The Convent Connection
John Enright
At the same time as the blitz began, back in 1970, the then Principal of St. Joseph's Secondary School, Sr. Ephrem, introduced basketball to the school curriculum under the guidance of Donal O'Connor. It was a brave and far sighted step as schools' sports for girls was in its infancy. This emphasis on games, basketball being by far the most popular, has been continued by subsequent Principals, Sr. Clement and Sr. Mary.
The school does not measure its success in silverware, but by placing an emphasis on hard work and honesty, on the court and in practise. We believe that if our players take these basic traits from our games and apply them to their lives, we will have been successful. It also instils in our students, the essential truth, that success is only achieved through hard work.
No student is denied a place on the team if they are willing to work at their game in training. The slogan "No train, no game" applies to everyone from Irish internationals down to our second string cadet team. At present, the school has one senior team, two cadet teams (U-16) and two junior teams (U-14).
With an average enrolment of 350 pupils, the school must rank as one of the most successful in the country. Four "A" Grade All-Ireland titles have found their way to the shool, in 1973,1975,1977 and 1994. The school is a regular contributor of players to the Kerry Schools' teams. This year alone, the school provided four players to the victorious Kerry U-15 Inter-Regional team. Ten players from the school have played for Ireland. They are Maria O'Connor, Julieann Broderick, Sheila Hickey, Eileen Lyons, Joanne Walmsley, Maeve Galwey, Maura Brosnan, Cathy O'Grady, Maura Moloney, and most recently Denise Walsh.
The highlight of the school's basketball story must be the trip to Pompeii, Italy, to the International Youth Games. Donal O'Connor took the reigning All- Ireland Senior "A" champions to Italy to represent Ireland in 1977 and for all, it was a trip never to be forgotten.
To conclude, it is fitting that in 1994, the 25th Anniversary of the Blitz, that an All-Ireland title should be won by the school. It was won by the school's Junior team, perhaps a reminder that even though 25 years have passed, another 25 are just beginning.
John Enright
John Enright wrote this article for the 1994 Christmas Blitz Programme.