Womens' Galway League Team 1990-1991

Corrib Ladies Galway League Team was a mixture of young students from St. Paul’s and more experienced players:

St Paul ’s Students

Mary Healy; She was the youngest player at 12 years of age. She gained vital experience with the team.

Sarah O’Toole: Sarah was a steady player with a good outside shot. She gained in confidence and experience with the team.

Eimear Kyne: She was a strong defender and re-bounder.

Eliosha Lydon: She was an aggressive defensive player with great basketball and athletic potential.

Alma Joyce: She was a tall aggressive re-bounder. She was a skilful player who showed great promise.

Sinéad Kyne: She had played for the three previous seasons with Corrib. Her commitment to the game during the season and off season was notable. She was on the Connacht U17 team – a valuable player to the team.

Experienced Players

Fiona Lusby: It was her first year with Corrib. She was also a member of the National squad. She previously played with Gort and Keltic. She was a first year science student at U.C.G.

Eileen Walsh: Graduate R.T.C. Sligo. She played with Corrib on their visit to Plougat, France. She was a good defensive player, with an excellent shot.

Mary Fleming: Teacher at the Jess Galway. She played with Corrib’s National League Team. She was an experienced player and her re-bounding skill proved essential to the team.

Eileen Kennelly: P.E. teacher at Holy Rosary, College, Mountbellew. She was a strong aggressive re-bounder and a fine team player. She played on the National League team as well.

Mary Angela Mc Grath: Clerk/typist at Clifden, Garda Station. Mary Angela was captain of the team for three years. She was a strong re-bounder and had great driving abilities.

Catherine Cummins: Catherine was a strong experienced player with an excellent outside shot and a terrific passer of the ball. She played National League with Athlone B.C. She had just moved to Galway and 1990/1991 was her first year with Corrib.

Katie Delaney Returns to USA

A report by Phil Ricciuti, a staff writer with the local press in Marlboro interviewed Katie on her return after playing with Corrib.

National League rules allow each team to import one player and Delaney was chosen by Corrib to be that player. As a reward for her contributions, the team paid her expenses to and from Ireland, provided her with room and boarding at The Corrib Hotel, and paid her a weekly stipend for her efforts. This was Katie’s view of her time spent in Oughterard:

“Corrib is not typical of most teams in the National League. It’s a small village of about 2,000 people outside of Galway City. Most of the teams were from the major cities such as Dublin and Cork. There were only three teams from the country.

We had no height at all compared to other teams. I was impressed with the quality of the womens game. The standard of the basketball is fairly good. One difference was that it wasn’t as intense.

They take a laid back approach. At Stonehill College we practised every day and played two or three games a week, but in Ireland we only practiced twice a week and played on weekends as most of the team were away in college.

One plus in the Irish system was it gives women a chance to continue playing basketball after college. Here in the United States there isn’t much opportunity to continue playing, but in Ireland you can continue to play until you drop if you want.

Playing basketball was of course only one part of the experience of spending a year in the Emerald Isle. The highlight of the year for me was living with the Irish people. The best part of the whole experience I can truly say was the people. They were so friendly and hospitable. They made me feel welcome right from the first day. They accepted me into the community and took me in as one of their own. They were just fantastic. I formed a lot of special friendships.”

After the season concluded Katie visited her brother who was playing football in Italy. That summer three players Trish Corbett, Ann Marie O Sullivan and Ann Marie Kyne spent three months in the USA with Katie and her parents. I am told they knocked out a great time!!

1990 International Selection

Mary Kyne was selected to represent DCU in the Irish World Students Games, held in Sheffield in England. There were 6,000 athletes and 2,000 officials staying in Hyde Park Student Village for the duration of the games. The event featured 11sports at a cost of £147 million.

The Irish Basketball team played 9games over a period of 10 days which proved an exhausting schedule. Teams from America, Korea, Britain, Sweden, Germany, Japan and North Korea proved too much for the Irish students.

Inter-Regional Teams 1991-1992

Sinéad Kyne was selected on the U 17 Inter-regional team while her sister Eimear was selected on the U15 team. The under 15 reached the final unbeaten but were beaten by the Dublin team by 1 point in the final.

Changes at Corrib 1991-1992

The National League Team was disbanded as most of the girls had now graduated from college and were working in Dublin. Due to pressure of work they were unable to travel home every Friday as they had been doing for the previous five years for training. Ursula Kyne and Trish Corbett joined Athlone under coach Ann Marie O Sullivan. Ursula continued to enjoy success with the Basketball team at the University of Limerick winning three consecutive top 4 Championship titles with the team.

