As Leitrim supporters and competitors headed for Killarney on Saturday last their hopes of winning All Ireland Scór titles were never higher. With no less than five clubs from Leitrim taking part, something that no other county had on the day, it was reasonable to expect at least one or two titles would come our way. However, when you get to an All Ireland Final, you are meeting the cream of Leinster, Munster and Ulster and sometimes the winners from those provinces have travelled a harder route than Leitrim folk have done.

When the night’s performances on stage had come to a close, there was a general agreement among Leitrim supporters that we would be lucky to win in any of the five and so it turned out to be. However, there are times when one is cautiously optimistic and sometimes it turns out right.

[b]Rince Foirne, Amhranaíocht[/b]

In Rince Foirne, Glencar/Manorhamilton were competing against the winners from the previous two years: St Edna’s, Tyrone and Spa from Kerry. The Kerry champions won again. In Amhránaíocht Aonair Sinéad Egan from Aughnasheelin was probably closest to winning. It was the general consensus that it was between Sinéad and the girl from Dublin’s Erin’s Hopes but it went to the Capital.

Dublin clubs are seldom seen at this level in Scór but Erin’s Hopes have come big into it in the past couple of years and they became only the seventh club ever to win two Senior Scór titles on the same night when the added the Ceol Uirlise to the Amhránaíocht Aonair. Dromahair performed well but this was a competition with an exceptionally high standard.

[b]Question Time and Novelty Act[/b]

In Tráth na gCeist Bornacoola were faced with three clubs who had all won All Ireland’s before in this event. Rathmore from Kerry were the winners again. Of the five events in which Leitrim were represented the highest hopes rested with Fenagh St Caillin’s in Nuachleas. They were an experienced group and their act brought the house down on all occasions before Killarney. For some reason it never took off on Saturday and indeed neither did any of the other acts to the extent one would have expected. Overall the Novelty acts this year did not produce any great entertainment in an otherwise good programme. The winners were the very talented group from Lisnaskea, Co Fermanagh.

[b]A Wonderful Occasion[/b]

Failure to win All Irelands did not take away form what was a wonderful occasion and the Kerry venue leads itself to a great night’s enjoyment, which extends far beyond the stage performance. The music and song extended into the small hours of the morning as all the competitors, win or lose, mingled and entertained their supporters with ceol agus craic in a manner that would not happen at any other more central venue. As the crowds from the four corners of Ireland assembled on Sunday morning before going home any disappointments were quickly forgotten as the wonderful occasion of Scór All Ireland was talked about and the thoughts of next year were already being hatched.

30-Apr-07 by S O S

Saturday will be a big day for the Leitrim Scór fraternity with five clubs heading for the All Ireland Finals in Killarney. This is the highest representation Leitrim has had in a Senior All Ireland Scór Finals since 1984.

All five clubs are no strangers to Scór All Irelands and in fact all five have been involved in those same events over the past few years. Fenagh in Nuachleas and Glencar/Manorhamilton in Rince Foirne have been successful already at the highest level but Dromahair in Ceol Uirlise, Bornacoola in Tráth na gCeist and Sinead Egan from Aughnasheelin in Amhránaíocht have been in the finals before but didn’t succeed at that level.

It will be a great occasion for Leitrim folk with big numbers traveling and it will be a surprise if Leitrim do not come back with more All Irelands to their credit.

23-Apr-07 by S O S