thanks to everyone who gave up their time to provide snacks and help serve refreshments. Also, a word of thanks to all who refereed the games, updated the online scoreboards, and ensured that the matches ran on schedule.

The very best of luck to Maxim, Daniel, Katie, Cormac and Tadhg in their Connacht Finals next week.

Leitrim Results : Connacht Juvenile 4-wall A Championship 2025 – Feb 16th

  • U14 Girls Singles SF    Galway (Mary Bermingham) dft. Leitrim (Sophie Gallogly) : 15-2, 15-6
  • U14 Boys Doubles SF   Galway (Dara Greally and Diarmuid Greally) dft. Leitrim (Adam Neary and Eoin Mahon) : 15-2, 15-13
  • U15 Boys Singles SF    Mayo (Dillon Sheridan) dft. Leitrim (Peter Cox) : 15-10, 15-8
  • U15 Boys Doubles SF   Leitrim (Maxim Gilmartin and Daniel Kane) dft. Mayo (Matthew Foody and Jack O’Connor) : 15-0, 15-0
  • U16 Boys Singles QF    Mayo (Finnan Brady) dft. Leitrim (Gary Cox) : 8-21, 21-0, 11-7
  • U17 Girls Singles SF    Leitrim (Katie Kane) w/o Galway (Ella Sweeney) scr


Sophie and Ruairi experience Gael Linn National Finals.
Well done but hard luck to Sophie Kane and Ruairi McKiernan who represented Fenagh and Leitrim in the prestigious Gael Linn U13 mixed doubles finals played on Saturday last in Breacach Co. Tyrone. Sophie and Ruairi gave a spirited performance, winning some of their games on the day, however the standard of competition was extremely high. Both players will have learned a lot from the experience.
Everyone at Leitrim Handball is incredibly proud to have young players like Sophie and Ruairi, who are capable of reaching national finals and competing at such a high level. The future is bright for Leitrim Handball.


Recent Teacher Training in Manorhamilton.
Congratulations and well done to the 13 staff members in St. Clare’s Primary School and Masterson National School who recently completed the Teacher In-Service Training delivered by Clare Conway – GAA Handball regional development officer. These staff are now ready to deliver the handball school programme during or after school, utilizing indoor and outdoor spaces. Another arrow in the quiver of Manorhamilton Handball club!
Keep an eye out for a similar teacher training event scheduled for Annaduff in the next few weeks.

David Mahon
OCP Liathroid Láimhe Liatroma
https://www.facebook.com/LeitrimHandball

Handball News: A Spectacular Saturday for Sophie | Connacht U11 – U13 A and U14-17 A championships

Saturday last was another memorable day for Leitrim Handball, when the indomitable Sophie Kane added the Connacht U13 girls single title to her ever-growing collection of accolades. Later that evening, Sophie’s multiple national and international successes over the last 12 months was justly rewarded when she collected the 2024 Junior Sports Individual award at the Leitrim Sports Star Awards. A spectacular day for the young Fenagh lady!
These celebrations were a nice distraction on a very busy weekend for Leitrim Handball as the county co-hosted the Connacht U11 – U13 A Championships with Collooney Handball Club in Sligo. Spectators in Fenagh, Drumshanbo and Annaduff were treated to the top underage players from across Connacht showcasing their repertoire of skills in some brilliant high-class handball matches.
Leitrim handball was well represented with four of their up-and-coming players competing over the weekend. Playing in her home alley in Fenagh, Sophie Kane had to work hard to overcome dogged Galway opposition to get through her early round games. In the final, Sophie rallied strongly, defeating Keely Póil from Inis Oírr Co. Galway on a scoreline of 15:6, 15:1 before collecting her Connacht gold medal to rapturous applause from the local and travelling spectators.
Making her Connacht championship debut in the girls U11 singles category, Abbie Kane played strongly in her match against eventual champion Grace Connaughton. Her Galway opponent did enough to edge through, but Abbie can be happy with her day’s work in Drumshanbo.
Meanwhile in Collooney, two more Leitrim players compete in the U13 boy’s singles finals. Drumshanbo’s Mark MacShera played well in his match against Roscommon’s Michael Walsh however the Roscommon man prevailed. Fenagh’s Ruairi McKiernan had early success when he overcame Galway’s Liam Simon-Riggot in a tiebreak game. Despite carrying an injury into the matches, Ruairi fought hard in the next round to bring eventual finalist Donnacha Mulligan to a tiebreak game however the Claregalway man got the better of Ruairi this time.
All travelling supporters were treated to the very best of Leitrim hospitality over the weekend. A special word of appreciation to all the volunteers who provided or served refreshments, and to everyone who helped referee games, or helped in any way over the weekend.
Not one to rest on her laurels, Sophie Kane together with Ruairi McKiernan now turn their attention to the All-Ireland Gael Linn U13 mixed doubles finals next weekend. Playing in Breacach Co. Tyrone, the Fenagh duo are aiming to bring this prestigious title to Leitrim.

