Hockey

Hockey

Background

The High School has enjoyed a distinguished sporting history since its foundation in 1870.  Its central contribution to the foundation of the Irish Hockey Union in 1893 is a matter of historical record.  A team from The High School entered the first Irish Senior Cup competition in 1894 recognized as the oldest competition of its type in the world; the school fielded two teams at this level in 1895 and 1896.  The first ever field hockey international match featuring a match between Wales and Ireland involved a past pupil named A W R Cheales (HSD, 1890-96). 

The Irish Ladies Hockey Union was established in 1894 making it the first national association for women players in the world.  The first reference to hockey at the Diocesan Secondary School for Girls dates from 1909 and the game featured as a regular competitive activity from 1927.  The Old Diocesan Ladies' Hockey Club was founded in 1961 and developed apace as the Diocesan Hockey Club.  In 1974 the incorporation of the Diocesan Secondary School for Girls resulted in the development of a strong tradition of competitive success in girls’ hockey at The High School. 

This move was fundamental to the growth of the game at The High School as the girls won a wide range of competitions in the late 1970s and 1980s.  The facilities at Danum were improved with the laying of a synthetic pitch in the mid 1990s.  The High School continued to place itself at the forefront of schools hockey through its investment in two new floodlit astroturf pitches at Danum in 2008.  This resulted in The High School becoming one of the dominant forces in Leinster school girls' hockey culminating in a victory in the Leinster Senior Premier League in 2015.  The boys' game had been eclipsed by the dominance of rugby before the end of the nineteenth century.  Its revival began almost a century later with a group of senior pupils forming a team under the direction of Ian Blackmore.  This was to prove to be a farsighted act of faith in the development of the boys' game.  In 2019 The High School Senior 1 boys' hockey team won the Leinster Hockey Association Schoolboys Senior Cup and the All Ireland Schools (Boys) Hockey Championship for the first time in the history of the school.  

A philosophy of sport for all alongside the pursuit of excellence now operates successfully throughout The High School.  We field numerous hockey teams which provide a range of opportunities for participation and competition at all levels commensurate with individual and collective ability.  The development of advanced skills and tactical awareness in a team environment is an enjoyable way for players to participate and compete throughout their time at The High School.  

Girls’ Hockey

The High School is regarded as one of the leading girls’ hockey schools in Ireland and currently field a total of 13 girls’ teams at all levels.  Our senior players won the Claudia Tierney Cup in 2012 and 2014 as well as the Leinster Senior Premier League in 2015.  The younger players enjoyed competitive success in 2012 and 2019 by winning the Junior Cup and Junior Plate competitions, respectively.

Click here for our Hockey Skills video.

Click here for our South Africa Tour video.

The High School has had a long tradition of providing educational and sporting opportunities for both players and coaches by undertaking hockey tours abroad. A tour to South Africa in 2012 laid a good foundation for senior players for the coming seasons. 

Boys’ Hockey

Boys’ hockey is one of the primary sports, alongside rugby, provided for boys in The High School. The sport has seen huge progression over the past twenty years. In the last decade, the number of players involved has trebled. This increase in participation, and a continued investment in coaching by the school, has seen a change in fortunes across all levels. Each of the seven teams now compete at the highest level in Leinster hockey and have reached nearly a dozen finals in the last four years.

At senior level, the Senior Ist team won the Senior Trophy in 2016, after reaching the final on three previous occasions.  The Minor Boys' A Team won the Minor Cup in 2016 for the first time in the school's history.

 

Provincial and International representation

Over the years, a number of High School players have progressed to represent Ireland at senior international level, including: Nicci Daly (71 caps), Alison Meeke (22 caps) and Shane O’Donoghue (56 caps).  All three are working hard to see Ireland qualify for the Rio Olympic Games, in both men’s and women’s hockey.

At provincial level, a number of our students have represented Leinster at underage level, including: Jennifer Long, Ailish Long, Saoirse O’Donoghue, Emma Canning, Darragh Butler, Conor Empey, Alex O’Regan, Alex Flynn and Peter Lynch. Both Jennifer Long and Emma Canning have represented Ireland at underage level.

We are hugely proud of their achievements and the contribution they made to hockey in The High School.

Click here for our Minor Boys' Cup Final video.

Other information

FIXTURES

-          See newsletter and hockey noticeboards for details.

Training times:

  • Monday

-          Girls: All juniors

-          Boys: All juniors

  • Tuesday

-          Girls: All first years and Senior 3s and 4s

-          Boys: Seniors

  • Wednesday

-          Matches

  • Thursday

-          Girls: Senior 1s and 2s

-          Minor As

-          First and second year boys

  • Friday

-          Minor Bs and Cs

-          Matches

LINKS