Historic Day for Carrigtwohill as CCC Crowned Munster Champions

Munster Large Schools Final – 24th February

 

Carrigtwohill Community College 2–1 St Aloysius College

Venue: St Colman’s Park, Cobh

 

A truly monumental day for East Cork and, in particular, for Carrigtwohill, as two schools from the same village contested a Munster Large Schools Final in front of a tremendous crowd in St Colman’s Park, Cobh. 

 

The atmosphere created by the huge turnout of students, families, and friends from both schools was electric and added to what was a superb, high-quality final.

The opening half was a tense and fiercely competitive affair, with nothing separating the sides. Both defences were outstanding, working tirelessly to shut down attacks, while both goalkeepers dealt confidently with the limited chances that came their way. A few dangerous corners and some long-range efforts were the only real threats, and it was no surprise that the sides went in level at 0–0 at half-time, with neither deserving to trail.

 

The second half followed a similar pattern early on, but the attacking quality soon began to shine. For St Aloysius, Anna Madden and Rose O’Shaughnessy started to influence proceedings, while Lily O’Connell and Molly Dennis looked increasingly dangerous for CCC.

The deadlock was finally broken by a moment of pure brilliance from Molly Dennis. Picking up the ball on the left, she surged forward, beat three defenders, cut inside, and unleashed a fierce shot that proved too powerful for the St Aloysius keeper to handle. A sensational solo goal that put CCC 1–0 ahead.

 

Soon after, Dennis struck again. Following excellent work by Lily O’Connell, the ball worked its way through the defence, allowing the onrushing Dennis to reach it just ahead of the advancing goalkeeper and calmly poke home for 2–0.

 

St Aloysius responded superbly, pushing hard in search of a way back into the contest. With 13 minutes remaining, sustained pressure paid off when a stunning strike from the left wing flew into the top corner of the net, setting up a nervy and dramatic finale.

 

The final minutes were played on a knife-edge, but CCC showed immense composure, resilience, and teamwork to see out the game and secure a famous Munster title.

 

Beyond the result, this final represented something truly special for Carrigtwohill. To have two schools from the same village contesting a Munster final is an incredible achievement and a testament to the strength of girls’ football in the area.

Even more remarkable is the connection to Carrigtwohill United AFC. A huge number of players on both sides are either current or former Carrigtwohill Utd players, highlighting the outstanding work being done at grassroots level.

 

Four former Carrigtwohill players now featuring in the League of Ireland were involved: Alex O’Flynn, Sophia Redmond, Maedbh Carroll, and Lily O’Connell, representing both Cobh Ramblers and Cork City.

 

An incredible 16 current Carrigtwohill United players featured across both squads: Eliza Nsengiyumva, Isabelle Kingston, Lola Murray, Anna Madden, Olivia O’Sullivan, Sarah Cronin, Rachel Barrett, Amelia Sheehan, Sarah Kelleher, Emily Bernard, Erica Dorney, Molly Dennis, Kayla Kidney-Swart, Niamh Seymour, Kinga Prajsnar, Meagan Walker and Kara Fitzgerald.

 

Alongside players from surrounding towns and villages, the teams were predominantly made up of Carrigtwohill girls — a source of immense pride for the entire community.

This was more than just a final. It was a celebration of local talent, community spirit, and the bright future of girls’ football in East Cork. A historic day that will be remembered for a very long time.

 

Well done to both schools, both teams, and everyone involved. Carrig abú! 💙💛