1985-1986 Basketball Fever Spreading Rapidly

Basketball was gripping the Oughterard/ Killannin area such was the amount of games being played by the local ladies and men’s teams. In those years the game had gained tremendous popularity and interest in the area and success had come at provincial and national levels. By this time as well as playing school games the ladies and men were involved in the Galway League. Great credit was due to the dedication of the coaches, Kevin Blehein, Mary Dolan Clancy, Mary Conlon Nihill, Ita Walsh and coach Mary Kyne (Junior)

1986 U 19 Basketball Cup Finals

Boy’s Team: Shaun Higgins, Patrick Faherty, Kevin Walsh, Kevin O Malley, John Rocke, Gerry Conneely, Colm O’Malley, Tony O’Connor, Daniel Walsh, Bosco Walsh, John Kelly, Michael Feeney, Bernard Molloy, Coach: Mary Conlon Nihill, Team Manager: John Fahy.

Girl’s Team: Ursula Kyne, Shirley Angland, Sinead O Holloran, Melanie Cotter, Ciara Joyce, Mary Kyne, Ann Marie Kyne, Jacinta O’ Holloran, Aileen Faherty, Mary Gallagaher. Coach: Kevin Blehein.

Difficult Decision

Schoolgirls’ basketball from Oughterard had left the sport’s organisers in the West with a major headache. For St. Paul’s Secondary School and Corrib Basketball Club were engaged in important finals – 130 miles apart – and neither game could be postponed.

Dual loyalty players comprised the backbone of each team and they were left with a difficult decision. The girls eventually decided to travel to Cork for the under 19 National Cup.  Despite their decision to opt for the National Cup the squad still progressed to the All Ireland quarter-final as runners-up.

Players were drafted into the teams from Holy Rosary College, Mountbellew to strengthen the squads. Both teams played in the semi-finals in the Neptune Stadium, Cork . This was the first time as far as we know that any club was successful in getting two teams through to underage finals. The club was also making a record by the fact that they were from a non National League Club and with no sponsor. The club relied on the good will of the community, school, parents and the odd church gate collection.

The teams travelled by bus to Cork. I looked after the girl’s team. We all crammed into my friend’s Clare Porter’s 3bedroom apartment in Cork – the girls rolled out their sleeping bags and slept on the floor. We carried the food for the weekend in 2 large cardboard boxes and I remember ordering taxis to take us to the gym.

In both games Corrib were drawn against the teams which were widely regarded as favourites to lift the titles.

Boy’s Games

On the way to the semi-finals the boys defeated St. Vincent’s, Dublin 43-36. The boys were drawn against the clear favourites Neptune. The Corrib lads nonetheless took the game to the Cork team and led for long periods. The combination of Kevin O’Malley’s (Mountbellew) ability and strong inside play of team captain Patrick Faherty proved very difficult for Neptune.

Kevin Wash was an inspiration to the Corrib team and was arguable the most complete player on the court. The determination of the Corrib lads saw them trail by one point at half time and they restarted the second half with some excellent baskets from Bosco Walsh, who had the unenviable task  of marking 6’ 10” Irish International, Don Sullivan.

Neptune’s strength in depth however became apparent in the last quarter of the game and the final whistle saw Neptune win by three baskets.   

Girl’s Games

The girl’s team defeated Beaumont, Dublin, who were the leaders of the Dublin Ladies League at the time, by 7 points in the semi-final to win their rightful place in the ladies U19. They faced Killester in the semi-final in their bid for the cup. The team’s task facing Killester was formidable as Killester had cracked Blarney’s challenge when controlling the scoring power of Caroline Forde and were determined to take the title in Cork. Central to Corrib’s plan were the experience of school’s internationals Mary and Ann Marie Kyne and Jacinta O’Holloran.

Corrib’s Brave Show against Ireland’s Elite

Despite some fine displays against Killester the Oughterard girls were too young and lacked the strength and experience of the Dublin team. Corrib impressed with some fine scoring from Mary and Ann Marie Kyne and Jacinta O’ Holloran and some good defensive work from Sandra O’Connor and Ciara Joyce.

International Players 1986

Kevin Walsh, Kevin O’Reilly and Tony O’Connor were chosen on the Irish U17 Boy’s team after the victory of the Connacht region in the Inter-regional Competition under coach Mary Conlon Nihill.