Mary and Ann Marie Kyne joined Naomh Mhuire under coach Pat Mc Kenna. Fiona Lusby and Josephine Burke joined Keltic under coach Joe Naughton.

Galway Sports Award 1991

Ann Marie Kyne achieved this award. It was her second award for her outstanding contribution to Basketball: playing for her home club Corrib up to the demise of the National League team 1991, as captain of the Inter-Varsities team in UL, her success with Naomh Mhuire Dublin and her contribution to the Irish International team. Alderman Dr Michael Leahy presented the award at the Sport Star’s Banquet in the Sacre Coeur Hotel, Salthill. Ann Marie had gained 11 caps for Ireland by the time she had reached the U19 selection but by the time her International days had ended she had 45 caps.

Success with other teams

Playing with Naomh Mhuire, Inchacore, Mary, Ann Marie and finally Ursula Kyne won League medals in 1992 and Cup titles 1994, 1995 and 1997.

Ann Marie scored 18pts with the Irish team against Austria in Gibraltar 1991 Ireland 80 Austria 72.

17 pts against Wales in Belfield. Ireland 100 Wales 59. Unfortunately on this occasion the team lost to a stronger and more experienced Turkish team who had 5 professionals on their team in the Promotions Cup Final 96-65.

Inter-regional – Connacht: Colleges Team 1992-1993

Mary Healy and Emer Boyce were selected on the U15 team and Eimear Kyne on the U17 team to play in the Inter Provincials in Cork.

June 1993

Ann Marie Kyne scored 23 pts against Holland at an International Tournament in England. Winners of the Tournament: England.

She also toured Scotland in Spring in the 4 Countries Tournament, was selected on the Irish Senior Women’s team for their tour of the USA.

Ursula Kyne won the MVP Inter-Varsities in Coleraine. Mary Kyne coached DCU (Dublin City University) to two finals winning the Top Fours in DCU’s new gym from a fancied Limerick side and then lost to the same Limerick side of which her sister Ursula was captain in Coleraine.

Corrib Men’s Team1992-1993

Corrib Men’s Team joined top of Division 2 with Galway team ICE Claddagh. Under coach Sonny Healy they had a great victory over Bards. The Corrib side used the fast break to great effect. Jim Green, Francis Kyne and Bosco O Holleran were to the fore in the first half and they established a first half 21points to 20 advantage.

The Corrib coach adopted a full court press on the resumption of play and this served to upset Bard’s rhythm and yielded fine scores from well known footballers Alan O Connor and Tommy Finnerty.

In the final quarter the Oughterard side drove at their opponents defence and yielded points from the free throw line from Harry Walsh and Alan O Connor.This victory made up for previous defeats against Division 1 selections, Democrats A, Maree A.

Scores: Francis Kyne 13, Harry Walsh 9, Tommy Finnerty 8, Jim Green 6, Alan O Connor 5, Bosco O Holleran, Bobby Tierney, Enda O Connor, Finbar O Holleran

Second Half of the Season:

In Corrib’s last home game of the season they again defeated CR Bard on a score line of 65- 59. Francis Kyne was again prominent with 23 points, Harry Walsh 15pts, Bosco O Holleran 5pts, Frankie O Holleran 2pts. Corrib met Maree A in the Cup Final.

Corrib Ladies Reign Supreme 1992-1993

The team won the Galway league Division 1 and the Galway Board Cup Losing only one match in seven months to Galway’s Keltic Club – Corrib faced these long-time rivals in the play-off for the League title.

Both sides were evenly matched and it was point for point in the first half with both sides tied on 25points at the interval.

However, accurate shooting from Sinéad and Eimear Kyne proved Corrib’s supremacy, and the match concluded with Ursula Kyne’s excellently taken free shots to seal victory for the second successive year.

Galway Board Cup

The Galway Board Cup Final saw Maree take on the favourites Corrib who won comfortably 65-47. Katherine Cummin’s powerful passes led to Corrib’s success and the game also saw the return of Shirley Angland.

Team: Mary Angela Mc Grath, Katherine Cummins, Ita Green, Eliosha Lydon, Alma Joyce, Shirley Angland, Eimear Kyne and Sinéad Kyne.