Meanwhile, the Connacht handball fraternity will make a return visit to Leitrim next weekend as focus turns to the U14-17 Connacht A championships. Leitrim will be hoping for further success when 10 players from Fenagh, Annaduff and Manorhamilton compete in their respective grades. Best of Luck to everyone in Connacht and All-Ireland action next weekend.

David Mahon
OCP Liathroid Láimhe Liatroma
https://www.facebook.com/LeitrimHandball

Leitrim GAA Handball hosts Connacht Juvenile A Finals

Leitrim GAA Handball hosts Connacht Juvenile  A Finals.

Co. Leitrim will be the epicentre of Connacht juvenile handball over the next three weekends as Leitrim Handball host the 2025 Connacht Juvenile A finals. 

Proceedings start when Annaduff, Fenagh and Drumshanbo alleys in conjunction with Collooney in Sligo hosting the boys and girls u11, u12 and u13 finals next weekend.  

Best of luck to all the Leitrim Handball participants who will be vying for Connacht glory in their respective categories.

Connacht Juvenile 4-wall A Championship 2025  

 

Competition

Name(s)

Club(s)

U11 Girls Singles

Abbie Kane

Fenagh

U11 Boys Doubles

Bríon Cullen & Ronan Siebert

Manorhamilton

U13 Boys Singles

Mark MacShera

Drumshanbo

U13 Boys Singles

Ruairi McKiernan

Fenagh

U13/14 Girls Singles

Sophie Kane

Fenagh

U14 Girls Singles

Sophie Gallogly

Fenagh

U14 Boys Doubles

Adam Neary & Eoin Mahon

Annaduff

U15 Boys Singles

Peter Cox

Annaduff

U15 Boys Doubles

Daniel Kane  & Maxim Gilmartin

Fenagh / Annaduff

U16 Boys Singles

Garry Cox

Annaduff

U16 Boys Doubles

Cormac Scarff & Tadhg Kirwin

Manorhamilton

U17 Girls Singles

Katie Kane

Fenagh

 

David Mahon
OCP Liathroid Láimhe Liatroma

Handball News: Connacht Gael Linn Handball success – Cumann Na mBunscol Final’s – Sophie for Leitrim Sports star

Connacht Gael Linn Handball success for Fenagh’s Ruairi and Sophie.

Huge congratulations to Ruairi Mc Kiernan & Sophie Kane who won the Gael Linn 40×20 mixed doubles Connacht final hosted in Collooney Co. Sligo on Sunday last.

Representing their club Fenagh and Leitrim Handball in this novel competition, Ruairi and Sophie entered the alley in Collooney with strong ambition based on their recent form.  Each round was played over three matches consisting of a boy’s singles match, a girl’s singles, match and a mixed doubles match. In their quarter final tussle, the  Fenagh duo went about their business methodically to see off a Claregalway combination by an aggregate scoreline of 43-25 over the three matches.

Playing a duo from Bofield Co. Mayo in the semi-final, the Fenagh combination were made to work all the way through an epic three match marathon which took almost an hour to decide! With everything to play for Ruairi and Sophie needed to get a result from their mixed doubles match!  Bofield took an early 12:4 lead however unperturbed the Fenagh duo rallied superbly playing magnificent handball to take the match on a 15:12 scoreline. This was just enough to see them through to the final by the bare minimum aggregate score of 41:40!

Buoyed up by their tough semi-final games, the Fenagh combination met a formidable brother-sister combination from Moycullen Co, Galway in the Final. Watched on by a full house in Collooney,  Ruairi and Sophie played with confidence and composure in their singles matches beating their opponents by an aggregate score of 30-7 meaning they couldn’t be caught in the doubles match, and the Connacht Gael Linn title was coming to Leitrim.

Ruairi and Sophie now go on to represent Fenagh and Leitrim in the Gael Linn All Irelands finals in the national handball centre in Croke Park in  two weeks’ time.   The first Croke Park appearance for Leitrim in 2025!

 


County Leitrim Cumann Na mBunscol Final’s 2025

Drumshanbo handball alley in the Mayflower was standing room only on Sunday afternoon last for the 2025 Leitrim Cumann na mBunscol Finals.  Seven schools from across the county competed in boys and girls singles and doubles competitions in under 11 and under 13 categories. In what was their first competitive outing for many, all participants showed off great skill and confidence in the alley and their schools and handball clubs can be very proud of their accomplishments.