Mary Kyne gained selection on the Irish U 19 team while Ann Marie Kyne was chosen on the U17 Irish team. The girls trained in Dublin and Waterford with their respective teams.

Corrib Teams Represent Connacht at National Finals

The Corrib Club U19 girls and boys teams were asked to represent their region at the National Competitions. The boys were drawn at home against Sligo All Stars while the girls had a long trip as they were drawn against old rivals Beaumont Dublin.  

St. Paul’s show their power in one sided final

St. Paul ’s defeated an over fancied St. Mary’s College side before a large crowd at Headford. St Paul’s had a starting five which boasted 4Irish Internationals. The city school started well with Democrats National League player Kevin Walsh in fine shooting form, but it soon became apparent that St. Paul’s scoring machine of Kevin Walsh (Kilannnin) and Kevin O’Reilly would be unstoppable.

O’Reilly, who had just been selected on the Irish U17 team, had a total of 31points and left nobody in any doubt as to his international rating.

St. Paul ’s point guard Tony O’Connor was also on form, with some excellent passing and this combined with a very consistent performance from team captain, Patrick Faherty, and some fine shooting by Michael Feeney left St. Mary’s squad with a 36 point deficit at half time. The final score was St. Paul’s 92, St. Mary’s 47. Both teams then went forward representing Connacht at the All Ireland Schools’ Final in Dublin. St Paul’s were fancied to lift the title.

Oughterard School Captures All-Ireland Basketball Championship in fine style – February 1986

St Paul ’s School became All Ireland Senior A Schools Basketball champions when they beat the previous year’s winner Coláiste Caoimhin from Dublin in a thrilling final.

The top eight senior schoolboy teams in the country gathered in the Claddagh Hall, Galway to do battle for the much coveted All-Ireland title.

St. Paul ’s v St. Pat’s Armagh in the Semi-final

St. Paul ’s although regarded as strong contenders for the title had some very strong opposition to contend with. North Mon(Cork) arrived we a squad which included six international players and expected to do well.

St Paul’s were drawn to meet Ulster Champions, St. Pat’s Armagh in the semi-final. The Ulster team had just returned from a trip from America and they started the game well. St. Paul’s found themselves behind by a point at half time. However, it was a different story in the second period and through their determination and skill they built up an 11point lead by the final whistle.

Final: St Paul’s v  Coláiste Caoimhin, Dublin

From the very beginning it was apparent that there was not going to be much between the teams at the end. Paul’s started well and some fine defence by Kevin Walsh and Patrick Faherty kept Coláiste’s internationals at bay. Walsh was doing great work to keep the margin narrow and finally saw his team regain their narrow lead.

Both teams for a five minute period exchanged basket for basket with Walsh and O’Reilly punishing the Coláiste’s defence. St. Paul’s team captain was unlucky to foul out on the last quarter of the game.

Walsh, however, assumed the role of captain for the remainder of the game and proved a tremendous inspiration to his team. Foul shooting by Michael Feeney saw St. Paul’s maintain their lead by just a basket. With eight seconds to go, and St Paul’s ahead by 3points Coláiste’s international Darren Mc Guinness had three foul shots to level the game.

However, an astute time out by coach Mary Conlon Nihill put extra pressure on Mc Guinness and he missed his second shot. Paul’s were ahead by a basket on the final whistle.

St .Paul’s squad displayed tremendous control and self confidence throughout the game and all of the players on the team maintained concentration throughout an incredibly tense final. St. Paul’s point guard Tony O’Connor did some fine work in defence aided by Johnny Kelly who replaced Patrick Faherty.

Kevin O’Reilly who was only sixteen competing at this level showed his international rating by scoring 24 points.

The man of the match was undoubtedly Kevin Walsh who was a constant driving force to his team mates and scored a remarkable 40 points for his school. Kevin was regarded as the finest player at his age in the country at the time. The All Irelan win marked a tremendous achievement for the school as it became the second galway school to ever win this title. (Tuam CBS won the title in the early 70’s). St Paul’s held the honour of being the only co-educational school to ever win the title.

The win was the result of five years of dedication and hard work by the team and their coach. The winning panel was: P. Faherty, K. Walsh, K. O’Reilly, T. O’Connor. M. Feeney, J. Kelly, F. Thomas, B. Molloy, G. Conneely, T. Mahon, M. Walsh.

