HUGE congratulations from everyone at the club go to the SEVEN Donaghmore-Ashbourne footballers selected on the Meath minor squad for 2022. 

It is a great honour for the club to have so many players on the 36 strong panel and this hopefully bodes well for the future. 

Making the squad is a tribute to the hard work and dedication of the players themselves, their parents, teammates and coaches - club and school - who have helped them all the way from Acorns up.

Some of the seven lads have been traveling up and down to Meath training in Dunganny for three years now.

It is a significant commitment by the players and their parents.  

The seven lads are: Matthew Scanlon, Oisin Daly, Evan O’Kane, Eoin Kelly, Michael O’Sullivan, Zach Thornton and Aidan Mackey.

All seven gained invaluable experience playing up a year in the side which won last year’s Division 1 League and made it to the Championship final.

Credit also goes to the lads they played with in that team and to the coaches involved in what was a very enjoyable year.

The Meath minors begin their Championship campaign in March so the next challenge for the lads is to try and force their way into the match day squad of 24 and on into the team.

Ardcath man Michael McIvor, who plays hurling with the club and football with St. Vincent’s, also made the squad, a serious achievement as an under-16. Congratulations to Michael. 

Another highly talented under-16 from the club, Jack Doran, also tried out for the minors (under-17) after making a major impact in trials and has a big future ahead of him. 

Last year two of our minors - Paul Wilson and Sean Tyrrell - brought the first All-Ireland medals to the club since the late 1950s.

Maire O’Shaughnessy and Aoibhín Cleary then made it four All-Ireland medals in the space of eight never to be forgotten days for the club.

More of the same would do nicely.

Good luck to the eight lads in the coming months. #DonAsh