St. Joseph's
Grammar School, Donaghmore
Educating For the Future Since 1922
Sport
St. Joseph’s entry and affiliation with Ulster Schools GAA in 2008 marked the beginning of a remarkable journey. The first taste of senior success came in 2010 when the school clinched the Grade 3 Ulster Colleges Nolan Cup. Despite a narrow loss in the All-Ireland semi-final that year, the appetite for success only grew, strengthening the resolve of the school’s committed coaching team.
Over the past 15/16 years, the coaching team has grown in number, representing one of the greatest successes of St. Joseph’s Grammar School.
The current senior team, building on this foundation, has embarked on the season with enthusiasm and determination. The senior teams rely on the goodwill of two local GAA clubs, Donaghmore GFC and Galbally Pearse’s, using their facilities for the three senior weekly training sessions and games.
A pivotal moment in this journey came in 2019 when St. Joseph’s made the leap from C Colleges to B Colleges in all age groups with the Year 9 Team narrowly defeated in the Corn Colmcille final. The Senior Boys team continued their upward trajectory by entering the Mac Larnon Cup in 2020, reaching the last 16. The next campaign they suffered a narrow defeat in 2022 to eventual champions Patrician Carrickmacross in the semi-final.
The pinnacle of the Senior Teams success was in 2023, with the Senior Team winning the Mac Larnon Cup in the Dub Arena Belfast. This hard-earned victory was followed by a triumph in the All-Ireland series, where they defeated Abbey CBS Tipperary in challenging conditions at the Connacht Centre of Excellence in March 2023.
In October 2023, the Senior Mens team won the University of Ulster 7’s competition. In the same Tournament Noah Grimes picked up a personal accolade as player of the tournament. Following the success, this Senior Team have now topped their group in their maiden Mac Rory Cup campaign. The team are now through to the Quarter Final where the best 8 schools in Ulster will compete for the prestigious Danske Bank Mac Rory Cup.
Ulster Schools GAA
“As a parent and a former governor I have watched sport go from strength to strength in St Joseph’s. The school is a force to be reckoned with on the pitch. I have seen first-hand that St Joseph’s now produces some of the best and up-coming talent in Tyrone GAA. You just had to look at the make-up of the Tyrone Minor finalist panel in the summer to see the calibre of sport in the school”.
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Feargal Logan, Tyrone Joint Senior Football Manager
Sport is an integral part of life in St Joseph’s and it is constantly evolving. We are justifiably proud of the progress our many teams have made working their way up through the various grades, for example in Ulster Colleges football. We have a rich tradition of sporting success in St Joseph’s and in recent years this has gone from strength to strength. Over the last years the school has seen some significant achievements on the sporting front. Principal, Mrs Geraldine Donnelly, speaking alongside Feargal Logan, joint-manager of the Tyrone Senior team, referred to St Joseph’s as a “incubator for Tyrone GAA talent”.
Our new state of the art sports building is augmented by access to the local GFC pitches and our pupils are able to benefit from specialist GAA coaching in their after school training sessions. We understand that sport is to be enjoyed by all, not just in the competitive sense, but also because of the health and well-being benefits it brings. We encourage our pupils to find the sport they love, be that swimming, cross country, netball, handball, basketball or gymnastics. Ultimately we aim to ensure our pupils enjoy a healthy mind in a healthy body.
Sports competitions that are our students are entered for include:
Boys Gaelic football
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Senior Maclarnon Cup
Years 11 / 12 Rafferty Cup
Years 10 / 11 Treanor Cup
Years 9 / 10 Loch an Nuir cup
Years 8 / 9 Corn Colmcille
Year 8 Oisin McGrath Shield
Hurling
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Year 10 Tyrone Schools Development League Refill cup years 9 / 10
Years 8 / 9 Mallon cup
Camogie
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Ulster Schools Post Primary Senior League
Ulster Schools Post Primary Under 14 League
Ladies Gaelic football
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Senior Ladies Ulster Schools Under 19 League
Ulster Schools Under 16 Schools League
Ulster Schools Under 14 Schools League
Year 8 Ulster Schools Development Blitz
Athletics
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District Schools Athletics Championships
Ulster School MS Athletics Championships
Cross country
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District Schools Championships
Ulster Schools Cross Country Championships
Netball
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Year 8 Area Netball Blitz
Year 9 Area Netball Blitz
Basketball
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Year 8 Ulster Schools Blitz
Swimming
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Ulster Grammar Schools Championships
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