History:
When we opened our doors in 2011 it was the first time that a full size basketball court was available to the community of Bantry. We entered VEC competitions at the D grade in both Boys and Girls competitions for the first two years and quickly became promoted to the C Grade when we began to enter the Basketball Ireland Post Primary Schools Competitions.
In 2015 one of the all time great games took place in Coláiste Pobail when Ms Lane’s Under 19 Girls team beat Drogheda in the All_Ireland playoffs with a Nancy Hegarty Buzzer beater to bring the school to the National Arena for the first time to an Al- Ireland Semi-Final and then a final. The team lost the final in a tight game but were nevertheless promoted to the B Grade where they competed and won the South section at a number of age groups until reaching another All-Ireland Final in 2019 in the first year category and unfortunately losing out in the final. The girls now play at the A grade by virtue of those All-Ireland Final appearances. In 2022 Clodagh Downey of Third Year became the first Coláiste Pobail Bheanntraí basketball player to be named in an Irish underage Basketball Squad.
The Boys also started out in the VEC D Grade coached by Mr Curran and Mr Gahan and opted to play in the Basketball Ireland C Grade from 2013 onwards. After a number of South Region Championship wins at all four age groups our under 19 Boys finally reached an All-Ireland Final in 2018 in which they earned the title of All-Ireland Champions under the Guidance of Mr Curran. Since then they have won B Championships at all four age groups but the elusive All-Ireland title at the B grade has escaped them. In January 2023 both the U16 and U19 Boys teams had agonising defeats in the National Cup finals in Tallaght. However by virtue of their appearance in the finals, the school is now prmoted to ‘A@, the highest grade in Irish Schools Basketball.
Wheelchair Basketball
In 2022 the Basketball department at Coláiste Pobail Bheanntraí looked at ways of making the sport more inclusive. We entered teams in the IWA Schools championships for the first time. In March 2023, led by Rebel Wheeler Oisín O’ Connor, Coláiste Pobail Bheanntraí became the Munster Schools Wheelchair Champions by beating St Brendans of Killarney in the final.
In February 2023, School Coach and teacher Mr Pat Curran was a guest on the Southern Star Sports podcast and during the conversation he mentioned that the school was trying to develop Wheelchair basketball in the school and that he had secure €8k funding from West Cork Development towards a total of €24k that was needed to purchase ten basketball wheelchairs. The day after the podcast was aired the school recieved a phonecall from a donor who put up the balance of the €24k needed. The basketball wheelchairs were delivered in September 2023.
Roll of Honour Boys
2022/2023 Academic Year
National Cup Under 16 B Runners Up
National Cup Under 19 B Runners Up
2nd Year South B League Champions
2021/2022 Academic Year
U16B South Boys Champions
U19B South Boys Runners Up
2nd Year B South Boys B Runners Up
1st Year B South Boys B Runners Up
2020/2021 Academic Year
No Competitions Due to Covid restrictions
2019/2020 Academic Year
Under 16B South Boys Champions
No First and Second Year Competitions held due to Covid restrictions.
2018/2019 Academic Year
1st Year South Boys B Champions
2nd Year South Boys B Champions
U19 South Boys Runners Up
2017/2018 Academic Year
U19 Boys C All-Ireland Champions
U19C South Boys Champions
1st Year C South Boys Champions
2016/2017 Academic Year
U16 C South Boys Champions
U19 C South Boys Champions
2015/2016 Academic Year
U16 C South Boys Champions
U19 C South Boys Runners Up
2nd Year C South Boys Champions
2014/2015 Academic Year
1st Year C South Boys Champions
2nd Year C South Boys Champions
2013/2014 Academic Year
1st Year C South Boys Champions
2nd Year C South Boys Champions
U16 C South Boys Champions
2012/2013 Academic Year
1st Year C South Boys Champions
U16 C South Boys Champions
U19C South Boys Champions
2011/2012 Academic Year
VEC U16 D Chamipons
VEC U19 D Champions2010/2011 Academic Year
Roll of Honour Girls