Pick of the matches on the day was the boys u13 singles final when Mark MacShera representing St Patricks NS Drumshanbo, and Ruairi McKiernan for St Bridget’s NS Drumcong served up a top-class display of handball with some astounding rallies.  However, Mark did enough to ensure the gold medal stayed in Drumshanbo this year. Also, the u13 boys doubles final served up a thriller when the clock ran out with only a single score dividing the St Brigids NS pairing of Sam Conroy and Kian McNabola from the Annaduff dynamic duo of Conor Cox and Enda Sharkey.

In line with the national renaissance in handball it was also exciting to see additional Leitrim schools rejoin this year’s event when Darragh Sutherland who trains with Annaduff Handball club represented Bornacoola NS in the boys u11 singles competition.

A big thank you to all the coaches, parents and teachers who prepared the children so brilliantly for Sunday, and to all in Drumshanbo Handball who looked after everyone so well on the day.

Congratulations to all the winners who now go forward to represent their schools and Leitrim in the Connacht Cumann na mBunscol finals in March.

 

Leitrim Cumann na mBunscol Finals 2025  

Drumshanbo – Feb 2nd

U11 Boys Single Semi-Final

Adam Sharkey (Annaduff NS) dft. Darren Sutherland (Bornacoola NS)

U11 Boys Single Final

Ronan Seibert (Gaelscol Chluainin) dft. Adam Sharkey (Annaduff NS)

U11 Boys Doubles Final

 Bríon Cullen & Danann English (St Clare’s NS) dft. Conor Cregan & Gerry Sharkey (Annaduff NS)

U11 Girls Singles Final

Abbie Kane (St Caillin’s NS) bye

U11 Girls Doubles Final

Doireann McKiernan & Eimer McKiernan (St Bridget’s NS) dft. Muireann Cox & Caoimhe Glancy (Annaduff NS)

U13 Boys Singles Semi-final

Ruairi McKiernan (St Bridget’s NS) dft. Padraig Mahon (Annaduff NS)

U13 Boys Singles Final

Mark MacShera (St Patricks NS) dft. Ruairi McKiernan (St Bridget’s NS)

U13 Boys Doubles Semi-Final

 Conor Cox & Enda Sharkery (Annaduff NS) dft. Donnagh McCawley & Sam Rynn (St Clare’s NS)

U13 Boys Doubles Final

Kian McNabola & Sam Conroy (St Bridget’s NS) dft. Conor Cox & Enda Sharkey (Annaduff NS)

U13 Girls Singles Final

Carlene Casserly (St Patrick’s NS) bye

U13 Girls Doubles Final

Kayla Crinnigan & Ciara Conlon (St Caillin’s NS) bye

 


Sophie for Leitrim Sports star.

Best wishes to Fenagh and Leitrim Handball’s Sophie Kane who is nominated in the juvenile category in the  Leitrim Sports Star awards next weekend.  Sophie is a brilliant ambassador for Leitrim Handball and her dedication and commitment to the sport makes her a great role model for all young people in the county.  Go néirí léi.

 

David Mahon
OCP Liathroid Láimhe Liatroma
https://www.facebook.com/LeitrimHandball

Handball News: She’s Ace – 2nd Level Schools Finals – Ballinamore TY

Sophie shows She’s Ace in Clare finals.

Well done to Fenagh’s Sophie Kane who reached the semi-final in the 13 and under category of the She’s Ace Handball Festival last weekend

This annual ladies 4-wall championship took place in Clare over two days, and featured top female players from elite level through to the best in juvenile grades from u11 to u17.

In a packed category, with over 50 players vying for success, Sophie played some unbelievably brilliant 4-wall handball on her path to the semi-final. To reach the last 4 is even more remarkable considering that she still has another year left playing in this age group.

Although a final appearance alluded her this year, there is no doubt that Sophie will carry a favourites tag into next year’s competition.

Maith thú Sophie.

Leitrim 2nd Level Schools Finals round up.

Competitive post-primary schools Handball is experiencing a resurgence this year, with the Connacht 2nd level schools 4-wall handball championship returning to the 2025 event calendar. Following a highly competitive county 2nd level championship playoff in Fenagh last week, Leitrim sends seven top juvenile players to represent their schools at the Connacht Finals hosted in Galway venues on Sunday next, January 26th.

