Presentation Brothers College 1-1 St Francis College (PBC Win 4-1 on pens)

20/5/25  Venue: College Corinthians

Presentation Brothers College were victorious in a dramatic Cork Cup final vs Rochestown at College Corinthians on penalties.

From the outset at Corinthians the energy was palpable largely fuelled from the PBC supporters who chants were heard from the first whistle to the very last whereas Rochestown arrived with very minimalistic numbers. 
 

The game started with clear energy and PBC struck first. An attempt from PBC striker Tim O’Herlihy was blocked by the Rochestown defence but at the second time of asking he converted his effort to put PBC ahead early on. O’Herlihy and the other Pres players darted over to the fans in celebration but were soon hit with a reality check. 

A well worked goal with fantastic passing all round found Rochestown winger Richard Ellis who slotted past Luke O’Mahony at his far post to equal the tie. Not long after the goal Pres defender Dean Aherne was forced off the pitch due to illness which was a big blow, however he was soon replaced by Dan O’Sullivan who filled the void for the whole game. Just before the referee blew his halftime whistle Rochestown came close with a well hit shot but was saved nicely by O’Mahony.

The second half began at a slower tempo with chances limited from each side. It proved to be an interesting half nonetheless, growing into a nerve wrecking encounter as both teams began to create their chances. Midway through the second half, both teams looking to break the each other down with a bit more urgency. After very little chances so far Rochestown threw in a ball into the box and just flew over the net which keeper O’Mahony had well covered. The referee soon blew the full-time whistle, we were headed to extra-time.

The first half of extra time both teams were having a right go at it with both goalkeepers and defences putting in huge shifts to keep their schools in with a shout with silverware, Conor Barry in particular nullifying any counter attacking threat. One of the main talking points occurred in the second half. Pres winger Ethan O’Connell approached the goal at pace, chased down by Rochestown right back Alfie O’Leary. As O’Connell was about to shoot the two players looked like they had collided, however the shouts for a penalty were quickly waved away by the referee which set up an exciting final few minutes. Rochestown thought they had the winner when the ball was in the back of the net which forced jubilant scenes from the sideline however the referee blew it up for offside. Almost immediately after Rochestown had a shot saved by keeper O’Mahony who came to the rescue for Pres once more. The referee blew his whistle, we were headed to penalties.

Rochestown won the toss and decided to take the first penalty. All eyes were on the goalkeeper for Pres Luke O’Mahony who produced a stunning save. Dan O’Sullivan then converted his spot kick. First blood to Pres. Up stepped Alfie O’Leary for Rochestown an  opportunity to bag Rochestown’s first penalty but it was saved by O’Mahony again which forced jubilant scenes among the Pres supporters, Captain Will Pollock scored his penalty and Pres had one hand on the trophy. Rochestown finally got a penalty on the board but Eanna Ronan made no mistake to put pressure on the next Rochestown penalty. Rochestown slotted home to put the pressure on PBC Striker Tim O’Herlihy.  The goal scorer from earlier made easy work of it- ensuring the Cork Cup returned to the Mardyke school.  

Conor O’Halloran, 1st Year

PBC had a fantastic win on May 22nd in the Under 15 Cork Schools Trophy.

Both teams came out very strongly and the game was evenly matched, until the deadlock was broken after a lovely pass, set Josh Dunne away to score the opener. After the opening goal PBC settled down and started to dominate the play. The second and third goals soon followed to make it 3 – 0 at half time.

St Colmans came out fast in the second half but the Pres defence held out. Pres kept creating chances and were unfortunate not to add to their tally.

At the final whistle, Pres supporters ran onto the pitch to celebrate with the players. A great performance from all the Players and Coaches.

Thanks to St Colmans for a great game and to the Match Officials for a great job.

Another title for PBC, to add to the Under 14 Cork Cup win last Tuesday. What a great week for PBC Soccer!!

Report by James Keeshan, 1st Year

The scene was set; Presentation Brothers College vs Rochestown College it was a warm May Day with the sun shining.  . . .The Match kicked off at 12 noon . . 

Tim O Herlihy kicked it off for Pres. We had many attacks and then a free kick by Harry Ledwith led to a goal by Tim O Herlihy, our striker at No.10! Soon afterwards, Roco equalised, after a lot of pressure on our players. We had many more chances before the half time whistle blew. The second half kicked off and Roco were on the attack and looked like they were gonna score! It went past our Keeper Luke O Mahony, but our No. 2 Conor Barry cleared it off the line, to stop the ball going in! The momentum switched after that. We had several attacks and nearly scored on many occasions, but couldn’t finish our opportunities. The final whistle blew.  

Extra time!!

Roco kicked off extra time and were on the attack, but they couldn’t capitalise on their chances due to our magnificent keeper Luke O Mahony.

No score in extra time led to Penalties!!

A Roco player stepped up first, but Luke O Mahony stopped it.  Our Dan O’Sullivan kicked next and slotted it into the top left corner. Roco shoot but another save by Luke O Mahony!!  PBC proceeded to score the next 2 penalties and Roco scored their next 2 penalties. Tim O Herlihy stepped up to the spot and delivered a clinical finish for Pres to win! The Under 14 Cork Cup returned to The Mardyke after a 13 year gap!!

