Our Lady’s promotes sporting opportunities amongst all of our students. We provide a range of sports for boys and girls including Gaelic football, soccer, basketball, volleyball, handball, badminton, gymnastics and dance. Many of our students have won All Ireland and Provincial medals in boxing, rowing, Irish dancing, soccer and Gaelic and have progressed to play and represent their school and community at higher levels.
OLSS Belmullet fields two girls teams in the Connacht Ladies GAA Secondary Schools competition at U14 and U20 grades. These teams train weekly and have been very successful in recent times. Past-pupils Maria Reilly and Tamara O’Connor are members of the Senior Mayo LGFA squad.
OLSS Belmullet has a juvenile boys team and a 1st/2nd year boys team which both compete in the Connacht Colleges 'D' competitions. Our junior and senior teams both compete in the Connacht Colleges 'C' competitions, where our senior team reached the quarter final this year (2018/2019). Currently, our 6th year student, Lorcán Mason, captains this team. Meanwhile, our junior team reached the semi-final in their competition (2018/2019) and are captained by 4th year student, Mark Tighe.
Our students are achieving greatly at Gaelic football, with school teams and outside of that. Kian Gallagher (6th year) plays with the U20s Mayo Team. Josh Carey (4th Year) and Charlie Ginnelly (4th year) both play with the Mayo U16 team. Last year Josh Carey captained the U15 Mayo Team that won the Adam Mangan final . Rory Conway (5th Year) is currently playing with the Mayo Minor team. We wish them every success as they progress in the sport.
Furthermore, many of our past pupils have gone on to display their talents on a national scale. Past pupils, Chris Barrett and Eoin O' Donoghue are currently on the Mayo Senior panel while Ryan O'Donoghue was the captain of the Mayo U20 team last year. We wish them well as they continue to achieve at the sport.
OLSS Belmullet has first-year, U16 and U19 basketball teams for both boys and girls. These teams train weekly and have been very successful down through the years. In 2018/2019, our first-year boys basketball team reached an All-Ireland Qualifier (Division C) and we are very proud of their achievement.
Athletics is greatly encouraged and supported in OLSS Belmullet. Each year students take part in cross-country competitions and have achieved success in recent years.
Each year students and teachers take part in the West of Ireland Women’s Mini-Marathon which takes place in Castlebar. A group trains and participates together which promotes the sport amongst our female students.
Past pupil, Sinéad Diver, competes internationally in long-distance running events. She recently placed 7th at the London Marathon and has qualified for the 2020 Olympics which is an outstanding achievement.
Girls soccer is offered at U20 and U15 levels in OLSS Belmullet. In 2019 both teams reached the semi-final and will be looking to go one step further this year.
Boys soccer is offered at U15 and U17 levels and our teams have achieved great results in recent years.
Meanwhile, Gary Boylan, a past pupil of OLSS Belmullet, is now playing in the Airtricity League with Cork City FC. Gary made the move to Turners Cross after a successful spell with Sligo Rovers FC, who he joined during his time as a student in Our Lady's. Gary has represented the Republic of Ireland as a home-based player and kindly donated his match jersey to our school.
OLSS Belmullet has recently received equipment to begin rolling out hurling and camogie classes for our students. We look forward to acquiring the skills needed to participate in county, regional and national competitions.
Many of our students play rugby and have reached a very high standard at their sport. Current students, Amy McWilliams (4th year) and Maisie McMaster (5th year) play for Ballina Rugby Football Club. Furthermore, Josh Carey (1st year), Séamas Mason (4th year) and Luke McWilliams (5th year) also play with Ballina RFC. We have developed a strong link with Ballina RFC and have welcomed them to OLSS Belmullet for training on many occasions.
Futsal is a first-year only competition which requires students to develop technical skills and tactics in order to achieve. Each year, OLSS Belmullet enters both a boys and girls team and we have had a lot of success over the years.
Rowing is a sport that is greatly encouraged in OLSS Belmullet. Many of our students row locally and enter competition with their club, Tullaghan Bay Rowing Club. Among these students are Leah Gaughan, Aoibhe Ginnelly, Katelyn Cosgrove, Ciara Cosgrove, Ella Mc Guire, Katie Turner, Darragh Gallagher, Luke Carty, Sean Gallagher, Tiernan Gaughan, Declan Coyne and Jack Doherty. We wish them continued success.
OLSS Belmullet has a number of very successful boxers amongst the student body. Aimee Carey (5th year), Kelly Hefferon (6th year), Leah Neary (3rd year) and John Ginty (6th year). All box locally and are achieving at their sport.
Henry Coyle, past pupil of OLSS Belmullet has represented Ireland at senior level and won a national senior title in 2003. In 2006, Henry won gold in the world military games in South Africa. Henry has gone on to win a world title as a professional, defeating Elio Cotina for the WBF light middleweight title in 2011.
