Scoil Phádraig speak the language of soccer ahead of two All-Ireland finals

THERE’S really something special about Scoil Phádraig's boys and girls five-a-side soccer teams - it's no exaggeration to use those words.

When The Mayo News called to the state-of-the-art Westport school last Wednesday ahead of their FAI Schools’ Primary 5-a-side All-Ireland finals, the excitement was beyond palpable. It was utterly electrifying.

Fifteen faces beamed with giddy excited smiles from the moment the two local journalists entered the small room that had become the centre of their universe.

When we asked for volunteers to speak on camera, hands shot up like warning shots in a cowboy movie.

“Do you have a chant?” asked our Head of Digital, David Rischke.

Before he had a chance to pick up the phone, the room was filled with an eardrum-bursting battle cry that will test the roof of the Aviva Stadium to its limits this afternoon (Wednesday). 

When we organised them for photos outside, they didn't stand shoulder to shoulder. They stood arm-in-arm instantly.

The girls team were here in 2023, when they brought an All-Ireland title from Lansdowne Road to the Newport Road.

This year, they’ll be joined in Dublin 4 by an effervescent boys team.

Neither Con Houlihan, Willie McHugh, Malachy Clerkin nor this chancer from The Mayo News could describe this team as well as their joint-captain, Mounir Soufan.

“We’ve got the best ‘keeper in Mayo right here, Jamie Needham. David [Hadjn] right here, what a man. Ruairi [Browne], what a man,” began Mounir, who came to Ireland from Syria a number of years ago.

“Theo Lomas, buzz-cut here! Finn [O'Reilly], what a man. And Artem [Salante], Ukrainian fella, what a man!”

Just ten minutes in their company is enough to identify the leaders and the jokers in the group, who clearly have a great chemistry.

And the craic, is clearly 90.

"It’s great aul craic," said goalkeeper Jamie Needham before being drowned out by hyena-like giggles.

“Guys, this is actually kind of serious!” yelped one squad member when the jig-acting began to interrupt the interview.

After seeing the girls win the All-Ireland last year, Jamie said there’ll be ‘big pressure, big expectations’ when the lads step onto the Aviva tomorrow (Wednesday).

Mounir doesn’t do pressure though.

“We'll show them how it’s done as well!”

Saoirse Reynolds, joint-captain of the girls team, knows exactly how it's done, and says it would mean 'everything' to do it all over again.

“The girls will lose, but the lads will win,” jibed one of the boys.

We then owe a right of reply to Saoirse.

“Last year year ye were in the stand. Ye didn’t get to see anything,” she quipped.

Mounir volleyed back.

“Girl, now we are.”

Scoil Phádraig: Good footballers, great characters and the best of friends.