Mohill Community College leads the way with four players in the finals. Peter Cox will compete in the Junior (u15) boys singles grade, while Maxim Gilmartin will take part in the 1st year boys singles event. Additionally, Adam Neary and Eoghan Kelly will team up for the 1st year boys doubles competition.

Ballinamore Community School will have Sophie Kane in the 1st year girls singles, and she will also be joined by Ella Crinnigan who will compete in the junior (u15) girls singles. St Clare’s Comprehensive School Manorhamilton will be represented by Cormac Scarff in the Intermediate (U17) boys single competition.

Best of luck to all the players next weekend. Beir Bua!

Ballinamore transition year students try handball.

A big well done to all the transition year students in Ballinamore Community school who had the opportunity to try handball last Friday as part of the GAA Future Leaders Programme.

Clare Conway, the GAA Handball regional development officer for Leitrim, delivered an engaging presentation to the class and demonstrated a variety of simple drills, highlighting the numerous fitness benefits of this fast-paced, skillful, highly entertaining, and fully inclusive sport. She also explained how easy it is to get started— all you need is a ball and a wall.

If you’re a teacher interested in hosting a similar event at your school, or if you’d like to learn more about the benefits of GAA Handball, there will be in-service teacher training in Leitrim later this month. For more information, reach out to Leitrim Handball via their Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/LeitrimHandball) or contact your local club in Annaduff, Fenagh, Drumshanbo, or Manorhamilton.

 

David Mahon
OCP Liathroid Láimhe Liatroma
https://www.facebook.com/LeitrimHandball

Annaduff’s Maxim Gilmartin shines in the Shannonside Handball League Finals.

The inaugural Shannonside Winter Handball League drew to an exciting conclusion on Sunday afternoon last with the grand finals up for decision in Fenagh alley. This new event on the local handball calendar saw 32 up and coming handballers from Leitrim and surrounding clubs compete for silverware in 2 divisions. Sunday last was the culmination of over 65 exciting league matches played during the Christmas break in Fenagh, Drumshanbo, and the Leitrim GAA Centre of Excellence in Annaduff.

The marquee A division finals lived up to their billing when four top juvenile players displayed amazing skills and astounding rallies, justifying their places in the finals. Annaduff club rivals Peter Cox and Maxim Gilmartin served up an enthralling match in the first semi-final. Despite Maxim winning these games were a lot closer than the score suggested. Meanwhile, the second semi-final saw Fenagh’s Ruairí McKiernan playing Drumshanbo’s Mark MacShera. These two skilful rivals served up some exciting rallies, but Ruairí edged the match to book his place in the final.

Maxim’s greater age and strength came to the fore in the final as he controlled proceedings for most of the match, however Ruairí did give him plenty to think about at stages with some great serve and return play. Maxim took gold this time, but with continued training Ruairí will be a strong contender in years to come.

Collooney’s Lochlan Walsh played Annaduff’s Enda Sharkey in the B league final with Lochlan taking home the gold to Sligo after a very entertaining match. These are two names to watch out for in the future. The B Plate final was an all Annaduff affair with Padraig Mahon and Rhys Glancy vying for the gold medal. Playing to Cumann na mBunscol rules, Padraig took some early scores off Rhys’ serve to push himself into the lead. Rhys came back strong with some brilliant return play down the centre, however Padraig did just enough to hold him off and take gold.

Although winning medals was a nice bonus, the core aim of this league was to give players an opportunity to improve their skillsets and confidence in a competitive environment ahead of their upcoming 4-wall championships. Both beginner and experienced players alike achieved this objective, and it was especially heartening to see so many new players grow in confidence as the league progressed.

A special word of thanks to everyone who helped set up and run the League in Fenagh, Drumshanbo and Annaduff over the last number of weeks. Also thank you to the referees, and to the club committees for arranging food, heat and light in all the venues. Finally, a huge thank you to all the competitors, coaches and parents for making this new league such a big success.

Best of luck to everyone as they go into their respective championship competitions.

Congratulations to all the Shannonside Handball League winners and finalists.

A League:

1st – Maxim Gilmartin (Annaduff)

2nd – Ruairí McKiernan (Fenagh)

3rd – Peter Cox (Annaduff)

Runner Up – Mark MacShera (Drumshanbo)

 

B League:

1st – Lochlan Walsh (Collooney)

2nd – Enda Sharkey (Annaduff)

3rd – Abbie Kane (Fenagh)

Runner Up – Doireann McKiernan (Fenagh)

 

B Plate:

1st – Padraig Mahon (Annaduff)

2nd – Rhys Glancy (Annaduff)

3rd – Joe Canning (Drumshanbo)

David Mahon
13/01/2025