This article is from page 31 of the 2007-03-13 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 31 JPG
LISDOON VARNA National School are on the road to repeating last years heroics in the Credit Union All-Ire- land quiz competition as their U13 team qualified for the national final last week.
The team saw off stiff competition from schools from all over Munster to finish first in their age grouping. It was however, a bitter sweet evening for the school as their U1] team nar- rowly missed out on qualification themselves, finishing third in their age group.
“We give them encouragement at
the school but they do most of the work themselves, off their own bat. Each of them gets a lot of support and help at home as well but at the end of the day they do all the work themselves.” said school principal John Hehir.
‘Both teams qualified to represent the school at the regional final in Limerick. The UI3 team won it and got through to the nationals but the U1] team finished third.
“Only the first two teams qualify so the U1] team were very unlucky not to make it. They were unlucky but at the same time they will have learned a lot from the experience and they
have more years in front of them.”
Indeed, this year the U13 team fea- tures three students, Orla Burke, Rob- ert Hillery, and Eimear O’Sullivan, who claimed the U1] All-Ireland last year.
The team in completed by Eleanor Collins who will be looking to taste her first All-Ireland success in Dub- lin on April 1.
“It is a 32 county, All-Ireland com- petition, so there will be more than 100 teams involved. All these teams would have come through two or three qualification rounds to make it this far so they really are the best of the best,” continued Mr Hehir.
“The whole competition is very well run. From local level in En- nistymon, through the other rounds in Ennis, Limerick and on to Dublin. The Credit Union deserves a lot of credit for it.”
Lisdoonvarna has been one of the most consistent performers in the competition over the last decade. The came joint sixth when they first reached in national final in 2001.
They came second in 2005, first in 2006 and have given themselves eve- ry chance of a great finish this time around.
The competition takes place in Dublin’s RDS on April 1.