Coach: Mary Conlon Nihill.

Ambitious Corrib set for Michigan USA

The girls Basketball team became the envy of the Irish Basketball scene with an invitation to attend Southfield Lathrup, Michigan Training camp and enjoy a three week holiday in 1986.  Southfield Lathrup girls fund raised in the USA for the Oughterard girls to ensure that the girls could travel as team expenses amounted to £6,500. The team met President Patrick Hilary before their departure.

Agenda for the week

The agenda for the three weeks involved 75% Basketball and 25% social activities. The second week was spent at a training camp at Michigan University. While in the states the Corrib girls received great attention from the media and their games and outings to several important locations were widely reported. They won 8 out of 13 games and in 4 of their defeats they failed by less than 3 points. They scored 470 points and conceded 429 points.

Corrib played an exhibition match against the Troy High girls team. The game proved to be a mismatch as Corrib dominated a 48-20 contest.

Coach Kevin Blehein’s views on the trip

“It is a very good experience for these girls to become involved in a camp like this, especially as a team. Too many times camps deal with individual skills and not team skills. It doesn’t do too much good when you’re out there playing the game as a team. This entire trip will be a great achievement for the girls. It isn’t important what the results of the game are, what is important is that the girls enjoy themselves, play hard and improve their skills.”

Press interview with Ann Marie Kyne

“Friendship – Irish Girls team visiting here.”

Tim Smith explained to his readers “Corrib Basketball Club , Oughterard, Ireland, are re-discovering old friendships and learning all about American family life which is  the main thrusts of their sojourn. It didn’t take long for Ann Marie Kyne to get into the swing of things.

On her first day she visited Tel-Twelve Mall with her Southfield roommate, Sheri Breyer, to get a close-up view of the “new wave” look in fashion – those multi-coloured pop-culture surfer shorts called “Jams” that every walking teenager seems to wear. She apparently learned her first American lesson well, purchasing one of the splashy trend-setters. She already owned a “Mickey and Minnie Mouse” T-shirt.

“We’ll be stared at when we go home,” said shy Kyne, who was accompanied on the trip by two sisters, 17 year old Mary and 14 year old Ursula.

The visit is a result of a 1985 trip by the Southfield Lathrup girls basketball team to Ireland.

According to coach Bob Harding, the warm demeanor of Irish folk – who provided room and board last year for the team impressed his team enough to invite the Irish to return this summer.

Kyne and Breyer stayed together at the Kyne home. Most of the other 1985 combinations are intact again this summer. Harding is hosting Corrib coach Kevin Blehein, his wife and two children.

Since the Chargers visited Ireland, Kyne and Breyer stayed I touch by mail.

Seeing the sprawling mall was an early highlight for Kyne, who lives in a fishing town of 500 along the northwest coast of Ireland, 17miles away from the nearest movie theatre.

Another treat was the weather. “The weather’s great, beamed the 16 year old Dire Straits fan. “It’s been two years since we had a real nice summer like this. At home, everyone is wearing jeans and jackets.”

Breyer recalled her 85 visit to Ireland and the much cooler weather. “We had jackets on and they were lying out getting sunburned,” she said.

According to Southfield’s public information officer Ken Siver, the visit was a cultural and athletic exchange with trips to Cedar Point, Greenfield Village, Kelly &Co, and Tiger Stadium. Yes, the girls also play a little basketball against their American friends. They played against Troy High and the Chargers.

According to Breyer’s father Allan Breyer, hosting Kyne “is a terrific opportunity to convey how American families live. “It’s a great chance for them to see us from the inside out.”

When a reporter and a photographer from the ‘Southfield Eccentric’ interviewed the girls, Breyer said, “Ann Marie’s first episode of ‘General Hospital’ was interrupted but she quickly found out about MTV – the cable station that plays non-stop rock music, video clips , frozen coke, Jams and Jell-O.

But what fascinated her most was the number of American families that owned at least two automobiles and that all the Southfield Lathrup girls had them available to drive.

“I’m amazed that all the girls have cars. We have bicycles over there or we get around on foot,” Kyne said. “Most families have only one car and some don’t have any.” According to Breyer, Kyne’s older sister Mary hadn’t encountered gelatine desserts yet, only chilli fries, the coney companion that is growing in popularity.

“Mary said they were disgusting,” said Breyer with a laugh.

