John King 2023
Boys Volleyball: The schools keep pouring in:
2023/24 sees another list of new schools joining the already big list from last year.
Last year, for the first time 3 full tiers of competition were introduced for boys at Senior and U16(Cadette) ages. This year, with the entries, there was no question but levels A, B and C were required again to cope with the numbers. Of course last year, a brand new school to the Senior Championship, Carrickmacross Patrician High won the Senior A, becoming the first Ulster team ever to win a senior title in the history of school records going back 57 years to 1966/67. (it was 56 years since an Ulster team appeared in a Senior final- Loretto Cavan were in the Senior A girls in 1967/68!)
We welcome, new to Senior this year:
Athlone Coláiste Ciarán (Westmeath (although on the Roscommon border!) ) (last year they became the first Westmeath school to enter boys volleyball since Rochfordbridge in the mid 1990s)
Ardee Community school (Louth there were Louth schools entered at the very start of boys volleyball 1987 and Ardee were active in Louth leagues in the late 1970s with the Bush and Marist Dundalk but there was long gap from the mid 1990s when St. Olivers Drogheda stopped. Drogheda Grammar and St Marys Drogheda entered around 2007-2011)
Douglas Community school (Cork), Portlaoise CBS (Laoise, the fourth Laoise school to enter senior boys down the years after Mountmellick, Mountrath and Portlaoise College),
Galway Educate Together, Deansgrange Clonkeen College (Dublin)
Roscommon Community College are also welcome back after missing last year.
Also we welcome brand new schools to volleyball :
Castlebar Davitt College (Mayo), Rathgar High and Luttrellstown Community College (both Dublin) and Merlin College (Galway) . that’s 11 new schools to Senior Boys this year
At U16 /Cadette
New at U16/Cadette we welcome Deansgrange Clonkeen College (Dublin) Galway Educate Together, Portlaoise CBS (Laoise) that also joined Senior
Castleknock Community College, and Ballymun Trinity Comprehensive (both Dublin) that joined Senior last year
Drogheda Educate Together (Meath), Kilcullen Cross and Passion (Kildare) and Athenry Presentation (Galway -Athenry Presentation girls have participated in girls on and off for over 30 years but not the boys), that joined at Junior last year
Finally brand new to volleyball are Baldoyle Pobalscoil Neasáin (Dublin), Mullingar Community College (Westmeath) and Foxford St. Josephs (Mayo)
that’s also 11 new schools to Cadette Boys this year
in 2017/18 6 years ago (5 skip covid!) there was only 1 Dublin school in senior boys volleyball
this year 2023/24 there are 14, 15 if you include Celbridge in the greater Dublin area
in 2018/19 5 years ago (4 skip covid!) there was only 1 Dublin school in cadette boys volleyball
this year 2023/24 there are 10.
John has been keeping match records of schools volleyball as far back as 1967!!!!! To see if your old matches are listed check out our website
https://www.volleyballireland.com/schools/roll-of-honour/
THANK YOU JOHN