Will Pollock, PBC Captain, on accepting the Cup, thanked coaches Mr. Shane Twomey and Ms. Rebecca Walsh for the work put in and also thanked his First Year classmates for their support on the day. He commiserated with Rochestown College, on what had been an exciting competitive final.

Report and Photos, by Eamonn Bang Lyons and Michael Ahern

We kicked off the campaign with a 3-2 win away to Christian’s.

Our next fixture took us up to Waterford where we faced Newtown and came out with another 3-2 win.

Our third and final group game was a home fixture in Sundays Well against Rochestown College, where we came up with a 3-1 win.

This win qualified us for the finals, where we faced Christians again. With two matches going to each side, we were forced to settle the decider with an up to one set “super doubles”. Tommy and Johnny paired up for the super doubles and closed it out comfortably with a 6-1 win to take home the u19 Munster title for the 2nd year running.

The team of Johnny and Tommy Fitzgerald, James O Regan and Conor Keigher, are all 4th Years. They are eligible for the u19 Cup for two more years.

This group has now won the Munster title in their respective age categories four years running.

Report from Johnny Fitzgerald

Our 2nd year students journeyed by rail down to Cobh last Friday morning and boated across Cork Harbour in glorious sunshine to visit Spike Island on their annual history tour.

The island has been host to a 7th century monastery, a 24 acre Fortress, and the largest convict depot in the world in Victorian times as well as to many island homes.  

Today the island is dominated by the 200 year old Fort Mitchell, the star-shaped fortress which became a prison holding over 2300 prisoners. It was the largest prison in the world at the time and there has never been a larger prison in Ireland or Great Britain before or since.

The boys divided into 3 groups and spent the morning exploring all aspects of the island’s fascinating history, including the prison cells, the attempted escapes, the punishment block, the artillery yard, its War of Independence audio-visual centre as well as enjoying the panoramic views of the harbour and lunch on the lawn in Fort Mitchell.

Well done to all the boys for their sustained interest and impeccable behaviour on a very hot day and thanks also to all the teachers and SNAs who accompanied and supervised them and to Ms Eleanor Walsh for organising the trip.

The senior biology students had an amazing day exploring the woodland ecosystem of Killarney National Park on their ecology field trip. Under clear skies, the group set off early in the morning. Guided by park rangers and their biology teachers, they ventured through the ancient woodland while gathering data and observing native flora and fauna in their natural habitats.

Highlights of the day included spotting red deer—the park’s most iconic species—and identifying a wide range of native plants. Students were particularly fascinated by the intricate food webs at play and how human activity subtly influences these ecosystems. Equipped with notebooks and a variety of ecology toolkits they took soil pH measurements, recorded biodiversity levels, and discussed conservation strategies in real-time.

Lunchtime was spent near the peaceful Muckross Lake. The hands-on experience brought classroom lessons to life, deepening their understanding of ecological principles and environmental science. The trip concluded with reflections on sustainability and a renewed appreciation for the natural world.

Huge congratulations to our First-place winners of the Irish Science Teachers Association annual ThermoFisher Scientific Junior Cycle Science Quiz. The team members were Aaron Currane, Daithi Kidney and David Kelleher and the students were accompanied by Ms Rachel Hannigan and Ms Ellen Walsh.  The competition was held in UCC this evening.  This a very prestigious competition for our Junior Cycle Students, and thanks to all their teachers for their help and encouragement.

We were delighted to welcome  Richie Sadlier back to PBC Podcast on Friday last for a wide ranging chat with Brian O Leary and Sam Hernan. He was in school as guest speaker to address our 6th years as part of PBC’s transition programme to support our students in their move from school to 3rd level education.

Richie is an RTE football panellist who has covered 4 Euros and 3 World Cups as a pundit and who also wrote Irish Sports Book of the Year 2019: his autobiography, ‘Recovering.’ 

He works as a psychotherapist specialising in working with teenagers and regularly contributes to television and radio on adolescent development and issues relating to young people.

With our TY crew on work experience, 6th years Brian and Sam, former podcasters themselves, returned to the mics for a sometimes lighthearted, sometimes serious conversation. 

Naturally among the topics were soccer and Richie’s move from home to pursue a professional soccer contract after doing his Leaving Cert; his curtailed professional career and the impact on his mental health; his views on the modern game and his experience as a pundit including his early days alongside John Giles, Liam Brady and Eamon Dunphy. Mobile phones and social media in school are also a hot topic and it’s interesting to hear our 6th years give their perspectives on our recent no-phone day in Pres. 

Click below to listen to this  compelling conversation and as ever thanks to PBC management and all the teachers for their support and big thanks to Brian O Leary for editing this episode and to Elaine Smith for post production. Tune back in May as we welcome the TY crew back for the season finale. 

https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/pbc-podcast/id1550646073?i=1000703762994

https://open.spotify.com/episode/3aUazbnB5vtIPgF6n4uXBz

https://shows.acast.com/the-pbc-podcast