She said the slower- paced Oughterard features – “Three petrol stations, one indoor gym and two fairly big grocery shops.”

“Actually, those grocery stores are about the size of American drug stores,” she added.

Though Breyer said activities in Ireland are limited, her visit there was a warm, memorable one.

“The people are a lot friendlier. Everyone knows everyone, and they really made us feel at home. In fact, they held two discos at the Community Centre so that everyone could meet us.”

Kyne added that the Irish team wouldn’t have spent months saving, working bake sales and seeking business donations for trip money if not for their new-found American friends. If we didn’t know them like we did then we wouldn’t have come here.”

“We stayed in their homes, and they fed us and provided for everything, just like going to your friends house,” said coach Harding. “We’ll try to show them what the U.S. is like, just like they showed us what Ireland was like.”

“I’m just glad to be here, this is very special,” said Kyne. “I was waiting a year to get here. And I thought it would never come.”

After the interview, the international teen-age companions set out for some base ball batting cages, Baseball’s a sport Kyne said she’d never seen or played.

Memories of Michigan

“Due to bad weather and long delays our journey took us 24 hours. Tired and weary we arrived at Detroit metro to loud cheers and waves. The Americans knew how to give you a good time. Every morning both teams worked out together from 9a.m. to 11a.m. Due to the fact that all the American girls had their own cars there was no limit on the amount of places we visited.

Go cart racing and crazy golf was a great favourite with everyone, as well as midnight swims. We were invited to a Rotary Club lunch and an optimist’s breakfast. There each one had to stand up and introduce themselves, tell their listeners what they liked and disliked and what they were enjoying most during the trip. We also attended Councils Meetings, where proclamations were presented to us all as well as mugs!

Trip to African Safari Park

The most exciting day by far for everyone was the trip to the African Safari Park and Cedar Point – the huge amusement park on Lake Erie. At the Safari everyone rode and elephant and a camel and enjoyed their lunch with the parrots!! Cedar Point was full of thrills and excitement. We all enjoyed the blue streak, the corkscrew and Gemini (all roller coasters that went upside down). The “Demon Drop” was the most exciting. You went straight up 331 feet, moved forward about 3feet, counted to 3 and you went down free fall to the bottom. We enjoyed taking part in the side shows and all the water rides.

The wave pool was another exciting place. There everyone had rafts and rode on the waves. It was very tiring to keep afloat. We also went to a water amusement park. There they had giant water slides which are unbelievable, scary and great fun. Bumper boats were also fun, run by an engine you would try and splash others by driving into them.

Michigan State University

We attend a team training camp at Michigan State University on the second week. Twenty two teams attended the Camp, they came form Michigan, Ohio, Canada, and not to forget Ireland. During the five days we were there we played eleven games and won six. The campus was huge. They have 7 indoor full size basketball courts, 50 tennis courts, 2 Olympic size swimming pools, a football stadium and an ice hockey ring. While in team camp we met lots of girls whose parents and grandparents had come from Ireland. Surprisingly most came for Mayo and Westmeath.

3rd Week – Holiday Time

During the third week we spent a day in Canada. We crossed over the Ambassador Bridge which connects Canada with Detroit. There we spent the day shopping and we thoroughly enjoyed buying our “Roots” sweatshirts! The following day, we went to see a baseball game. “Detroit Tigers” were playing “Boston Red Soxs”. Unfortunately the Red Sox won.

Next morning we were up bright and early. We were to be in the audience for the very popular TV show ‘Kelly and Company’. The presenters knew we were in the audience and we had to stand up for everyone. One of the group won the audience prize, a 14 carat gold necklace and dinner for two. We were presented with ‘Kelly and Company’ mugs.

The Thursday before returning home we spent the day at the Ford factory near Dearbom just outside Detroit. We saw where they tested the cars under harsh weather conditions and also the 1990 new car model. We had a ride on the test track, which proved to be very exciting.  We saw a computer demonstration and we saw the preparation and some tests that go into making a car safer. It was very evident that the seatbelt was a life saver.

Among those events mentioned above we spent many hours shopping in the big malls and a few afternoons by the swimming pool. Burger King and Mc Donald’s was an attraction at the beginning but you do get fed up with the food as we saw for ourselves.

We also watched several movies and enjoyed many parties. It was a great experience –  a great three weeks and a dream come true for everyone.