Active Schools Week 2023 Day 5: Anna Doyle Visits Ballyconnell NS
Category - Sports
There’s always fantastic hype around our ASW Special Guest. On the final day of ASW 2023, we were visited by past pupil and Leinster rugby star, Anna Doyle.
On Friday 2nd June 2023, rugby player Anna Doyle became the third special guest in our Active Schools Week history, following in the footsteps of Irish international athlete, Marcus Lawlor (2019), and Wicklow Ladies footballer, Jackie Kinch (2022). Anna, a member of the Class of 2012, has gone on to achieve big things on the pitch since leaving us over a decade ago.
Always an accomplished footballer, in 2022 she was named Player of the Match in the county final as Coolkenno Ladies won the Wicklow JFC. It’s her rugby skills, however, which have seen Anna achieve national recognition. She took up rugby after leaving primary school and she quickly showed abundant natural talent. It wasn’t long before Anna was pulling on the Blackrock, Leinster and Ireland jersey, following in the footsteps of her cousin, Lucy Mulhall. To see Anna scoring an amazing try for Leinster, click here! (watch from 2 minutes on).
Anna was given a great reception in Ballyconnell with 6th class pupils forming a guard of honour before she was given a rapturous applause by a packed Ballyconnell Hall.
When the crowd finally calmed down, Anna then told us a bit about her life and career before students had the opportunity to ask her some questions. Anna gave very good answers and really gave a good insight into what it takes to become a top sportsperson. She was definitely a huge inspiration to us all, particularly the cailíní!
Afterwards, Anna took the senior pupils for a training session in the blazing Ballyconnell sun which everyone found very enjoyable. She may have thought she’d escaped without signing any autographs but as she was making her way out, she was nabbed by some signature hunters! After signing, at an estimate, one hundred autographs, Anna waved goodbye!
This was the first time we had a past pupil as our special guest for Active Schools Week. It was brilliant for the pupils to see what can be achieved with dedication. As Anna said, ‘If I can achieve this, there’s no reason you can’t!’. We, as a school community, are very proud of Anna’s achievements, and we hope to have her come visit again someday.
That rounded off an action-packed, boiling-hot and super-fun ASW 2023!
A leithéid de sheachtain! What a week!
