ATU Sligo GAA Club continues to flourish

It was another successful year for the ATU Sligo GAA Club. Whilst there were several cases of what could have been, there were also lots of positives to build on. The Men's Junior footballers were crowned Connacht

GAA champions following a dramatic 4-3 penalty shootout victory over ATU Galway at the Connacht Centre of Excellence. The Men's Freshers football team made it to the quarter finals of the A Championship, having successfully navigated a group containing ATU Galway, ATU Donegal and the University of Galway. It was heartbreak for the Ladies footballers, who narrowly missed out on winning the Moynihan Cup, losing to DKIT by a single point in the final on a scoreline of 2-06 to 0-11.

The ATU Sligo Camogie team competed in the inaugural Ashling Murphy Cup Final at the Electric Ireland Championships weekend. A very tight game with two super defences meant it was a low-scoring thriller, with UU Magee emerging victorious by 2-4 to 0-7. Finally, the Men's Hurling team also progressed to the Electric Ireland Finals weekend. It was another case of fine margins as they exited at the semi-final stages of the Fergal Maher Cup following a one-point defeat.

ATU Donegal PhD student and Sports Scholar

Matthew McCole has built an impressive collection of wins as an elite athlete in boxing, competing at both an international and national level. Most recently, in April, Matthew won Gold at the Irish Athletic Boxing Third Level Association Championships at the National Stadium High Performance Gym. Matthew powered to victory over Darragh Gilroy (University of Galway) in the Senior Male 71kg category making this his fourth time to win a gold medal in this competition.

Matthew is no stranger to representing ATU Donegal, Matthew represented ATU Donegal and Ireland when he competed in the 2022 FISU University World Cup Combat Sports in Turkey. In this hotly anticipated competition, Matthew defeated Hungary’s Soma Mester in the quarterfinal. This would have guaranteed him a place in the semi-final, but a clash of heads forced his withdrawal from the semi-final and Matthew took home a bronze medal for the Irish team.

ATU Students Receive Connacht GAA Bursary Awards

Nine ATU students were awarded bursaries by the Connacht GAA in their annual student bursary awards for 2023. A record number of 62 promising young Connacht GAA players and administrators were presented with their awards at a ceremony that took place in the Connacht GAA Centre of Excellence on Friday, March 3rd. All five Connacht counties were represented in the initiative, which provides financial assistance to students who have displayed potential and commitment on the Gaelic games front. The ATU recipients were Alan McGlynn (Galway), Ciaran Reynolds (Leitrim), Con Doyle (Leitrim), Conor Hackett (Leitrim), Darren Shaughnessy (Galway), Eilis Keane (Mayo), Gary Fox (Galway), Nall Treacy (Mayo) and Rhys Henry (Sligo).

ATU Sligo Sports Scholar Lucas Thornton has delivered some excellent performances over the past few months, resulting in two national titles. The BSc (Hons) in Health Science and Physical Activity student won gold in Kumite at the 2023 Karate Intervarsities. He was also crowned National Men’s Champion in Kumite at the Karate Ireland National Championships in November 2022.

ATU Connemara Come Close to the Championship

ATU Connemara’s footballers started their championship campaign with a convincing win over TUD. 3:22 to 1:12, the final score at the Connacht Centre of Excellence. This good form continued in to the second round of the tournament with a 2:14 to 1:12 win over Monaghan Institute.

ATU Connemara were through to the All-Ireland final against The Law School (Dublin). Poor weather and pitch conditions resulted in a hardfought but low scoring game. In the end, a single point decided the match in The Law School’s favour, but the team has a lot to be proud of and has set a high standard for next season.

Swimming Success for ATU Sligo Pair

Ahistoric season saw the ATU Connemara hurlers lift the Fergal Maher Cup for the first time. The group stage saw ATU Connemara, ATU Donegal and ATU Sligo battle it out. Finishing in second place meant they had to take on Marino Institute in a Quarter Final. In a close encounter ATU Connemara triumphed 1-14 to 0-12. A comfortable win against St Mary’s University college in the semi-final secured a chance at the cup. A standout performance in the final against RCSI earned a 5-17 to 1-10 victory and the cup.

Connacht success but All Ireland heartbreak for ATU Sligo students

ATU Sligo GAA players Ross Doherty, Dylan Walsh, Daire O’Boyle, Ross Chambers, Zaac Mahon and Ronan Kelly were on the wrong side of the result in the 2023 AllIreland U20 Football Final. Sligo faced Kildare in the final, but it was the Lilywhites who came out on top on a scoreline of 1-17 to 0-12. It was a memorable season for the Yeats County, nonetheless. They won the Connacht U20 Football title for the second season in a row following victories over Galway, Mayo and Roscommon before defeating Kerry in the All-Ireland semifinal.

Catherine Set for Brazil

Catherine Grier, a Ramelton native who is currently studying BSc (Hons) in Agriculture is set for Sao Paulo in Brazil.

The accomplishments of

Catherine are extremely remarkable in her sporting career. Catherine is a valued member of ATU Donegal’s ladies’ soccer team and is a member of the Irish Deaf Women’s Football Squad.

Catherine represented Ireland in the World Deaf finals in Montesilvano, Italy where she won Player of the Match in the game against Germany.

St. Angela’s student captains Sligo to Connacht Rugby title

Anthony Maher and Dara Ronan achieved success for ATU at the Varsities 2023 swim gala. Anthony won silver in both the 50m and 100m Backstroke, whilst Dara won silver in the 100m individual medley. Anthony and Dara then competed at the Premier Meet 2023 in Sheffield before returning to Ireland for the Swim Ireland Irish Open Championships 2023 at the Sport Ireland National Aquatic Centre in Dublin.

ATU Sligo Sports Scholar Anthony also won three gold medals, two silvers and a bronze at the Connacht Swimming Championships earlier this year.

Catherine sustained many injuries throughout the tournament but was still determined to play. Her determination led her to 6 goals in the tournament and obtained 6 caps. To date Catherine has 19 caps and 13 goals for her country. The Irish Deaf Women’s Futsal team finished 5th overall in the tournament qualifying for the world cup. Catherine will be traveling with the Irish Deaf Futsal team to Sao Paulo in Brazil in November 2023 to represent Ireland.

Orla Evans, from Middleton in Co. Cork, captained Sligo Rugby Club to their recent Connacht Women’s Plate Final victory. Sligo faced Tuam/Oughterard in the final at The Sportsground in Galway and emerged victorious on a scoreline of 24-12. Orla studies the BEd (Hons) in Home Economics and Religious Education in St. Angela’s College.