Honing the talent in Derry city the next step for Cumman na mBunscol

Foyle Arena was a hive of activity on Friday past as local principals from schools in Derry city attended the Cumann na mBunscol Programme & Sponsorship Launch, showing invaluable support to a programme that has exploded into life in recent years.

With participation in gaelic games in Derry now at an all-time high, the next step for Cumman na Bmunscol is honing in on the potential and the performances of all involved, so that better players and coaches can take the undoubted talent in the city to the next level.

From five schools in 2015, to 28 in 2023, the rise of gaelic games at primary school level has been remarkable, and the presence of those principals at Friday’s launch was a statement in itself.

IN PICTURES: Cumman na mBunscol GAA Blitz at the Foyle Arena

Photos: Tom Heaney (nwpresspics)

Established eight years ago, the City Cumann na mBunscol committee was formed at a time when there were minimal numbers of schools involved in gaelic games in the city. Not only that, there were no indoor competitions, no hurling or camogie cumann na mBunscol opportunities and therefore no representation at any all-county events.

That is no longer the case, with Friday’s launch revealing not only the numbers involved, but the explosion of interest locally, with schools now producing boys’ and girls’ teams to compete not just within the city limits, but beyond.

Chris Collins, Head of Games for Derry GAA, acknowledged the importance of having the support of the local primary school principals.

“We started back in 2015 to establish Cumman na mBunscol in Derry City,” he explained. “We had been doing a bit of work in the city at that stage, but I suppose it was in a lot of pods and done in isolation. We have really good teachers who wanted to pull that all together and form the group.

“From there it’s got to the stage where, not only have we good teachers looking to get involved, but the principals see the value in that. They are the decision makers in the school and for us to get in through the doors to expand our programme, to try to get access to as many kids as we can, we need the principals on board and I think that’s why this was so important, so that, not only could they see what we’re doing, but as a way of appreciating them and thanking them for their support.”

It has been a long journey for Cumman na mBunscol to reach this stage, but with schools and GPOs working together for the same goal, the development of gaelic games in the city has never been more evident.

“The reality is that we had a restructure in the city in about 2012, so we’re now 11 years down the road,” Collins continued. “We have had a couple of different draft versions since 2012, so we have changed what we have been doing from that.

“We now have a system in the city which I think is working really well. Essentially, we have GPOs in each of the clubs, the clubs are strategic partners and stakeholders in terms of what it is we are doing at Derry GAA level, so it is very much a partnership, and, with that, the clubs are in partnership with the schools, so it is one ecosystem and it supports each other, and one without the other wouldn’t work, so it’s a very unique programme across the island of Ireland.

“Derry City has been our special project for the last 10 years, and I think that, as the players have started to evolve through our county squads, some areas of the county are maybe seeing the benefits of being involved with Derry City, which wouldn’t have been the case 10 years ago when we started out.

Former primary school pupils who graduated from the Cumann na mBunscol programme pictured with Gaelic Promotion officers and principals of local schools and representatives from MFC.

“It has been a real good news story in terms of what’s happening in Derry City. We have more to go, there are definitely room for improvements, and increasing participation has been the start of that, now looking how we can really help the lads to improve performances and to get more of the Donncha Gilmours and Cahir McMonagles and these fells that are in the county squad, through, from a football, hurling, ladies’ football and a camogie point of view.”

With so much potential within Derry city itself, the next step is shaping that talent, so that success is not just seen at club level, but county level. With over 70 percent of the children under 16 in the whole county living within the city limits, the potential for Cumman na mBunscol to tap into is truly incredible, and that is key in Collins’ development strategy heading into the future.

“There are 40 clubs within the county. At the minute, we pick our county squads from a small selection of clubs and we need to expand from that,” Collins elaborated. “For Derry success at county level, whether that’s at minor, or Derry U20s or Derry seniors, we need players coming from Derry city, that’s evident.

“We have had a drip feed of players coming from the city, which has been brilliant; Oran Campbell was involved in the minor squad this year, Donncha’s an All-Ireland minor winner, Cahir was called into the senior squad this year and Diarmuid Baker is in the senior squad as well. We have had relative successive in terms of the calibre of player that we’re bringing through.

“For me, I would love to see four or five players from the city clubs on our county minor panel over the next two or three years. I think that’s achievable. That’ll not be done without supporting the work that goes on at secondary school level and really trying to help those lads just improve performance.

“One of the principals, Paul Bradley, spoke about the benefits of participation, of getting out and being active, and the whole benefits around mental health. All of that is a given, and that’s great, and we have more people participating now than we have ever had before.

"Participation is now, we reckon, at an all-time high. The next stage is really honing in on performance; how do we generate better coaches, how to we generate better players, how do we support the good work the clubs are doing.”

Positive signs

Signs are positive, not just in the statistics, but in the impact that GAA is having at youth level locally. The success of Steelstown’s men’s team and ladies’ team, plus the improvement in facilities in the city, plus the growing popularity of hurling and camogie, makes it an optimum time for the sport in the county. The recent launch of St Columb’s strategic plan for the development of gaelic games and the future of gaelic in the city and the county, as a whole, is also very encouraging.

“It’s only last year that Steelstown have won an All-Ireland Intermediate title, which was huge for the city and they have retained their status in Division one of senior football,” Collins continued. “It’s really important for the city that the best players are coming to Steelstown, and people can see that from a Derry league and Derry Championship point of view. That all helps, but we really need to focus on, let’s get better players through into our county squads from this area, because this is where the population is.

Group of school children, principals and Gaelic Promotion Officers at the Cumann na mBunscol GAA football blitz held in the Foyle Arena. (Photos - Tom Heaney, nwpresspics)

“That’s not belittling some of the smaller clubs like my own, because it’s really important that we try and support smaller rural clubs, and that’s a different debate, but we have chimney pots here.

"I think Paul (Simpson) addressed it when he said that Derry’s All-Ireland run this year got into the hearts and minds of some of the kids. I seen it when I was in Croke Park and when I was down in Cork, the people I met where people from Derry city, people from Ardmore, people from Doire Trasna, Steelstown, all of the clubs.

"So, there is a massive interest in Derry in this city, and it’s really important that we, as a governing body, capitalise on that as best we can, and through the good work that the GPOS are doing at their clubs, I think we are getting there. We have work to do, but we are going in the right direction.”